THE STORY OFA PIECE OF COAL

WHAT IT IS, WHENCE IT COMES,AND WHITHER IT GOES

BYEDWARD A. MARTIN, F.G.S.

1896

PREFACE.

The knowledge of the marvels which a piece of coal possesses withinitself, and which in obedience to processes of man's invention it isalways willing to exhibit to an observant enquirer, is not so widespread,perhaps, as it should be, and the aim of this little book, this record ofone page of geological history, has been to bring together the principalfacts and wonders connected with it into the focus of a few pages, where,side by side, would be found the record of its vegetable and mineralhistory, its discovery and early use, its bearings on the greatfog-problem, its useful illuminating gas and oils, the question of thepossible exhaustion of British supplies, and other important andinteresting bearings of coal or its products.

In the whole realm of natural history, in the widest sense of the term,there is nothing which could be cited which has so benefited, sointerested, I might almost say, so excited mankind, as have the wonderfuldiscoveries of the various products distilled from gas-tar, itself adistillate of coal.

Coal touches the interests of the botanist, the geologist, and thephysicist; the chemist, the sanitarian, and the merchant.

In the little work now before the reader I have endeavoured to recount,without going into unnecessary detail, the wonderful story of a piece ofcoal.

E.A.M.

THORNTON HEATH,

February, 1896.

CONTENTS.

I. THE ORIGIN OF COAL AND THE PLANTS OF WHICH IT IS COMPOSED

II. A GENERAL VIEW OF THE COAL-BEARING STRATA

III. VARIOUS FORMS OF COAL AND CARBON

IV. THE COAL-MINE AND ITS DANGERS

V. EARLY HISTORY—ITS USE AND ITS ABUSE

VI. HOW GAS IS MADE—ILLUMINATING OILS AND BYE-PRODUCTS

VII. THE COAL SUPPLIES OF THE WORLD

VIII. THE COAL-TAR COLOURS

CHART SHEWING THE PRODUCTS OF COAL

GENERAL INDEX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. 1. Stigmaria " 2. Annularia radiata " 3. Rhacopteris inaequilatera " 4. Frond of Pecopteris " 5. Pecopteris Serlii " 6. Sphenopteris affinis " 7. Catamites Suckowii " 8. Calamocladus grandis " 9. Asterophyllites foliosa " 10. Spenophyllum cuneifolium " 11. Cast of Lepidodendron " 12. Lepidodendron longifolium " 13. Lepidodendron aculeatum " 14. Lepidostrobus " 15. Lycopodites " 16. Stigmaria ficoides " 17. Section of Stigmaria " 18. Sigillarian trunks in sandstone " 19. Productus " 20. Encrinite " 21. Encrinital limestone " 22. Various encrinites " 23. Cyathophyllum " 24. Archegosaurus minor " 25. Psammodus porosus " 26. Orthoceras " 27. Fenestella retepora " 28. Goniatites " 29. Aviculopecten papyraceus " 30. Fragment of Lepidodendron " 31. Engine-house at head of a

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