The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1882-05-06
Where Coal Comes From.


Tho coal fire In the CRATE sparklcd
aud craekled and sent IL sharp.pointcd
llames up through tho dark mass, Civ
Ing even the smoke mrid hue.
We oil sat gazing into the Ilm. max
ing fancies and thinking our own
thoughts. when Uncle John interrupt
cd the silence by saying;
"And SO. ut last, this coal filills its
mission"
"What do you mean, uncle" in
qulrod Julia, who sat on her low stool.
leaning her face ON Uncle Johns knee.
and smoothing the tabby cats pretty fur.
"Why. mean that after 50 many
long years, this coal has at last become
an agent for the use and comfort Of
man. Perhaps you do not know how
coal Is formedP"
We all drew our chairs nearer as
Julia exclaimed "Do tell u.s."
"Weil." began Uncle John, s'roking
his long white beard. "many thousand
years ago, In fact, moro years than any
of you can count even IN q whole life
time. there grew vast forest. There
were no North and South American
Continents, nor even an Eastern and
Western World. An exceedingly small
portion Of the globe was land, the rest
was wide sea. In many places the
ocean was shallow, and N years went
by the sand and drift matter filled up
tbs shallow places, until they became
! great swanps. in these swamps grew
great forests.
, "The great amount Of carbonic acid
gas that mingled with the air. and the
{ high degree of warmth. along with tho
constant moisture, causcd these forests
: to grow very rapidly. The pine trees
0 grew 10 immense size; ferns grew as
0 high rs trees; and sort Of club moss.
\ that In our forests never grows over
y three fect high, In those forests grew
eighty and ninety feet high.
}, along the damp. warm valley of III
G Amazon. In South Ameries. md In tho
r tropics, grow our richest and most pro-
4 fuse vegetation, but even that Is moth
ing compared 10 the ancient forests that
: grew from tho swamps In these for
i csts the trees and vegetation grew so
!. rapidly that they crowded upon each
~ other. Being too much crowded. much
o Of the vegetation died down ~ rapidly
Il ms IL had grown. Thus. year after year.
( tho old forest died down, and nbovc Il
. grew The new, until one forest wasp piled
J, / upon anolher.
. !" After thousands Of years. gradually.
Q the whole surface Of the land begnh 10
4 sink. until the sea once nwre nowed
/, over tho place where forests had grown.
Z And. again. after more thousands Of
years. the drift matter and snnd again
: Tiled up the shallow places. and oIher
forests grew IN new swsmp& ~ years
III went by, they, too. were submerged In
the sea. This continued for numI,<rless
! years. Between each layer of decsyed
| forests there was layer Of sand and
: mud and shells and drift mzftsr that
; finally hardened into rock. forming, tho
r Limestone or sandstone that Is found In
A our cosi mines. Miners ean tell Just
| how many times the coal beds have been
J submerged BY the number of layers of
sandstone or limestone. !
I "Most of the trees Of that ancient
! forest were pine iree< Pine contains
tar and pitch aud great deal Of resin
ous matter. Coal also contains tns and
! pitch and rosin. which Il received from
tho decaycd pine. Coal Is pnrc carbon,
and Il black because carbon Il black.
J All plants contain . great deal of ear-
! bonic acid. When plants breathe or
decay they give Oh large quantities. of
! carbonic acid gas. hence. this carbon
becomes part u Tho coal. > .4n
. .sfrIa ...r r.t..e ..~---...--. -I.<..<. .<.l
the water. caused this dccayinx vegeta-
ton 10 take tirt the form q peat Peat
Il soft. spongy sort of coal, and u Il
much used by the poor yeomanry Of
J England aud Ireland for their fires.
After the peat has lain many thousands
| Of years under grref pressure .snd
deeply buried In tho dAfk bosom of the
, earth. II gradually and slowly harden>
J into the coal we nee In our grntc...
"someiimss. In splitting open : bpek
of coal. yon cnn plainly - ihe iulfre>s
Of beautiful and perlsr1ly founei lssxc-.
branches and tuiu snd vIne< t1ur
GOALS really, then, nolhIn9 but ! d.
! cayed fosvs( II ~ ooIy 1sen uuhIn
] The last few yssu TIT eol hss cpns In
10 extensive ne IN Europe and ~
: United States Not until ihe t|r1b&f q
tho fos.sss ~ faes iisappoogine u
} coal come Into demand. a1d ~ ~
: been stored away h nssarufoIcu 61m-
1 bcFn-r
{ Hrs shaf burned . ffighlly y b boI6
4 the eyra- JuIia NJ u o16mod q -