St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-09-20

Tie petroleum by becoming condensed
with cold, the petroleum crystalized
10y cold formed the bituminous coal
found abundantly in the sandstone
strata that ovcrlic the gas. Here the
gas, the petroleum and the coal are
found in close proximity. This gas
could be conducted to the cities on
the seaboard in pipes, to supply light
for the street lamps.
I The anthracite coal fields of Penn.
sylvania were produced by mineral or
rock oil penetrating clay and iron ore,
the iron producing the red ASH and
the clay the white ash cinkers when
the coal is burnt.
In my geological researches on the
northern shores of Lake Ontario in
lS44, | found at Ogden's Point an cx-
tensive strata Of bituninous fossil
lltcrous limestone. On striking a
piece or this stone with hammer, or
IN rubbing two pieces of the stone to-
gethcr it gave out a strong smell of
bitumcn. | made enquiry of lime
burners as to the quanty of fuel re-
qnlrcd to calcine this stone in lime
kllhs, for making qnick-lme, and they
told me that but little fuel was re-
| quired, the btumcn with which the
stone is saturated affords fuel nearly
sufficient for burning it into lime.
! found fossils so numerous in this
stone as to induce me to form an
opinion that while living they were
overwhelmed 10y an eruption of btu
men, and | think the basin in which
the water of Lake Ontario now re-
poses was formed by the burning of
the bltumcn, and the water-spouts so
frequently seen to rise in that Lake,
and temporary cruptions of its waters
| 10y sudden ebbing and flowing, occa-
sionally noticed, have their origin in
the escape Of hydrogen gas from be-
meath the surface Of the bottom of the
| Lake
AS long ago as when the late NJ. NJ.
Noah published the Star in New York,
| addressed him communication eX-
pressing tho opinion that mineral coal
originated in the condensing of car
burettcd hydrogen gas forming pctro-
leum and in the crystalization Of the
petroleum forming coal, and my sub
sequcnt investigations have confirmed
me in that opinion.
1t is about forty years since Mr..
Whiting, of Boston, first introduced
anthracite coal into the City of New
York (for fuel from PENNSYLVANIA.
lie then published IN the newspapers
that he would exhibit CRATES in which
the coal could be burnt, and succeed
cd i'll the effort Of making heat from
the coal, but the first attempt was
ridiculed.
As the population Of our cities in
crease, Providence opens new store
houses in the earth to supply the
wants Of the increased population.
The coal first for fuel, and now the
oil for light.
1t is but little more than twelve
years since the gold deposits in Cali
fornia were first discovered, and the
abundance of gold since mined in that
district of country has furnished an
illustration of the Scripture account
of the abundance of gold in the days
of King Solomon, the account of which
some had regarded SO marvellous.
We see thus that the most ponder
Gus fuel in use, the anthracite, results
from one of the lightest of the gasscs,
the hydrogen. Thus it is the ctherc-
ais become huidized, and the fluids
become crystalized, and thus matter
is continually changing. We are fa-
mliIar with the change of vapor tC
water, aud water to ice, and see ice
in passing through the streets in sum
mer, become vaporizcd, smoking like
burning wood. 1t is the melting Of
floating ice which produces the fogs
met with in such abundance III
European voyages.
Human breath in cold weather be
comes hoar frost, smoke of wood fires
condcnses in chimncys, forming SCOT
if suffered to remain, chrystaiizcs anC
forms q substance resembling btu
,, minous, and is equally inhammablc.
Manufacturers Of gas use minera
> coal, and also vegetable rosin, for tn,
! production Of inhammable gas, anC
- the petroleum or mineral oil can b,
used for the same purpose.
In one Of the Eastern British Prov
= inccs on this Continent, is a large de
posit of mineral resins. 1t has til,
lustre of vegetable resin when broken
but has dark color like black bottl
glass.
i, On Elk Creek, near the Kanhawh
Salines, Va, is Il deposit Of the fines
:, camel coal.
. l have sample of petroleum, and {
\ many kinds of coal in my cabinet, t'
- gcther with specimens Of the incru:
" tations formed by the gas at kal
!. hawha.
~ The fluidizing of solid bodies, tn
- - vaporizing of fluids, the ctherealizini
y of vapors, and the sublimatlon Q
r e metals, are wonderful operations i
- - the great laboratory Of nature, an
~ yet simple and in harmony with til
~ great economy Of nature, exhioitin
y the variety Of change and the boun'
T. lessness of the muniticcnce of an owe