The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-07-16
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COAL.

Coal 10 VI vegetable origin. How
such vast. inconceivable quantities Of
woody matter nscesssry TO the forms
ton Of coal beas were ever accumulated
csnnst bs explained. nor for that matter
understood. The peat Of Ireland 10
sboat aAlS vegetatitn and half mineral.
In its earlier stages IL 10 plainly vege>
table. aud in It's later Is unqusstl.'nsbly
coal. Coal wss discovered in this coun-
Try while Luntiug Tor peat. snd it has
bssu pretty veil dsssrniasd that Our
coal 10 merely peat Of IN older sort. BY
the operations Of nature the formation
Of this early vegstatiou has bssn
changed. and il has become compact,
hard. blsck mass. The conditions Of
the change Of each are somewhat differ
emit. for in the cass Of peat cir has
access. while with coal the cir 10 more
or less excluded by the everything strata;
consequently the moro perfect tbs ex-
clusion Of cir the better quality is the
coal.
Various theoriss have prevailed among
geologists concerning the origin Of
coal aud from what il first had Its
soufc.; but one theory has now become
very generally recognized as beiog the
most plausible which can be deduced
from tho discoveries made. Formerly
scisntisls were or the opinion that coal
was formed by large quantities Of dfifs-
wood scsumulating in estuaries where
they we're from time to time thereafter
covered with sedimentary deposits. ths
woody. or. TO uss . scientific ter~. lig.
usous parts becoming transformed In
the course OF centuries
Monsieur + Frenzy. TO whom We owe
q great deal for valuable discoveries In
the scisnce Of Geology. hAs recently
given 10 the verdi some valuable 10
searches on the esigiu Of coal. aud has
arrived Ut some conclusions which are
wholly ct vsrianos with thoss OF other
eminent BIOLOGISTS. On examining chs
substances which are sappossd to give
riss to beds Of coal he 10 and that IN all
wood there 10 substsnos which has
bssn termed vascul0ss. Oak wood
oou,aiur shout 30 per csat. of vssculose.
In arriving . Distinguish lisnitss from
genuine ceal be discovered shat liSuises
ere quits decoapossd b. nitric acid,
vhieh ID M On with snthraciss. He
sxpssimsnted With Vegetable ssssuss,
which were heated for many hours IL,
olosod iroa tuhsa. aud although stsAm
and ess we're given 81. ths vegetable
sissuss became black and some what
brittle. yet they bors no resem blsnce
20 ceai.
6axAs, starch. resinous and fatty
substanccs were experineated upon Ia
the same way aud bore close rssem.
hlAncs 10 coal. They were OF jstty
black. aud. when exposed to intenss
heaA gave o. gns. water aud tar, leav.
ing hard and brilliant coke. The
chemical analysis proved their ressm.
blsncs 70 coal
These three substauces were ea.
ploysd bseAase thsy are The most abun-
dsnt In the vegetable Kingdom and
consequently play On impossant part In
thu formation Of coal. s'Bus. althouch
thsss bodies wers 90 easily coover. cd
into csal. Il remained 10 be explained
hoe The tissue Of plants could be
chsnsed into the same substancs. :
piccss of fossil wood were spAly sed and
Glue vas obssinsd. Thee pieces
wen fonnd b soufein 1lmic acid IN
large quantities, and 10 osdsr 10 ascor
tain il influence On sosl foeuAaioa il
IVES put IN Close vcsnels aAd sxposed
to high tsmpsrature.
''Liis natural coal says the expert
menter, ''ths substance produced ~
iusoluhls Ulmic scid produced from
vascaloss vas rsmsrkahls Tor lts fasi.
bility, and bitumiuoas cakisg coals
have the same property. IL seems from
these experiments that coal was once
uothing moro than vegetable sub-
stances. which have lost lhsir organic
properties and BY combinsd actions oil
heat and prvssars have become the cusl
Which - nov 10 10 ksep q ~aras.
The ordinary impurisiss at coal ars
sisicA. little poeAsh Add sa3a. snd
sOmstimss alumina, with often oxide al
irun and 10 soms Of The less pare kind
slAy and sAais are found T. large euss.
titles. These substances are what ~.
main aftsr the coal hoe been harusd
and form what h called the ashss
which does not ordinarily excsed q,