Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-25
PEAT IN DISMAL swamp
VAST DEPOSITS REPORTED
By GOVERNMENT SURVEY
Little Yet Done 10 Use 1t CONNIE REALLY.
Fauna aud Flora In
Varied.


Stons in America arc moro adorned by
nature or moro interesting to the tour
ist and scientist than the Dismal
swamp Of Virginia and North Carolina.
Th2nEh the entire region may present
swamp Ia annually visited BY many
pleasure n,s seekers s,sa and has long been
ssolosIs lies the the e sosan'i' pi aHS
e ea sSn'hNs sI,h Virginia and north
Most of tho surface consists o, re-
Gently termed peat. tho reslduum re-
lion of vegetation. but the underiyinE
rocks are older and record events that
occurred thousands Of years ago, in
IN depth from one TO twenty feet. Con-
Gar% 20 popular belief this peat has
tuie es sSs e and nrsss.vasye p5epes
surface water Is pure.
Though no remains OF primitive man
severed in he aI hnrs iiKe tnoS. , un
been found In the Dismal swamp the
pea, con tains many wcll.preservcd
before Aner!ca was settled by our
ancestors.
H.sdiiy Reached From Norfolk.
from Sorfolk by canals, whose banke,
y viSes ny. By ssta,s!y trees and graceful
from The deek OF the iitsis steacr sf sSas
daily plies their waters When the
sW aa wns younG II was entirely COW
has drained of through these canals.
ana large areas are now dry. In tho
center cent?, Is a picturesque body OF water
which IL Inooted question. According
t 10, t3S most piausiblc hypcthcsis that
I" large body OF deep water whiciI
once covered the entire rerion Tbn
@aiei IN this lake. because Of its re-
r sssr foT PT d4ntax W On tr ansd
atlantic. voyages II is arnbe E.colored
and ar. is sno%n locally as .iunipey wa.
S'iiias color has besn ascribcd TO 10 thc
oaEk Of the w'lito cedar tiunjncr,
m n,eh ,i ABE unds in the swamp; u seems
vlssd ssse,al eon.ent o. or 'i ~ may IN. d fi
e"'faSted from the brown peat.
Shows Luxurisnt Plant Life.
ne o,cmel SEamp lies AZ tho june
t,!nn or tne deoiduous and con!fevous
the United Staten. I,s fiora com gIssi
plsnts OF many varieties and IS into
,s oscaneH Il shows a mtngl!ns o.
TIsns life is luxuriuni in the .wamn
and some parts Of it are so dsnsniw
eene,,srown that they arc alrnos, az diff
The Amal p,nc'F az, as the junsles OF
types OF plant associations" arc The
n.acN yum association. comprising tho
nd
yelioW !essamine. and the juniper a..
socia.!on. comprising tho white CEDAR.
pine sweet hay. shrubs, and cane. 4
.:S, enesl1cns Of the bald cypress are
rec was probably moro abundant in
carrier years. The. cypress knees thai
sroS IN the dark denscly forcs'cd
hieas and the weathcred. moss-hunu
GyGrees trunks that border the sho,
o, Lake Drumnond are the most strih
tiS features of the region. Aquatic
.STNF Ia 81,
the abandoned bitches, and dense cane
brakes grow upon their banks. With
INC s.int or the blooming yellow jcs-
the roui Of an artist would desire.
Tho fauna n,sse. Of sbe .'r b,a,n,I LIS:
me zooloEist and hunter as the nor,
is 10 the -botanist.- save for the iocE
t hrSper Near, near Lake n1rummond and a
areas; the region is little tnha 5itcd'
m,nd thcrc arc many places where man
t has n s..I. trod Bears trcauentiy>stir
inuskrats and hsh swim in the nlacid
ainocE waters, brightly plum cd birds
We Inc an ,k with song. ana in warm
fiers, copperheads. wafer noccasins
kings and blacks-come forth ron;
their their hoies and lie coiied in tho sun
trees "
Although the swamp contains a vas,
rvh"t'J or peat that ia valuable Cor
.tet or fertilizer. little has been done
70 use IL commercially. In the drained
areas agriculture is the chief Industry.
ana large facts or peat land arc used
potatoes ~"'
First Stages in Forming Coal.
I,cat represents the first stage in the
formation OF coal II has been shown
that deposits essentially similar TO
nose OF the Dismal swamp were laid
down in many parts OF the United
states duri1s the carboniferous period
eng were deeply buried beneath nuds,
sands l.rpy material and other sedi-
rnents and subjected 70 pressure with
varying degrees OF heat. Ignite, btu.
minous coal. and anthracite represent
TIE succeeding stages. Although peat
II no, widely "scd in the United states
Tor fuel. II has been produced in Ire
land since the traditional time when
that country was deforested, and the
rca. FIRE on the hearth. like the jaunt-
ing car, typifes Irish environment
AS peat deposits like those laid down
IN the Dismal Swamp have played z
proininen. part in the formation OF our
coal. and as the Dismal Swamp peat Is
valuable for fuel and fertilizer, a re.
Fort describing 1t should be OF special
interest. Such a report. prepared by
G. c. Osbon, has just been issued by
the United States Geological Survey,