The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1871-03-24

MARCH "a
give these local details, unsstisfAc.
tory 10 they Are. 70 show that this seam
10 persistent aud gradually incrcascs in
thickness as traced into tho interior
Every mining engineer knows that in or.
DER 70 Judge Of the character Of coal
we must penetrate the seam not only be-
yond the action Of the frosts, but to
where, as the miners say, ''it is under
water" or In other words to where the
conditions of moisture are constant, and
the coal consequently unaffected. Here
is region covered with robust forest
growth aud where fire wood can be had
for little more than the cost of cutting.
There is little demand for coal except
for blacksmith's purposes. When bank
is opened some little labor and expense
are required to protect its approaches,
but this labor and expense the owner IL
reluctant to incur, and hence in this re-
|gion it Is difficult to obtain fresh expo
!sures.
At Mike Staab's, however, Is. 8, T. I,
~
its perfection. II is three feet three in
ches in thickness, overlaid by roof of
dark, sandy shale, and uDderlaid by Q
white fire clay. The scam Is cut by two
systcms of joints ct nearly right angles,
which separate the mass into great quad
triangular blocks, often three feet long
and eighteen inches broad. So thor
ough is this separation that when the
base Of the seam is undermined, these
blocks may readily he pricd out. This
arrangement greatly facilitates the labor
of the miner who can readily take down
four tons day, with little broken or
slack coal. A room IN such coal seam
presents succession ofentcring and re-
entering angles, or as the miners cx-
press it, "it is like Virginia fence"
Another feature with regard to this
coal 10 it's great purity. You may in
spect tons Of it without finding any in
terlenniated sulphur, and it is only rare
ly that brassy film is to be seen-al0ng
the joints. If you examine the ashes
left by q burning mass, they are % white
and f1occulent a. those Of hickory.
la comparing the structure OF this coal
with that Of typical specimen from
Brazil, these differences will be observed.
While the Brazil coal readily clcaves i'm
to thin slabs like block Of slate; while
it imparts an abundance Of crock In
handling, aud certain varieties are too
tender tO bear distant transportation the
Staab eoal is apt to break with . splint-
cry fracture, it communicates little crock
in handling, and ha. been subjected 70
such . degree 0S compresslom that Il - i'll
-
will give e a sdvantage IN one respect
over the Brazil coal In the blast furnace,
and that is in the diminished amount OF
dust, which is source OF considerable
annoyance. 1t has too, . resinous lus-
tire, with blOtches Of cannel-like appear
ance which we zee in the best varieties
of Brier Hill, containing no impurities
which are readily acted upon, IL will
bear stocking for an entire season With
out loss.
The Staab coal has been subjected to
the most rigorous sssays by Professor
Delafontainc, not only in reference TO lite
ordinary cOmbustible qualities, but with
special re ference to it, impurities. So
crucial has been this examination that /
desire to append his report in full:
CHICAGO, December IL, 1870.
j. w. FOSTER, l.. l.. D.:
Sir: have made careful chemical
examination Of the various samples Of
Slseb coal, which you sent mc . few days
Gg.. ihe composition Of tcAt coal hD
bce.. found to bc-
I. II. III.
Water at 2l2 deg. r. 1.89 s.ils 3.91
Y Olatilc matter Sill 1857 SO.o4
Fixed carbon 58.23 60.3e ee.Sl
Ashes $50 >.OS S.A
~No. II. had not been submitted loag
enough 10 preliminary seasoning.
Ashes No. /. were gray; Nos. II. and
III. faint yellowish, mixed with pale RED
focks. Both were light snd Goscsient.
One hundred parts Of ashcs No. III.
gave 0.3 Of phosphoic acid-no sslphu-
ric acid.
One hundred parts Of ashes No. II.
two parts of iron oxide.
Alumina, silica and lime made up the
balance Of tie chemical bodies contained
in these ashes there were but traces Of
alkalis.
Two and half ounces Of coal were
submitted to dietillation in closed ves-
sci, in order to ascertain what kind Of
volatile matter it wsuld give, The re-
suits were:
Coke 0S.O5
Tar, approximately l5.S7
Water, approximately 15.ll
Gas OF
The condensed water contained am
monia and other soluble chemicals, be-
sides very email amount Of hydrOsul-
phate Of ammonia.
In order to afford useful comparison
with other Goals, ! copy the result Of
English analysis Of several different ash
60 Of coal.
BRITISH GOALS (AsHEs.)
:. s. J !