Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-26
JULY TO BE STORMY
Foster Predicts Spell of Dis
agreeable Weather
TO INCLUDE the FOURTH
tis sPcculatioas and Investigations of
Coal Formations Continued.
Vegetable Periods.

81. JosEFa, No, June 25.-My Iast
bulletin gave forecasts OF the storm
wave 10 cross the continent from June
"A 70 June %, aud the next Will reach
the Pacific coast about June 20, cross
sne western mountains hy tae close OF
June 80. the great central valleys from
June l 90 3, and the eastern states
about July 4. This will be . severe and
dangerous storm ia the great central
valleys. not far from July z, oat viii
not cover very large exteat or eoan-
Try lie patch VII BE- along or not far
from the 4ota parallel. IL will be the
most severe storm VI the mouth, AMI
Wi spend ia greatest energy west OF
Ono. A wave OF cooler aud more
pleasant weather viii move eastward,
crossing tne western mountains about
july :, the great central valleys s0oas
july 4, aad TIE eastern states
about Jaly 8. A large por-
ton OF the Mississippi and Mis-
sour valleys anu the upper lake
Tex Ga NJ l save good pleasant weather
IOf TIE Fourth, but lew limited local
HES vii have neayy showers, incident
10 tno clearing up that follows the
Storm One-th ri OF the country east
oil Oa1o wall pfObably have bad weather
Tor ths Fourth. fne storm will not be
extensive even there, but severe in
sosne Localities. The second storm
wave " July wall reach the Pact dc
Coast aDout July 5, eross tue western
mountains by the close of July 8, the
great central valleys from July 10,
anu the eastern states about July 10.
IL VIII oe soOutthe average and even
force during It's nye days Journey
ACROSS the Continent. wave OF cool
or, clearing aud more pleasant weather
VIII crosstae western mountains, going
east, about July ), the great central
Valleys about July 10. aud the eastern
states about July IL.
Local Formations
Peat beds are formed in fresh water.
and under these are often found de-
posts of sanu, gravel ani fresh water
sheilssnd everything in connection with
the covering .. these peat beds inLl-
Gates that sea waters have never been
near them. But our coal ueds were
lad down 10 salt sea water. Everything
above aud below these coat beds indl-
cate that II they Were formed from veg
etatlon they must have been marine
vegetables; but marine vegetation Will
not produce carbon or coal in any
quantity. Oar yegctariaus say that our |
Coal beds were formed as our peat beds |
are now being formed, ana the facts |
STATED la the two paragraphs make this |
impossible Peat beds are formed of |
thr Z, otseIs and tops Of ferns, PUSHES.
etc. that grow IN swasnps, and the |
roots OF thsss vegetables are al |
WAYS seen 10 the peat running |
nearly vsriicie. IL matters no, how |
macssuptessurs has been nut on |
the peat by the accumulation of sedl- |
meut above II. the points of the root /
lets. running, no. horizontally, but !
vertically as roots grow. are always
easily traced VA the peat. mass Of !
Peat has been compressed with force |
OF twenty tons 20 The square inch in /
an effort 20 reduce . 10 ccai, but the /
verticic structure OF the mass remained |
"a II had grown with alt the flores,
twigs sutLr ots standing in vertical po-
siton. The great mass of leaves,
twgs and roots OF coal do not extend
through the coal vertically, but lie in /
seams horizontally between different /
deposits OF coal. and these are fresh
water plants having beei washed into
sner places by water currents.
Alabama Coal.
examined the Black Warrior coal
mines IN Alabama, IN 1885. and in one
place between two strata OF coal were
the imprints of thousands OF fern
leaves and twigs all wing horizontally
IN the seam between the two Layers OF
coal which were each twelve inches
hck. but not single impression OF
any vegetable could b. found standing
horizoutsliy. Tae coal must have come
"a
ton. IL must have been deposited in
deep sea water. and the ferns must
have been placed there by the rise OF
some river whose waters foated the
ferns out into the sea.
10 have formed the coal beds on this
continent from vegetable decay there
must have been hundreds of thousands
OF acres OF fresh water swamps nearly
90 levet with tue sea and to form
Goa bed 20 the swamp waters must
have been on a level with each other.
and, therefore, our veins OF coal. each
OF which can be traced for hundreds
OF miles, wouid necessarily have hccn
formed on a level. But they are no.
on level now, aud "a there are no
hreaks "a tina coal the elevation OF
parts 1T the coal beds could not have
occurred after the coal WAS deposited.
Vegetables aaa ffDrs strata
Ia many places two strata Of coal are
folty feet or more apart, aud then
within 500 feet they come together
without breaks IN the coal, the iawer
stratum beng nearly on a levsi floor.
aud the upper one OF an uneven n or.
extending over hills forty feet high.
Evidently such deposits could not have
come from vegetable decay, for the
damp water must have a level surface.
10 the ONO reports, vol 2. pages 1876
and Loo. Prof. Newbesry claims that the
coal seals are not parallel.
All these facts make IL probable that I
the coal was deposited in the seas on
al uneven floor. aud the facts stafei
above make it impossible for these nm
dulstiug coal beds TO have come from
vexp, able decay. The latter process re-
qulre, that these coal hejs must have
been originally on a level. and they
ould not have been elevated into
wave ike ridges without BREAKS in
them.
Trees have been found standing in
coal vefrs I'VE feet thick. II would re- !
ouire forty feet of vegetable decay 20
fern that coal. and then a deposit of |
500 feet Of solid earth on tep OF that in
orsirr e. give the weight ard heat re-
cfSred 90 make coal of vegetable de-
esy. How could you indsce that tree
stand there through sal The ages I
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