Civilian & telegraph., 1859-10-27

| Iu letter from Mr.. Calvin Dickey, Il
Coshocton, Ohio, he says:-"Your paper is
the only one through which coal-ol men APP
pear to exchange their views in reference to
to this immense interest. Our region here is
rich in camel coal, the seams being from
four to six feet in thickness, and they make
excellent OIL There are some fifteen works
] in operation and in the course of erection in
two townships in this county. All combined
they manufacture from 1000 to 1000 gallons
OF crude oil per day."
Another correspondent from Charleston,
kanawha county, Va, states that there are
several companies in that place largely en-
gagged in this manufacture, and they have
large capital invested in the business ''lhe
Unior Works, at Stockton" he says, care
making crude oil from "a rctorts; the Kama
wha Coal oil Company Charleston, have 40
retorts in operation. aud will have 60 more
by December LIST. This company refine their
oil, and send large quantities to Boston and
other markets. Several other companies
have from 80 to 40 retorts each in full blast,
but do not yet refine the crude article; they
are, however, making preparations to do So
The above-named correspondent also states
that l.. A. II. twhose letter on camel coal
appeared on page 15l of the present volume
of the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN is not posted
up in the camel coal deposits of our cou TRY.
1t was asserted that the only camel coal
known on this continent was that of the
Prince Albert mine in New Brunswick, and
the Forest Hill mine in Fayette county, Va.
In the Kanawha Valley there are several
mines of camel coal as good as that of Forest
Hill, though not "as oily as u lump of fat"
nor "as elastic as india-rubber" Our cor
respondent also asserts that there is more
camel coal in this Virginia valley than in all
the rest of the United States. Some of the
deposits v,ry from 80 inches h. 6 feet in
thickness, and most of them compare very
favorably with the Boghead and Prince Al
bert camel Goals.
On page 222, of this volume, we publish
ell the letter ota correspondent who stated
that none Of the establishments engaged in
in the coal-oll manufacture had "paid II div
idend on the money investcd." TO this state
ment, Mr. Geo. NJ Mowbray, of Grcenpoint,
Il. l., answers: One of your correspondents
dating from Cincinnati, in an article on
'Coal-oil Manufacture asserts that none of
the companies formed for the purpose of man
ufacturing this oil have hitherto paid divi-
dcnd. This is an error; the Columbia Com
pany having paid dividend of 10 per cent
besides having a surplus for contingencies. -
My authority for this assertion is Mr. Fur |
Der, one of the directors Of the company"
We have thus had contradictory statements
from different correspondents on this subject,
but the truth comes out in the accumuat, d
Information we present. The writer Of tins |
Article is well acquainted with camel coal
and has examined as good specimens from
Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio as the famous
Boghead On Coal river. Va. there is an il
imitablc supply of camel coal for making
oil and gas; and it is to be regretted that the
carriage Of it costs so much to this city. which |
is supplied with English oai for making gas.
We would especially direct the attention of
our Amcriccn camel coal companies to this ,
subject, because it would bc benefit to our
C tzens if this coal were obtained at cheaper
rates, so that the price of gas could be so re-
duced as to enable every house in this and
other large cities to be supplied with it. AT
the present it is too expensive for the work
ing GLASSES tn use and the excuse offered by
the companies is the high price of coal.
In letter from +. t. Cacott. Esq, OF the
Providence tR. ~ Gas Company, he give lis
the cost OF the coal which they use as follows:
S3.77 per ton in London; freight to Provi-
dence, $4. 18; exchange. 45 cents; duty, 90
cents total at the warf $939. This is a
very high price for ton ofcoal. We have
always been given to understand that the price
Of Boghead coal in LONDON was S;l1 40 per
ton; and that it could bc imported to New
York, with the exception Of the tariff duty, as
cleaply as to London. Surely some Of our
western coal companies can institute measures
to send their coal to the eastern scaLoard.
and sell it for Sc or 81 per ton.
There is another matter connected with
this subject which our readers should under
stand more fully, viz: the quality of gas OBJ
taincd from different kinds of coal Most
persons suppose that all coal-gas is of the
same quality, and that cubic foot of the
,ne is just as good as a like quantity of any
other. This is mistake. There is a great
Inference in the illuminating power of gas
obtained from different kinds of coal Cam
,el coal-gas is nearly double the power of
hat obtained from the Newcastle coal.--Sci-
nfifc american.