The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-04
- HISTORY OFCOxL
,lulnuce ct Puget Sound Before
the Fir Trees Grew.
= - DAYS or THE ELEPHANT.
- msnes Of CasbsA Were D1oeeA
4. - nsstA. - u Mskins BssAy
- - Coming oFHaa.

-. .o6ff3es Of the coal period 10 far
- 1. sefsoooic times. Measuring time
s.~,,see' Z 3 in the region Of the 6xsd
49, eleheuei, one Of the brightest in the
s......eof 81 time. The coal period 10 .
sss-,1 distinctly separated from those
ssea eeeceds and thoes which fol-
~ q q tie history Of the earth there
s--e = hesssbeen many surh successive
..s<1sere eompiete.y destroyed BY convuI-
1-.e. p ether words. the time worlds are
..ss,sssr6aly separated by blank spaces
2en Afmensions We have no means OF
e7iue1tng Such distinct world 10 the
- aur1sd. With its fauna and flora dis
ss.eat opasated from the old red sand
49,. alb precedes, or the new red sand
49, ekich succeeds; . distinct world
- 10y eircumscYibed In tine-having
20 - poiss and equator.
q nsiogy. history II recorded upon
1870 Il stoue-stYatiBed rocks Time 10
Sn1ed By their thtckness; remark
~ evests BY their dislocasion; the
- - acFa by tho contajned fossils.
- e6nto which represent this period ere
$500 - ~csrboniferous strata," and the
800 ~ ssearboniferous period" from
- psnarkatts fact that they contain nj.
80 20 ~ coal which Is found in the
roeIa n deposit Of carbonaceous mat
- 9 ~ indeed. confined to this period.
~ Il - SECURED In every period OF
IN esrshS history. ~ evinced by the fact
- thtp SANS Of coal are found In all tho
e1erta similar deposits are still going on
r - boQ and dsltas Of the present day,
~ sAesa On Puget sound BY the ignite
pooto il various places. have seen
- ilnite o. Volcano point, WILDLY
jsiaoo. nd Of Point Wilson, near Port
Townasnd. and ut various other places.
This lienits shows the woody fber in the
slow procss Of transformation into coal,
which will take thousands and, perhaps.
miliions Of years to accomplish. But the
accumulations Of carbon in the strata Of
which Ne ars spanking are 90 enormous
n comparison 70 those found elsewhere
that the name casbonifcrous, - applied to
1hsss strata Of this period, becomes en-
tssly appropriate.
With the single exception Of the oolits
etssts, which belongs to the secondary
pssiod. and in which coal Il profitabiy
nins6 In Virginia and England, all known
miass belong 70 the carboniferous strata.
he knowledge Of this simple fact would
hovs saved the useless expenditure Of
Millions Of dollars. both in this country
~ II England. 1t il worse than useless
= sxpend money and labor in following
up signs Of coal. unless We are sure We
~ In the region Of the carboniferous
eeSstA The carbon'ierous strata are cub
divided into two very distinct groups,
Npsssensing. Of course. distinct sub
Gsistons Of the carboniferons period.
1hesa m called lower and upper carbon.
jeeeous, Or the mountain limestone and
: ~ Hcoel measures" The former are
mostly limestone. tho latter mostly shaies
I'D sandstone: the one mostly Of marine
NlgiS. the other mostly fresh water; the
49, OF the one are mostly marine ami
aaas Of the other terrestrial vegetables
IL latter are called the true coal meas
- rom the fact that nearly the entire
sepeeits OF all tho coal In the world are
Ae1d Ia them.
he carboniferous Is Itself but one Of the
four great subdivisions of the paleozoic Pc
rid. and tho pa!coxcic pc Rod in its turn
aanly one of the four great epochs, ex-
slusive OF the present, into which the his
sory of our earth is divided. The period
~ which wish TO give q rapid sketch is
ssss than one-thirtieth part OF the recorded
History OF the earth. yet the average thick
sess OF these strata is about .fs0 or 1. coo
tsrt. In Wales they are 1900 feet thick
end in Nova Scotia nearly 1900 IT, then.
tie thickness Of strata represents length OF
ssme. how great must bs the lapse OF time
represented by the coat measured!
Such being the enormous thickness oil
s,e coal measures. IL necessarily follows
s;sat but very small proportion o! the
saass consists Of cosf. The coal strata
consist Of thick beds Of limestone. sand.
sone. ironstons and shals. containing
.aeir seams Of coal, aud this alienation
sometimes often repeated in the same
iaeality: the whole forming series like
a,e sheets Of ream Of paper. arranged In
- discoverabie rational order, but indis.
ssiminatciy alternating. The seams al
sal will sometimes he covered with a
s'sslum of limestone, sometimes Of sand.
'staas and sometimes Of shAie, although il
'EAy happens that sandstone or lime
sieae comes directly in contact with the
sss, but Is generally separated by a
ssssu.s. sometimes very thin. Of shale or
.ta's In fact. u stratum Of clay or fire
saad rock both undeslscs and overiies each
san. Below. /; forms the fire clay" aud
slose the black slate Of the miners.
sAocArioN ANp pisruseAycI or STRATA.
Coal strata, ike all other sedimcntary
ssfosls. were. az tho time OF formation,
AsFiroptal or nearly 80. Some times they
s'e ioand nearly in this, their original POI
ssssaa. a. in many of the coal fields al our
esn country. More generally this orig
IN horlsontaliiy has been disturbed by
saeoas agency. and the coal strata are
END in the form of baains. Sometimes
aessrs'a are So folded ~ to give rise 10 a
sfss NJ basins belonging to the original
ss1 Whether. however, the strata retain
asr original horlxontality or are thrown
SO BASINS by igneous agency. seldom or
ssss' do ne tini the whole of the original
80 aeposiied. \ lar. e portion has been
sasa away by aqueous agency. FROM
-ssansc large coal field. covering many
ssosaads of square miles. may exist only
= we form q; isolated mountains or de-
Neaed basins o. coal strata. Thus. for in
s@aes, nearly the whole OF Illinois vas
nsa ~ occupied by vast coal field
ss@ils disturbed by igneous agency: bu,
- TIE larger portion OF the coal strata
~ Immense field was carried away by
ssasding agencies.
THE rSGsr soC~p BASIN
norc familiar illustration Of this
sFoes,ion IN the great coal haxin extend
rom Vancouver island under
vs. Straits of fuca and upon
~ shore Of Washington where il
cut 81 Csa.ian hay. where
'oFmeE{y wrought. ana a. por,
Nsss' Fort Discovery. Port Townsend
- Mood canal This coaI lies very