The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-02-04

lould b uniformly found. II undsrliss, for
Eample, every one Of ths 70 ssams Of ~
oggins. Nova Scotia.
8. The quality and character q - 49, Il
lbls remains. The thinnest laa.ss 49,
'hich the everything slats can b aPtlts
xhihit impressions of ferns. A. - 3 !.ssS Il
'ar lows coal itself, have Ssen sec5A III
he fact that every block Of 4 = meas
.r.ble. has IL entire surface c0veso4 -
,triated impressions Of something Ike gva0,
.edre o. rush-st first ,glapce resenhhae !
I f. "a I, ssod mol q 81 HE 500 seaplo6sS
have eeen = fpssils II cabinets, and - Nv |
M and 1sad age. ssea - | was familiar |
ritA dpsiak sAir.sen saass rsaidsnea y = |
I. a. Pr ,..ssts. e ~ ~ i.:slf
in its own lsminstions, OF even in the alter
nations of its shades Of color. A layer N
eighth of "a inch thick corresponds 10 IN inch
as least OF accommodating vegetable remains;
and hence the regularity and dslicscy Of ths
structure il not surprising. Alternations are
1nt6sequsace Of r. ih6 Mrt4eay21 -
dfoSfh Sf1a4lts nd ~ sh4d ener cE 49,
(2) the pefiodicity OF The seasons, the ntefn-
ations OF the season of foods with the sea-
son Of low waters or comparative drynessi
the occurrence, at intervals OF several years,
of excessive foods" All this is totally in
consistent with Prof. Hinrichs' continual
sipkina Of dead sea-weedsintkp4hes kill depths
OF soS5i centt5l : sjsnepslk 3d. &c SE7
8. There is no evidence that sea weeds
sink, but rather proof TO tho contrary. All
the testimony that | can gather points 70 the
conclusion that they fnat until wholly de-
composed; or consumed by marine animals,
or cast ashore Those that grow on the bot
tom RISE when detached-some OF them
bringing up large stones. The only ~excsp-
tons would seem to be the species that large
" secret lime or aiiieA, and tResA 6rnish too
liule vegetable matter to form coal beds.
o. The location and present small amount,
large as it is, Of marine plants compared with
those Of the land still smaller in the Coal
PERIOD No grovths are fopsd below about
thirty fathoms in the temperate. one hundred
iathoms in the warm zones. Even the 'sSar-
gosSa Sea must have but comparatively
thin layer Of vegetation at the surface. In
fact, if coal were derived from marine alg@,
it would be found, not in wide spread beds.
but in narrow bands. like the lines of coast
10 which the aiga are now limited, for the
most part. Contrast ali this with the enof-
nous and far-spsead segstation OF the ANA
zon basin. embracing $500, coo square miles
10. The climate Of the carboniierons Age,
together with the comparative uniformity of
mafine and variableness Of land temperature
in all geoiokic ages. EOssh topical plants
Of the coal occur IN the arctic regions. Other
reasons. touching the elevation Of the land
aud density OF the air, assu-es Us that the pc
riod was favorable 70 Immense terrestrial Ac-
cumulalion OF vegetable matter. And then
we fud evidence Of vast changes of climate
of the continents. not only in the coal, but
also in the succeeding formations. including
The intense cold OF The Glacial Period. We
fad Just the violent contrasts which the car
boniirrous presents, for one example. On
the contrary, the temperature OF the oceans
has been so uniform that two or three geaeru
Of sea-sheIis have continued throagh the
whole geological series of The lowest and old
est but one There il nothing in the past
conditions and organisms OF the sea to mark
out period Of miteral coal.
IL. The actual conversion OF coal plants
into bitnminous coal, as testified to by many
observers. The fact that only the bark seems
to have undergone this change, in many in>
stances, is explained by Lyeli The interior
woody part was removed By decay, before
illumination of the bark Of certain trees
still standing id swandps, Write the decom-
posed interior has been replaced b. mud
Il. Animal remains and rain-firop i'm
pressioDs. Besides the various land anlmafs
mot confined 70 single '.Pupa') J, there are
in England and America strata that contain
only fresh-warer or braekish water shells
The entire 1850 feet of Nova Scotia ear
boniferous is without marine species. And
in thoAe strata. al various levels. raip-drop
impressions were observed by Lyell and
Da ssea. =. s&&
| Is. The rocks associated with the coal
beds tell Theological story wholly different
| from the s.Sargosss Sea- theory At the base
Of the coal measures Of Europe and Ameri-
| ca, except in the Mississippi valley, are the
e0nRlomeratss of The Milstone Grit. which
Apesk Of open eoasa. no, Of deep sAAas 4 10
N coal measures, arndstonss shousd, .and
| these speak Of sand-fsts and shadows Even
| the limestones and shales of lows have less
| to tell Of mid ocean than shallow inland sea.
| a pssr nnrslg pkis lkeSil eria cdurs}<Brit-
| ish America or the basin of tbs Amazon,
!Fetsica! II climate, Hhen great nnr.inn Of
| the United States 6&aly came to the surface
and oscillaled near fhe level of the sea, is the
story told by the coal rocks.
IA. Finally the entire scheme41f contin en-
EsAl structure And hiaory, established b. Tn
thousand facis-by every aspect of geoiogi-
cal Observation-Disclosures the orr lin of coal
from land and marsh plants. Itislhecro~n-
| ing proof. Every continent And eNety large
island, even, like England and Australia, is
| constructed on one plan-a plan that began
10 be developed IN lbe earliest geologic age.
| Coast mountains are the lines of rupture and
| final upi Of the earth's crust, forming the
/ rim of continental basins that wee gradually
filled up BY the geological form ATOMS, unit!
all is land. No Sargossa Sea-, which arc
ths csn,res around vhlch resoly The .mish,y
curreats Of open ocean.
| Prof II. objects TO the many subsidences
and elevations Of the earth crust. which he
assumes TO be involved in the old theory
There is superabounding proof Of such oscrl.
la,ions in all ages, including the N ,si recent.
His own view necessitates something Of this
Kind, With resulting eff.4tss 1t the bottom ul
the sea Infinitely more improbable. But the
old view does NOT require an oscillation for
every coal-seam, on the spot, as every geolo
gIst knows. There are two other wass, a,
least of accounting for an incursion OF The
sea upon the coal forest.
| The appeal to the farmers of Iowa" wheth.
er iuxurisnt vegetation can grow on sand ox
| grauite, does not require notice.
! Now for the chemical arguments in favor
VI ltnt tueCtgt as Auuuceu Dy frOf. HIM
richs. These are striking, but neatIy ell relate
TO cherical reactions Of wood Ignite and peat.
vi coares these reactions wosid be very d,f
ferent from that Of the coal derived from
| these and similar materials. Moreover, the
| products are brought about by artificial con.
diiions very different from those Of natsrs;
sndesery cook rs we'll as chemist no " that 4
Sigh, change Of conditions may greatly effect
results. And among the natural conditions,
1 In this case, il included the occasional pres.
ence al sea wafer With the substances il heid
in solution. For all these reasons. il seems
to me. the chemical arguments can never be
conclusive. however weighty. In respect 10
certain elements present 10 coal, all plants
contain nitrogen, and certain soils sbsosb it
IN the form OF ammonia; have found 3. is
per cent in peat. Bromlne is not confined %
| the sea. Iodine Is found in vine, milk aud
eggs-hence it exists in land plants. Bu.
the presence of all these, with much sulphur
and non, it Is not Inconsistent With the "a
eeised theory. whether eli we're furnished s.
land plants or not.