Trails. N. V. Ac. Set. 



Y4 



Dec. 19, 



American Journal of Science. The moisture is taken at 212"' Fahr., 

 and the analysis is evidently of the fresh material. 



To obtain a fairer comparison, and if not strictly accurate, yet suffic- 

 iently so for our purpose, I have computed the percentages with the 

 moisture eliminated. 



T. Ripe Peat 



2. Adjacent to 3 



3. Transformed Peat , 



-4. " (State Chemist) . 



Volatile 

 Matter. 



68.115 

 22.993 

 59560 

 29-559 



Bituminous Coals ] 30. to 60. 



Fixed 

 Carbon. 



4932 



4.806 



27.891 



12.069 



40. to 70. 



Ash. 



26.953 (White) 

 72 2or (White) 

 12.549 (Pink) 

 58.372 



to 6 



From this table it will be seen that the composition of the transformed 

 peat, number three, is about that of a very "fat " bituminous coal, that 

 is, one containing a large proportion of volatile combustible matter, 

 such as are desired for making gas. In number four, the volatile matter 

 and the fixed carbon have nearly the same proportion to each other. 



The very large amount of ash in these samples is to be expected, on 

 account of the small size of the peat-swamp, which allowed much inor- 

 ganic matter to be blown or washed in over the whole surface. But 

 the varying amount of ash would indicate that the peculiar physical 

 character of the peat was not due to the amount of inorganic matter. 

 The ash of numbers one and two was white, while that of number three 

 was decidedly pink. This color probably indicates iron ; which may 

 possibly afford a clue to the cause of the transformation. The presence 

 of considerable iron either inherent in the mass itself, or derived from 

 the surrounding mass by something like concretionary action, would 

 probably hasten the decomposition ; bearing upon this point, the large 

 amount of inorganic matter without iron in the peat contiguous to the 

 transformed peat is remarkable. The physical characteristics are un- 

 doubtedly due to the finely divided state of the carbon, mingled with 

 the water and volatile matter. But, however produced, we have here 

 isomething that is apparently coal, in the midst of peat that is not yet 

 coal. 



Except as this substance illustrates a degree or phase of peat decom- 

 position, it is not likely to have any bearing on the formation of coal. 

 The decomposition of a buried peat-bed under great pressure probably 

 involves the whole mass at the same time, and does not proceed by the 

 expansion of such centres of decomposition as are here found. 



Samples have been placed in the hands of Mr. Spencer B. Newberry, 

 of Cornell University, who is making a full chemical examination. 



