The Hillsborough recorder., 1857-05-20
SOUTHERN COAL

SOUTHERN COAL.
There has been late discovery Of one Of the
richest mines Of fuel existing in any country,
On the Ouachita. accessible at all seasons
from New Orleans, and capable Of fur,
nishng the market twenty millions Of tons
per annum.
LIS called, by those who have made the
discovery, a Southern cannal Coal, but i IS
not properly u coal n.
Ii is Lignite, of very superior guality,
only inferior 10 the celebrated forbane. Hill
mineral, found in Scotland, which has been
used 10 furnish gas for lighting the Queen :
Palace at Windsor-unless il be that very
mineral ITSELF II is nat coal, therefore. N
the strict sense Of the term, but il affords, BY
chemical operations, several products more
valuable than the very best Of coal, and i
will really answer every purpose Of iuel,
and is superior in every respect q that known
here as the Brecknri,lge. while It abso-
lluteIy possesses as much durability as the
| Anthracite.
| The coal resembles in some respects the
/ Breckenridge coal, but is softer, lighter, and
/ has d rougher texture when broken. Ii can
easily be cut with knife. aud the surlacs
presents much the appearance Of freshly y.cu'
black lead.
When lighted it has that peculiar smell
which is Characteristic uf Ignite.
In oily products, this coal is vastly riche'
than the Breckenridge coal, and. as a suhsti.
tute in the manufacture OF Kerosine oils
would prove profitable almost beyond creula
i ton.
Asa producer Of gas It is superior to an,
coal known. Heated in an ordinary tet
kettle, ii discharge a volume Of gas whlcl
ignted, and produced flame fourteen inchef
in length.
Il Yesterday it was substituted in the estab
ilishment ol Mr.. Hcbrar,l for the fuel lie ha'
before used, aud il was found to burn freely
!, with little smoke, anil producing hea
. equal to The material Tor which il had bee
used.
In an open CRATE. il lights easily, burn
! with a bright, beautiful flame, emitting
| heat equal 10 the ordinary Goals fund !
this market. and leaving no refuse Of cin
,lers, and only very small resiluum d red
dish brown a.hes The waters of the Qua
: chita can at all seasons be na,igated BY COZ
or keel boats, and often by steamers even
, the point where this valuable Iepo,it abst
luiely crops out oi the river bank. As III
means Of diminishing the cost of li.in
and enlarging The comturt of the renpl,
tuis discovery i, therefore, truly impoI
tant.
But il will prove advantageous in sti
higher degree, in cheapening Ilel necessar
for driving machinery. and Nlllitseli bccom
!, tile raw material irnm which The must lmpol
tani products are 10 br manufactured. Ou
pine forests and our cotton fields ARE no
! /, not Tie nnly resource for the production ,
!, oils. Our gas will mt mnth lnnger be ii
! product nf inreign o. PENNSYLVANIA coal, an
> The re,lnctipn oi the ca,t of prn,lustinn mui
esentuate IN the decrease Of tue price
: light.
. This discovery i tie result o. al acciden
= But il suggests, with no ordinary iarce, u
y Importance II scientific survey of o,
!, State. We knuw MT what mines Of veal
: lie ~ around u. until they are de,eIepe
by the Investigations II SCIENCE. w inub
. less have coal. and marble, and mari, an
:. clss, u tie most valuable character ii I.nul
lana We trust this suggestion. growing u
! Of the discovery 81 this new fuel field. VI
: induce reflection aud action lie - Jet
scientific survey of tile State. Cfe.ls.