The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-04
ORIGIN Of COAL.

New Theory Of ". Q. Welles-claims
| Coal 70 Be Product Of petroleum.
Nay b Great OH seaa a Nile
Down-DiGeEs From AN the Ae-
cepted Theorisl.>
Parksrpburg Sentinel: Mr.. william c.
Welles. OF this city, has recently COM
pleted an exhaustive treatise on "The
True Origin OF Coal" In which he as
serts and apparently proves a proposI-
ZION which. II established, will revolu-
tionize all existing theories as 10 the or
! igln OF our fuel. He maintains that
coal is not formed from deeayed vege-
table matter, as geoiogists have taught
from the time whensthe subject was
FIRST taken under consideration. but that
1t Is solidined petroleum oil.
In his treatise Mr.. WeIles shows a
wide familiarity with chemistry and ke-
ology, and his arguments are presented
in convincing manner. He gives sew
enteen reasons why coal cannot be con-
sidered to be the result Of vegetable de-
composition, and presents each reason in
such way that It geeEas good. He goes
back TO the beginning Of the world und
tracestts geological history to prove that
at the time coal measures were formed
there were no vast forests such as have
hitherto been supposed to have been the
true source OF coal, He asserts that
Of all the tree and leaf fossils found in
coal beds mot one was ever turned to
coal, but every one was stone or slate,
and holds that that In itself dlsproves
the vegetable theory.
Having denied al some length the
generally accepted theory, and given
the seventeen reasons for Il, he OUT
lines his own theory-thRt under the
surface Of the earth were large lakes
] Of oil, and that In the cooling process
the earth's crust was cracked, up.
heavRlB were made and assures Gre
ated. through which the oil from
below poured out into great basins
on the earth's surface. This hardened
into layer OF coal, and with the fur
Their contraction Of the earth's surface
other layers were formed In the same
way. The vegetable fossils found In
coal he accounts for by saying there
were trees standing In the oil pools,
which were submerged and turned into
rock or slate as the oil was changed In
to coal.
BIr. Welles cites numerous cases IN
different parts of the world where oil
Ia found partially converted into coal.
Several different stages Of the change
may be seen at as many different
places Mr., Welles theory is very In
genious, and well supported by facts,
and 1t may be that he has found what
scientists have been searching for years
to obtaln-the true origin of coal.
Another treatise now In preparation
by Mr.. Welles will be Of special interest
to oil men and Is in line with the theo-
rles sci out In the treatise on coal. He
thinks that the deepest limit of oil pro-
duction has not yet been reached. The
tirst stratum outside the heated center
Of the earth Is the granite and outside
Of the granite he thinks there Is oil. He
Is firmly OF the opinion that wells in the
neIghborhood OF a mile deep would
strike greater gushers than any that
have ever been found and that the deep.
er the well the greater the oil pools viii
be found to be.
The paper on the deep oil sands has
not yet been completed. but after 1t Is,
both II and the treatise on coal may be
given to the public In the form OF lee
lures for some charitable object They
will be well worth hearing II they are
given. for Mr.. Weiies> handles his SUBJ
ject in a mastery and very Interesting
way.