Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-05-13
NATURE STILL MAKING COAL.
The Process Begins In the Peat bed sns
May He Watched by Geoiogists.
THE END.

Nature is still making coal, though.
unfortunately. not at a rate anything
like fast enough TO make up for the
consumption OF this product. The
processes may be watched from be-
ginning to end. according TO the Wash
ington Star For this purpose one
must first go to a peat bed, which is
simply an accumulation OF the re-
mains of plants that grew and decayed
on the spot where they are now found.
When the upper layer of this material
Is removed one finds peat with 81 to G5
per cent OF carbon, and the deeper one
goes the better in quality 1t gets. 1t
may be cut out in blocks with sharp
spades, the water may be pressed from
the blocks, and they may be stacked
up, covered and dried and used for
fuel. There is a certain kind Of moss
called "sphagnum." which in large
part makes up the peat-producn3 veg
citation. Its roots die annually, but
from the living top new roots are sent
out each year. The workmen who
dig peat understand that II this sur
face Is destroyed the growth OF the
bed must stop; SO commonly they re-
move the sod carefully, replacing it
after they have taken out q stratum OF
peat. There is little doubt that il
these beds of peat could lie undisturb-
ed and covered over through many
ages they would take on all the char
acteristics of mineral coal.
The substance Of coal has been 30
compressed that the forms of the plants
composing it cannot usually be seen.
But when a piece Of it is made so thin
that it will transmit light, aud is then
subjected to n powersul microscope, its
vegetable structure may readily be
distinguished. Immediately under ev-
cry separate seam of coal there is =
stratum of what is known as tire clay.
This stratum is always present and
contains in great abundance the fossil
impressions of roots and stems and
twigs. showing that it was once the
soil from which vegetation grew lux
uriantlv. Ii is common also TO find
fossil tree stems lying mashed nat be-
tween the layers of black slate which
form The roofs Of coal mines as we'll as
the impressions of the leaves. nuts and
seeds which fell from these trees while
lHtS NtiC III sphhV bSNo VI Nnh-
mel coal whole trees have been found
with roots, branches, leaves and seeds
complete, and all converted into the
same quality of coal as that by which
they were surrounded.
Biologists are of the opinion that
bituminous and anthracite Goals were
formed during the same period and
under like conditions. Originally they
were all bituminous, but during the
violent contortions and upheavals OF
the earth's crust at the close Of the
carboniferous age the bituminous Goals
involved in that disturbance were
changed by heat and pressure and the
consequent expulsion Of volatile mat
ter from bituminous to anthracite.
Camel coal is a variety of bituminous
coal which burns with great freedom,
the flame of it affording consider
BILE light. 1t was called candle coal"
by the English people who first used
it, as it often served as n substitute
for candles. The name became COR
rupted TO camel and so remained.
1t is more compact than ordinary
bituminous coal aud it can be wrought
in lathe and polished. A 0rtain va
riety. of it found in Yorkshire. Engs
land. is manufactured into q Kind Of
jewelry known as "jet."