The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-10

began the total amount OF coal pro-
duced and the amount wasted in min
ing has been, to Jan. /, 1910, approx
mately 10000, 000,0 tons, which is a
litCe more than one half of what yet
remains underground in the little $50
square miles Of the anthracite field.
The 1909 production was about 49,
100000 tons, with perhaps a recovery
OF so per cent-40 per cent being lost
in mining-or a total exhaustion Of
750,000,000 tons last year. This is just
fifteen hundredths of one per cent OF
North Dakota's easily accessible lig-
mite.
Value of Peat.
The Improvement Of the gas pro-
Queer plant has also brought into the
field another natural resource hereto
fore considered of little IL any value,
namely peat. The knowledge of the
area and tonnage of our peat deposits
is incomplete: but they are very great
both in the United States and Alaska.
1t is significant, too, that the re-
gions in the United States that have
peat beds of workable size and depth
are found to lie almost entirely out
side the territory in which the coal
fields and supplies Of other natural
fuels are known to exist in abundance.
The geological surveys estimate of
IL, O00, 600, 900 tons of air-dry fuel as
the product of the peat beds Of the
country, exclusive of Alaska, is be-
lieved to be an ultra-conservatiye one.
Peat beds occur throughout Minnesota,
Jersey, Florida, in the eastern Michi-
gan, New York, New England, New
Jersey, Florida, in the eastern part of
the Dakotas, barely infringing upon
the Ignite beds; northern Iowa, Illi-
nois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, North Carolina. South Car
oIina and Georgia, and along the
Pacific coast.
In Alaska no attempt has been made
to estimate either the acreage or ton
mage of peat. Professor Davis the au-
thor of several geological survey re-
ports on peat, states that the condi-
tions throughout the greater part OF
Alaska favor the formation Of peat
and he makes mention Of many beds
in the southern part of the territory
having a thickness of fifteen to TWEEN
ty feet. In the northern portion he
speaks of peat beds eight to ten feet,
and others Of thirty to forty feet deep
which have been exposed by natural
agencies. 1t seems evident, he says,
that peat beds of workable extent are
to be found in most parts of Alaska.
AS a fuel for the making of producer
gas. peat has an important place. In
country so marvelously endowed
with wood, coal, petroleum and natural
gas It has been assumed that peat
has no place as a fuel, except in the
far distant future. However, inasnuch
as transportation charges enter large
Iy into the ultimate cost Of fuels, and
since peat is found in regions remote
from other fuel supplies, 1t is COM
ing TO be recognized that its utilization
may mean the establishment of manu-
featuring industries in many parts of
the country at distance from coal
centers.
Like coal, peat varies in quantity;
but of the tests made, some of it has
been found the equal and even the
superior of certain of the Ignite Goals.
| while in the gas producer 1t has de-
veloped more se-power than the
highest grade coal in steam plants,
ton per ton. It's theoretical heating
value is between that Of good wood
and good coal 1t carries from FIVE
Fights to five-ninths the calorific value
of the best bituminous coal.