The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-27

els and chambers running far and secure b.
meath the surface haunts and industries of
man.
Let us test now definitely the applicability
of this term Forest State to the Illinois sub
Winoiensi which have roughly sketcbed.
few preliminary statements are, howev
er, necessary to secure the full force of the
illustration.
Vegetable matter, while undergoing it's ben
ehcent transformation into mineral coal,
becomes subject to a diminution of bulk
First, In the process of decomposition, the
gaseous parts in large measure escape, carry
ing off with them halt, or more than half, of
the carbon of wood so that as regards this
one source of loss 100 parts of wood will not
make more than l6 parts of anthracite, and
20 parts Of bituminous coal. There is, in
other words, loss of three-iourths of the
wood for bituminous, and of fve-sixths for
anthracite coal. In the next place, besides
this reduction OF bulk TO one-fourth and one
sixteenth by decomposition, there is further
reduction by decOm position, which if only
to one-h0if, would bring the entire reduction
of bulk TO one eight and one-twelfth for Bit
luminous and anthracite respectively. Conse.
quently, 1t would take eight feet in depth of
compact woody matter to make one foot of
bituminous coal, and II feet 10 make one of
anthracite Coal. In making this estimate no
II,
which would slightly lessen the amount of
wood required enough perhaps, in any Civ
en- case. TO counterac5 the quantity otherwise
wasted In the process.
1t thus appears that bed of bituminnus
coal, six feet in thickness, which is the depth
of the bed usually mined in this state, is
equivalent to a thickness of 4S feet of com
pact woody matter. Now It Is thrifty for
est whose trees average as feet in height
and 1t would be Il dense forest which should
occupy One-tenth of the surface We thus
find coal bed such we nave described six
feet thick, equivalent to at least 10 forests of
trees 4S feet high.
But tins is not one bed, but several, with
which we have to deal. Here is an aggregate
thickness, say, OF Sc feet OF coal beds ,-an.
sweTlng, according to q moderate estimate, to
OO distinct forest grOwths. Then here, 20 take
a single illustration from another field Is the
great Pttsburg bed, identified ut different
points over an area of 200 900 square miles
the base of calculation in the American
system of carbOniterous geology. If the en-
tire region trI butery to the Mississippi river
were 10 send it's resources of fuel for 100000
years 20 be stored up. under needed cond-
tions, beneath the gulf Of Mexico, il could
scarcely furnish THE Immense bed. The rea-
der can make his own calculation as to the
coal beds, l2O feet thick. in 5he Postsvillc
and Tamaqua valley. Instead OF 20 feet,
which Dana gives tor the entire Illinois and
Missouri region, we have based our calcula-
ton ON the moderate estimate of 50 feet
Not less impressive is the simple estimate
of the known resources of workable and
worked beds in our state. In six-fee5 bed
like those at Danvile, Du Quoin and Belle
vile, every superficial square yard 60 cubic
yards) contains two tons of coal This would
give $3.50 tons to the acre G, l95. 200 tons to
the square mile, (sectionl % 1927 200 tons
TO u township; or, on hundred square miles
to which it is no exaggeration to extend
either the Dauville or Beiiville field the in-
conceivable, almost iuexhaustible amount of
>, 230, 272, 100000 tons, which would supply
Illinois, If she were to use 100, 900, coo tons a
year, for period four centuries longer than
has elapsed since the birth of Christ
From the Bellevilie district whose beds
stretch away to the south across the Big Mud
dy for more than IS miles within distance
of from I 10 II miles from St. Louis. along
two single lines of railroad. that city now OBJ
tains 37j 900 tons of coal annually. of aquaI-
ity which. without caring tn compare it with
eastern GOALS, suffces for all domestic. and
for most manufacturing purposes Not only
the costly "hsrd coaln (anthracite) is almost
unknown to fuel consumers in St. Louis, the
eastern varieties Of soft coal are not less 50.
\ ct the bed from which this vast CITY is
mainly supplied Is scarcely touched rs vet -
Day after day more than 100 coal cars dis
charge their load into five times as many
wagons on the east bank OF the river TO sup
ply the wants # furnace and forge, hotel and
store, pGlatal residence aud humble cottage
in that metropolis. Along all the lines of
railroad, too, in middle Illinois. town aud
country are almost exclusively furnished
- nj -, 81
from 50 t. IS per ton. Villages and country
neigh borhoods are supplied from hundreds Of
outcrops which abound while mandatory.
railway. and distant city are provided from
not less than fifty regular mines, from which ,
the coal IL discharged, without handling, di- .
rectlv upon the cars for transportation.
The monarch of this imperiun an imperio
is ''old king coal :" and If his subterraneous
realms are somewhat Of the darkest - if in /.
them ne rs q stern aud gloomy monarch, he |
at all events becomes. when he energies 10 |
the surface TO establish his dominion, a sufh- |
cientlv merry old soul" He here unbends |
from his gloomy sternness, a0d relaxes his |
old time grimness. lilo wakes merry in home /
chimney place, and the countenance of par
ent and child reflect his smiles; no makes |
cheerful the cottage of laborers in country, !
hamlet and capital throughout the common.
wealth he dazz!es and CLOVIS in CRATES In /
our drawing rooms and the diamond glitters /
all the more brilliantly in his radiance; he |
flashes in tireless en- 'rgv and rude iolity |
along our thousands of miles of railway he /
works increasingly in mandatory and stems .
forces in the thrGbbiug breast of .
steamship. Everywhere among tho multi
plying and benefcent agencies of our tireless I
aggressive civilization, he has become q very
divinity of light, and warmth, and power,
aud good cheer at once gladdening the heart