288 Notes on the Coal Field of Pictou, 



To the west the oil coal has been traced for half a mile, with a 

 line of strike parallel to the deep and main seams, or a com'se 

 about N. 50^ W. to the top of the hill, where there is evidently 

 some disturbance, the sandstone appearing on edge and dipping 

 in diflferent directions. It was next found in the McCulloch Brook 

 at a considerable distance up the brook, or to the south of the 

 general line of strike, where it was found to dip 13 degrees, 

 N. 67° W. The oil coal is here of a much richer quality than at the 

 Eraser mine, and from the free way in which it burns, throwing 

 off stars or sparks of light, it has been named Stellar coal to 

 distinguish it, and an adit is now being driven in it back 

 towards the Fraser mine. It also varies in thickness from two to 

 twenty inches, and as the coal roof is regular, I should infer from 

 the twisted appearance of the oil coal that it has been in a pasty 

 state and subjected to great and unequal pressure. 



1600 tons of two qualities were shipped to Boston, in 18o9, 

 from the Fraser mine, the top seam of curled coal yielded in the 

 D retorts 63 gallons per ton, and the second quality of shale, 45 

 gallons per ton of crude oil. A small sample of the stellar coal 

 gave '77 gallons per ton of crude oil. I am told that the rotating 

 retorts produce 30 per cent more oil from the same material 

 than the D retorts. Some picked samples from Duncan McKay's 

 adit tried in Boston gave 199 gallons per ton. Torbane Hill 

 mineral yields 125 gallons; the Albertine coal of New Bruns- 

 wick gives 100 gallons, and the Lesraahago Cannel of Scotland 

 gives 40 gallons per ton of crude oil. 



Professor How of Windsor has sent me the following analyses 

 of these coals.* 



Fraser Mine No. 1. Stellar Coal McCuUocli Brook. 



Moisture 0.39 Moisture 0.23 



Volatile Matter 33.43 Volatile Matter 66.33 



Fixed Carbon 110.78 Fixed Carbon 25.23 



Ash 55.40 Ash 8.21 



100.00 100.00 



The ultimate analysis of the Stellar Coal yielded ;— 



Carbon 80.96 



Hydrogen 10.15 



Two small trial holes have been made by Mr. R. Culton in the 

 bank of the McCulloch Brook at 124^ chains distance from the 



* Professor How has since published these and other analyses in a 

 paper in the Ed. New Phil. Journal, and Silliman's Journal. 



