The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-07-14

aaesar san a srga oGi agtiaas @ 9tii =
THE YANKEE FIXED 1T;
OR, GOVERNOR xrrsILN's FIRST COAL FIRE,
It is truly astonishing. that:th inexhauta.
bic beds ofanthracite coal, which extends
along the Schuylkill River, and stretch
through the valleys and mountains Of Penn.
sylvania, from old Berks County tothe
mountains Of Shamck;n, were not fond on {
and applied to domestic uses, full fifty
years, before they were noticed!
Goal has been exhumed from the earth,
'andsburned in forges and CRATES in Europe,
from time aimmefnorial, we think, yet we
distinctly remember when a few canal boats
only were engaged IN transporting from the
few mines that were opened and worked
along the Schuylkill, the comparatively few
tons Of anthracite coal consumed in Phila.
dslphia or sent away. As far back as 1890,
there was but little. IL any coal shipped to
Philadelphia from the Scuylkill mines at
ALL .iirs e 7hH gsi@ssfsfl4 its.s.H sEFfi !
Our venerable friend, the still v;vacious
and clear headed Colonel Davis, Of Della
ware, gave us, ! few years ago. rather
amusing account Of the Arst successful at.
tempt Of . very distinguished old gentle
man, Gov. Mifin, to ignite pile Of stone
cosy The 1otos ce Az t.or.. "A: - f.~ =. !.
the pity] has escaped us, but the facts OF
the case are, somewhat after this fashion.
Gov. Miflin, Of Pennsylvania, lived and
owned fine estate in Miflin County, in
which county was discovered, from time to
time any quantity Of black rock, as the far
mers commonly called the then unknown
anthracite OF course, the old Governor
knew something about store-eoal, and had
a slight linking of its character. At hours
Of leisure, the Governor was in the habit Of
experimenting upon the black rocks by sub,
jecting them to wool fire upon his hearth;
but the hard, almost flint. like anthracite Of
that region resisted with most cbdurate per-
tinacity the repeated attempts of the Gov.
to set it on fire.
Itfinally became a joke among the neigh
boring Pennsylvania Dutch farmers. and
others Of the vicinity, that Governor Miflin
was studying out a theory to set his hills
and fields on fire, and burn out the obnox.
lous black powders. But despite the gbes
and jokes of his dogmaticai friends, the old
Governor stuck to his experiments, and the
result produced az most generally it does,
through perseverance and practice, a new
and useful fact, or principle.
One cold and, wintry day, Gov. Miflin
was costly perched up in his easy chair DO.
fore the great roaring. blazing hickory fire.
.overhauling ponderous State documents,
and deeply engrossed in the affairs of the
people, when h,s eye caught the outline Of
big black-rock bowlder upon the mattel
piece before hint was a beautiful speci.
men of variegated anthracite, with all the
hues Of the misunderstanding from Its lac
fss..1 '"s''' ~ o '..ous "'ap
Of this specimen Of the black rock; but
dropping all the documents and State papers
rel nell upon the floor, he seized the piece
of anthracite, and placing il carefully upon
the blazing cross.sticks of the fire, in the
os' ;. 'uso,osu ua.'''er wa'caea tue opera
'o - A.s se"' u0''s". 'e o'acA TUCK
700 SUI" &c" "o'-.e os.0o 'ar nus SERVANT
"ah, sao'e son OF africa, OF some DOWN
Soa," oo''so ~ r
saac 8
es' sau' se hean' san.
isaac run out 70 she carriage mousse
o. 49, " ,"a e~ = WA
.a.' : 80 so"e
!" '"'"A''"g '"e negro had oo'a'ned a
nuse lump o' .he 1h'nrac''e' anq nandins
u over 90 tue uovernor' II was paced IN a
favorable Pos'uon Alongside OF the nrst
lump ana the dovernor's eyes fairly danced
polkas as ne witnessed the fact Of the two
pieces OF olack rock assuming q red COM
p'ex'on.
isaac! again exclaimed the GOVERNOR
ies' san! -a 80
Nu" OUT ge' anoener lump
les san. A4a
'hlrd lump was added 70 the nre.-
ioe company J" 9tne 'overnors private
pa''or was augmented oy fhe appearance OF
tne uoSoFuoT 1oys ana otner portions OF