Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-01-23

/
0. :" Cumberland "
And it IL worth noting that Will,
all these coalfields are now found il
the basin form yet they were no
originally deposited in that form
the carboniferous strata probably
covered, or nearly covered, the whole
island originally.
But elevations and depressions ol
the earth's strata, accompanied by
foundations, has subseq thrown
the crust ofthe globe into series Of
folds, or anticlinal or synclinal lines
In the depressions or synclinals ol
which we now find our coal basins
and where the superintendent strata
has been sufficiently denuded to place
the coal measures within reach, from
which we are now extracting the
wealth and power that enables us to
hold such commanding position
among the nations of the world. The
greatest movements of the crust OF
the earth, and that have 50 largely af.
fected the coal supply of the world,
seem to have mainly taken place dur
ing and at the close, of tho carbonif-
erous age, and these forces, l think,
took far more largely the form of lat
eral than of vertical pressure; and
further, it seems probable that the
chief pressure on the coal measures
at this time was North and South,
hence most of the anticlinal ridges
traverse the coalfields East and West.
Our Mendip chain of hills is famil-
lar example of this fact. On the 9TH
or hand, at the close Of the Triassic
period another series of movements
took place, acting mostly in the op-
posite way to those which took place
ut the close Of the carboniferous era,
and to these two facts, and from these
causes. most Of the present hysical
condition and geological position of
our coalfields can he traced. 1t was
probably during the latter period
that the South Wales, Dean Forest,
and Bristol coalfields were separated.
Here, then, you have two ranges of
ridges and folds produced in the pa
lmozic strata; the earlier having
caused range of folds chiefly run
ming east and west. and the latter
folds or faults Of lesser magnitude
running north and south. And 1t is
to these two movements that we
chiefly owe the basin shaped form Of
our coalfields.
Having explained briefly. and am
aware very imperfectly, the .torma-
tion Of coal, and some of the changes
subsequent to that formation, let me,
before pass on to the various uses
to which coal is and can be applied,
call your attention to the coal re-
sources of our island and the world.
That vast amount of the coal Of
the world is concealed and unknown
is, l think, undoubtedly true. When
we recollect how marvelously every
investigation OF the resources of our
own island has tended to remove our
fear as TO the probable exhaustion of
our coal supply, think it is not pre-
suming too much to ask you to be-
lieve that further investigation and
enquiry will probably increase the
estimate now made as to the quanti-
ty of available coal yet to be worked
in Great Britain.
The present estimate is that in
Great Britain we have 14O,OO00OO,OO0
tons Of coal yet to work, which at our
present rate Of consumption, which
you may take at 135,OOO,0O0 tons a
year, will therefore last about one
thousand years.
This calculation is based on the hy-
pothesis that we can only work coal
to depth of 1900 #. ButI am far
from asserting to that opinion. be-
lieve / can see in the application and
utilization of compressed air, both as
q motive power for pumping and
haulage underground, and also for
purposes of ventilation "a subject
which you will shortly have the ad-
vantage Of having explained to you
by Mr.. Johnson), a means by which
the depth to which we shall be able
to work will be greatly increased !;
and therefore take no note, for the
present, of the probable increased
consumption of coal in the future.
l am aware that Sir Charles Lyell
estimates that at two miles in depth
the temperature of the earth would
be at boiling point (2l2 degs.), but
supposing that by the use of COM
pressed air, or some other means. we
are able to extend our workings in
future to 5000 Fl. in depth, that would
give us an additional supply of fuel
equal to any probable amount of in
creased consumption that the future
may require.
While upon this subject it may be
as well to take q wider range and to
compare our output with that of 9TH
er countries as / have remarked -