The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-04


sniekness, q the South Joggins estimated
shout three milen, and - the Albion
mines. 100 miles Distant they found the
thickness neariy the same. The popular
mind has not ye4 Qosped. ezra appfoxi-
masely. the illimitable time necessary 20
produce these stupendous results. and -
ono At the greatsss difsienitiss With which
geology has - contend; hat from observa-
tons made upon the Mississippi and
Ganess - to the amount Of sediment
brought down by them by Drs. Forsbey
and Reddeil. Of New Orleans, and By Capt
straehey. BTitish engineer upon the
Ganges. It would take the Mississippi
100000 years and the Canges 81, eco years
70 perform the w6rk. This amasing diff
ference IN favor Of the smaller river Is due
to the fact that the Ganges, being tropical
user, the rains oil fall during SIX
months and therefore are very heavy. the
washing Of the sou and resulting sediment
are necessarily In proportion. chs
mountainous country in which the
Ganges takes its Slss contributes aiso 70
the same rssult. and get the coniferous
period 10 probably but . small portion Of
the entire gsoloGicai history Of the earth.
TIE CLIMATE OF TIE COAL PERlop.
have on this subject. that the climate Of
the coal period was Characterised BY
greater warmth, greater humidity, and Of
greater uniformity than now obtains, and
that the air vas more highly charged with
carbonic acid. We have evidence Of the
greater warmth OF the climate in the as
tonishing Iuxuriance and universal tropi-
cal character of the vegetation Of the
period. One of the most marked peculiar
tiles Of the fora Of coal everywhere is the
great relative abundance Of ferns and fern
allies. In the present fiora Of Great Brit
ain the ratio a ferns to lowering pisnts is
about one TO thirty five, whil& in the coal
fora Of the same country nearly one-half
Of all the known plants are ferns. In the
American dora the proportion Of ferns 10
said to be still greater. That this abund-
ance Of ferns indicates . tropical climate
10 shown BY the fact that in tho existing
fora. out Of / so known species of ferns.
l.2O0 are confined to the tropics, and - We
pass from the equator toward the poles,
the proportion Of ferns steadily dimin-
ishes. The same may be said with refer
ence to the club mosseA II Il worthy Of
remark that although conifers are abund-
ant oil over the earth's surface, still those
most nearly allied 20 the conifers Of the
coal-such ~. for instance, the suracaria
and salisburia Of the present day-are
found only in tropical regions. The conf
fern OF the present day, such - the frs
OF Puget sound, the spruce, hemlock and
cedar, did not exist during the coal period.
The tropical vegetation during that period
extended ~ far north a. IS degrees north
latitude. Tree ferns and gigantic club
MOSES covered the spot now occupied by
the Melville Island. The evidence Of re-
markabie humidity 10 no less satisfactory,
for it Is only In warm, moist climates that
ferns and club MOSES grow in the great
est abundance and inxuriance; in fact. as
. condition Of these plants, moisture seems
even moro necessary than heat.
The uniformity Of climate, L O., the
comparatively equahle distribution Of heat
and moisture on the surface Of the earth
during the coal period. 10 evidenced by
the remarkable uniformity Of the fora.
The general character Of the coal nora is
very much the Same in every portion Of
the earth's surface, and in many cases
even the same species may be found in dis
tant countries. Thus many identical
species have been found in the United
States. Europe, New Holland and Mel
vile island. countries In which the dora
OF the present time differ entirely.
That the atmosphere was highly charged
with carbonic acid Is rendered probable
by the astonishing luxuriance of the vcge-
tation of the period. some experiments
made several years ago by Mr.. Gladstone
seem to show that UP to certain limit
the growth OF ferns IL rendered more rapid
by the s0dition Of carbonic acid to the at
mosphere in which they grow. This prob
ability becomes . certainty when We re-
fleet upon the enormous amount of carbon
contained In the coat deposits, oil Of which
must have been extracted from the atmos-
pherc. 1t has been estimated that "all
the forests OF the United States now exist
ing. II gathered in one heap. would fail to
furnish materials Of . single cosi seam
equal to that at Pittsburg. and that there
Is laid up in tho earth six times as much
carbon a. now exists In the atmosphere"
But whatever be the cause Of the excess
Of carbonic acid in the atmosphere during
the coal period, We cannot fail to see an
evident and benefcent design in Its re.
moval. Carbonic acid. as 10 well known,
is as poisonous TO animals - IL Is nourish-
ing to plants. Previous to the coal period
there lived none but aquatic animals of
low order. These. on account of low Vie
tality. sluggish circulation and little ne
cessity for rapid and constant oxygena-
ton OF the blood. had great endurance of
carbonc acid. But now the earth was
prepared TO receive air. breathing animals.
the atmosphere must be purified for the
purpose. This was accomplished by the
astonishing vegetation OF the period. But
We should never cease to admire and won.
der that the scIf-same providential act
which purified the atmosphere and rem.
dered the earth a ii: hablsation for rer,
tiles and birds. had references also to the
coming Of man countless ages after, and
laid up materials for his use. In the ear.
bon thus silently extracted from the at
mosphere was buried . mechanical energy
which after lapse Of millions of years
was TO rise again as the physical regencr-
ator OF the human race.
ORIGIN or coAi-
II is now universally admitted among
biologists that coal is entirely of vegetable
origin. There was \ time. however. and
that not many years ago. when the vsye-
table or mineral origin Of Soai was aues-
ton warmly contested by the best ceolo-
gists: but its vegetable character Is now
firmly established and universally adj
United. The distinguished American
microscopic. Prof. Bailey. of IVES, Point.
has been able 10 detect the unnistakable
evidences of vegetable structure even in
the hardest anthracite. In fact. ID may be
affirmed that there Is no coal which, under
careful examin alton. will no, reveal a vcce.
table structure. Again, all the stages of
graduation between perfect wood and per-