New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-25
FOSSILIFEROUS COAL,
THE ACCEPTED THEORY OF ITS ORIGIN
NEEDS TO BE RECONSTRUCTED.
WAS BITUMEN OR VEGETATION TIE ChIEf
FACTOR IN PROVIDING THE WORLD
WITH FUEL?

FACTOR IN PROVIDING THE WORLD
WITH FUEL9
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. The recent announcement of the possible as
,overy under the developed coal measures OF
district in Pennsylvania, Of an anthracite urPo>U
200 feet in thickness and the suggestion 10 "hlch
the discovery has given birth that similar eIs"Huo
deposits at greater less depths underllc al inc
anthracite beds thus far explored in Pennsylvania
and West Virginia. scarcely less starting IMAM
,yould have been the intelligence of the discovery OF
another Comstock lode under The Tribune Building
Should the find prove to he genuine ana III cAon'
correspond with the speCulaOns Of the Enthusiastic II
would be difficult to Ovcrestimate It's value i"ou
sands of millions of tons of the best coal on er'h
would have to be added to the estimated fnel RESERVES
of the Republic. and for the warmth OF inc hu''uu0
the tendency of prices would be downward Tor gen
erations to come. Nor would this be the emu Oh ''
benefits. 1t would cheaper ana quicken inc o''0'7
of steam and take appreciate iracuoh l''" wv
cost of all commodities produced through It's '-o".'
But ! am strayng from my purpose Oh the value
Of the alleged discovery did not intend 10 spe@A az
oil have never been quite able to accept INC
scientific and generally received theory ID rcia"o',
70 the origin and formation OF fosSliiero"> oo" ''
the development referred to, as ] vie" inc l"'''''
adds immeasurably to its absurdty. Fossil 'o"l mas
been used as a fuel for perhaps LOU years D', -
was not until near the close of the last century %
A oo,ocic structure of the earth was discussed
and eyulaned from something near the point OF vie"
of to-day Large measures of carbon met inc eye va
the geologist as he sliced down the strata Hoi' u.
surface to the red sandstone, ara sought |" "'
for their occupancy and constitution DS l'o'i'"'
either igDeOus or sedimcntary ana as inc S'"'"7 W
900, ono,,rdod in fossil forms of vegetation, many OF
,bcm Of colossal growth and he could conceive Oh ho
other means through which supply OF luoi % -
could have been aocreed and preserved, nc was -,
sendefence compelled to compress ana lossi"N0 ".
the coal measures Of our geologic perlou u'o ''''
ferns and confers of the palaeOzoc age ms uilenH
EXPRESSED is the accepted theory OF to Day bu' J."
irdofensile against any attack of experience reason
or scientific inquiry. 1t makeshiit employed 10
fill a troublesome void in the upbuilding OIL hdo'o'e
world and should give way to more I"'o"''
hypothesis. if may be found -
Now LET us admit that in the carbonlierous age
Aotora the saurian could live in the rank atmosphere
- organizinr elements, vegetation achieved an cA-
+raordinary growth measured by existing sIahod'uS.
Lot rs even admit that ferns lowered 10 hel-n VI
sevcntv-dye or hundred feet. and that the slaihS
Of rpshes were like weavers' beams NJ tha' pe1'u,
we are expected TO believe, the earth's deposits Oh
anthracite and bitumnous Goals were iorlheu OH "'
LAYERS of vegetation suddenly entomned pS 'oi9.no
tbroes or gradually envelopcd by tile acton oil te
elements 1t IS admitted THAI CUBIC lool u a"'''"
cite coal would require in its formation from SO''i
IN ten cubic feet Of compressed Veee'aoe ind'tVI
horce ~ This theory be correct, coal measure 100
foot
alleged to be, must necessarily represent an o''s'i
donosit Of vegetation from 1.4OO TO 1000 feet III
depth To relieve this assumption OF us Ind'noS'
ohsurdity our friend the geolOslst promPuN sNVH
IN the carboniferous period thermal ana a'mosPieIo
conditions especially favorable TO vegetable me- O"'
no fails 10 show that these imaginary CONDITIONS were
not equally favorable vegetable decay IL the lalcn
cora ~ that age decayed and turned to mould as IN
later wears it could scarcely have furhlSheu 'c
material for coal measures 200 feet IN tichieN9 anu
on the other hand, II ii did not decay II s'ulo"u"
vegetable deposit many miles in area ana one 'inu
of a mile in depth was not reared 10y SUCCESSIVE
Growth on growth, thus necessitatlng continuous
Martial il not complete decay, how in the name oi
al tba. is wonderful was the mighty mass erected
Through the agency Of floods, may be ahs"ereu' ou'
the assumption falls before moments rcno'"o'i'
Tins il will be seen that. without dccohpo'uoi "'o
mass of vegetation demanded by the largest I'll our
coal measures could not have been created Wie WIN
Il the coal measure itself could not nave Dee Iorou'
Rut lot the question be asked, Was the carbon ferrous
narod exceptionally favorable TO luXuilaHt anu
gigantic vegetable growth? 1t was probably Dnt h''ie
more so than the tertiary the age OF mammals Nn0n
many of the gnites were formed, ana are no" louI"
in measures equal, not superior III the 10 lo
older Goals. Many Of them arc from fifty 70 elshN
feet in thickness, and one in Wyoming TERRITORY j.
