344 illinois state academy of science 



What Is Coking Coal? 



Coals of the eastern United States tend to run some- 

 what in parallel lines, the most easterly being anthra- 

 cites, then a much longer line of semi-bituminous coals, 

 and then a longer line of bituminous coals parallel in 

 the main to the semi-bituminous fields, extending south- 

 ward into Kentucky and westward into Ohio. 



But the farther west we go the less we hear about 

 coking activities, the great Connellsville region, for ex- 

 ample, in southwestern Pennsylvania being the peak of 

 the curve as we go west. 



When we take into our vision the coal fields of the 

 entire United States, we note from the standpoint of cok- 

 ing proclivities that the farther west we go the less 

 credit is given the coals for the purpose of coke making. 

 This is entirely consistent with our technical literature 

 which relegates all these coals to the non-coking class 

 which have a hydrogen-oxygen ratio of 60 per cent or 

 less. The ultimate verdict vitally affects the vast coal 

 fields of the mid-continental region as well as not a few 

 extensive areas in Colorado and Utah, and in the great 

 Canadian Northwest. 



This is a rather serious matter for these regions, if it 

 truthfully represents the situation. According to the 

 map, showing the coal areas of the United States, one 

 is impressed with the relative extent of the deposits, 

 especially in comparison with the areas furnishing the 

 coking coals of the eastern United States. Moreover, 

 we were forcibly reminded during the Avar of the eco- 

 nomic waste involved in long freight hauls that could be 

 avoided. One steel w^orks alone near Chicago produc- 

 ing less than % of the iron of that district uses a train 

 load of coke per day. This would mean, let us say, 

 three trains coming and three trains going, or six trains 

 under constant movement to keep up that one supply. 

 It is 460 miles from Pittsburgh to Chicago. It is, say, 

 100 miles from some of the principal Illinois fields to 

 Chicago. 



It should be stated at the outset that reference is here 

 made to Illinois coals as a type rather than a product 



