The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-12-03
An Important Discovery

The st. Paul Press announces the disc0v-
ery near that city Of immense beds Of Peat
which will supply the city with fuel for cen.
turies. It says that the same deposits may
be found in Iowa, Wisconsin, the Red River
Valley and probably in the British Colonies.
II $50 it would be well for the people Of North
ern Iowa to begin hunt for peat bogs,
especially in this vicinity where fuel is so
dear. The Press gives the following des-
cription Of Peat:
peat is the spongy mass of vegetable
matter composing the soil of swamps. II
consists Of matted roots, leaves, and stems
Of plants, the forms of which are sometimes
distinctly preserved, and at Others are lost
in the mucky substance produced by thei
decomposition. It forms layers several feet
thick, and in some localities repetitions Of
these are found at different depths, alterna.
ting with others Of sand Thess form
"Bog." Bog is an Irish word, applied 70
extensive swanpy tracts. In England they
are called Fens. Their situation - MT nec-
essarily low, nor are they always level.
They are originally masses of luxurient liv-
ing vegetation, and sonptines forests are
buried beneath them. Taey are soft. shake
to the tread, and a pole may bs thrust twen-
ty feet into them. The remains Of animsls-
even men-have been exhumed from them.
Peat Boys do not exist except in the TEN.
perate Zones, and in localities where the cli-
mate is moist q g. not arid) AMI the SUBJ
soil impervious to water. In the United
States It is little known south of 43 deg. ;,
but EXISTS north of that latitude in New
England and Canada, and in the North-wes
in illimitable quantities. As fuel it has
long been known and used in Europe, and
Great Britain. but has never, we believe
been into notice for that purpose in Ameri.
ca, probably because there is no region in
the United States, where fuel has been 80
scarce as to cause its use.
As substance from which to manufact-
ure gas. it is equal to camel coal, while as
fuel in metallurgic operations, its calol ific
power equals coke or charcoal It's proba-
BILE future value for such purposes are
therefore incalculable, and can only be as
certained by experiments. 1t takes fire
readily, requiring only a little kinding,
and soon becomes mass of coal. burning
long while, and throwing out violent heat
1t bnrns in CRATE fully as well as stone.
coal, giving bright light and genial heat,
free from gas, or smell, or sparks. In a
cooking stove, it tproduces tn at steady heat
so much priced BIZ cooks. A single block
oft once isnited burns for dav or two Ike
'punk," and can scarcely be put out. Hence
it would be valuable to leave over night to
start fire with IN the morning. Perhaps,
cord with cord, it will 60 about as far as
oak wood.
The discovery Of these peat beds is due
to Jacob ". Bass, Esq. an old settler of
St. Paul, and long well known citizen a.
inong US. His attention was first called to
this peat bed on his own premises, by the
scarcity and high price of fuel. and in true
Yankee spirit he set about divinlng a rem
edy therefor. The possible existence Of
peat then occurred to him, and he cut some
last summer. and dried it. Having tested
it by some expert nents, he soon became
convinced that it was the real article, and
forthwith employed two men to cut and dry
about thirty cords which he has now stored
In the cellar Of his elegant residence, and
uses ip the place of wood.
Mr.. Bass had spade, or cutter made
purposly for the work, like a sod spade.
With this it is dug aud cut in blocks like a
brick. only larger, aud being soaked with
water, must be laid on the grass to dry.
After partially drying, the blocks are piled
up like bricks, with inter stiees between
and through the layers, in order TO allow
the air to carry of the moisture A few
weeks Of dry hot weather will thoroughly
dry it, ana it can be packed away ready
for use. In bad weather it will need shelter.
Mr.. Bass saysI he has in his Peat bog of
sixty acres on the edge of town, enough to
supply st, Paul fora huadred years. He
thinks, judging from what he gathered, that
i. can he cut, dried, and deliverd in, the city
pro fitably at 50. so or S3per cord