remarked 10 be 300 so it seems that the dnoiherum
and rnastodon were occasionally compelled to CIT
cumvent or grope their way over wide districts Oh
Vegetation 1000 feet or more in depth II not uheh
is the accepted coal theory delusion and snare
"These are not exactly my views explains Gu,
friend another CeOogis alt is not probable tdt az
the vegetation referred TO was mdssed aIu OulVi
together Vegetation frs. took inc form 81 pa%GS
then of the lignitcs, and finally OF the bltuH"us ii
anthracite Goals This is little more reasonable,
but these assumed Transformations are bu' 'heot
Cuesswork after all. There is no proof thal pay
ever aged into Ignite. or that Ignite is approach
ing an anthracite condition, although the atti ny
improbable. The home of peat is III inc Horti,in
lati
tropics, as the small vegetable hDFeS 81 "hl'n 1T -
composed decay and turn 10 mould when 700 Ear ~"
equator. 1t was under the stimulus OF neat uIdl t
mighty vegetable erOwtlS OF inc oaIgoiy.U r. ~
occurrcd-a thermal condition certainly me rcNei.r ~
favorable the formation Of peat no matter no" ram
III" EScept where they have been "faued,' or De,
clined from the horizontal by uphcaIal' c"ai
measures, with their REGULAR and uniform hoQ.i aIr
ceilings suggest that they were iormed oi'E,na",
on fluid level. Even the soft saud stIdt ","ii
ring quite freqnenty in ne dep9 81 ,ic re yen y w
positions following the distortions W ue W." cDr
Undertaking exactness pain = ndicatus thtI A.
aTcr Of sand drifted over it before it completed
Can any conceive how pile or pool Oh Net'dDiJ
mo an even and regular deposit Of anthracite coal
every rock excluded and every part OF it converted
But it is manifest that the con measure OF mo
earth were formed in some manner ana rom s y
m9tnral developed early IN the palacOzoic age. was
not that material bitumen or aSphatuu OF ieIo''I,
all Of them for they are 59bs,ailiaE VA
coz ~ The rarionifcrous strata is ii possible
that they overran many Of the plains and filled many
Of the dcpres,ions Of the developing world IN
ynrsuinr This line Of suggestion, let it be assumed
hat The areas covered by these floods 81 bitumen
were i'm some instances barren floors ana IN Others
green with vegetation In the latter case te Vfsf5 Se
ton encroached upon soon became part o mo
,itcbv reservoir in which it was immersed lhoura
ton followed BY volcanic energy or inc l9v ,aduS
hction of the elements, the plains 81 harucIteU
Sitnmen mingled, perhaps. with huuIirds 81 tail r
10 ~ vegetable forms were covered Win una or
sediment and the formation OF coal bean. Ana no
ahnve these deposits. either at briei or remote III
teryaIs the same coal forming process was repeated
until our carbonferous systems were ihaiy con- c
nieted The general trend Of coal sy stems from inc
tnr;1cntaI may he ascrbed TO the violent PLY steal
Commissions everywhere marking the earth from INC
azoic 10 the mammalian age. Especial reference Is
80 made IN line caronerOus period but there was
nothing i'm the conditions Of that cpocn that "ouIu