On the Anthraciies of Europe and America. 83 
and, in one instance, I observed a large fire, made in the open 
air, in an old iron pot which had a hole in the bottom—one 
of those contrivances the result of accident and necessity. 
I cannot take leave of this subject, without expressing some 
surprise that so little pains has been taken to ascertain wheth- 
e anthracites of this country may not be applied to the 
use of the steam engine. Let us consider how little benefit 
the English would have derived from the discovery of the 
steam engine, if it were not for the inexhaustible supply of. 
coals which are afforded from their mines. hat the woods 
of their country are not inexhaustible, may be easily evinced 
by the great scarcity of timber in the neighborhood of popu- 
lous cities, and the consequent difficulty of obtaining wood at 
at a reasonable price, for the use of the numerous steam- 
boats now navigating their rivers. ‘Those difficulties will in- 
crease so as to be a material obstacle to their use. Itis a 
mmon opinion, that there can be no other mode of heating 
the boilers, but by the reverberatory furnace, now in use. 
am well aware that the anthracite or non-bituminous coal of 
this country, is not well, if at all calculated for a reverberatory 
furnace ; 1 am also convinced that a boiler may be so 
constructed as to be heated with equal facility, if not greater, 
by the use of this coal, than by the use of wood, which has 
so many inconveniencies attending it, particularly in steam- 
boats ; and I am sure no person will presume to contest this, 
when informed that a large steam engine was kept in 
constant operation, at the mines in Rhode-Island, with the 
use of no other fuel than the coal on the spot. If this fact 
is not convincing, I know not to what other to appeal. It is 
not difficult to foresee that the period will soon arrive when 
the obstacles which impede the use of this coal in the steam 
engine will be removed. That a boiler may be so construct- 
ed as will answer the purpose of generating a sufficient quan- 
tity of steam, with a very limited proportion of fuel, has 
been already exemplified by the ingenuity of Perkins, who, 
as if with an eye to this subject, has invented a generator, 
peculiarly calculated for the use of this coal, and which, if 
successful, will totally explode the use of wood, and remove 
many of the objections to the use of steam engines 
pu navigation. Greater prejudices existed here, at 
one time, against the use of this coal in any form, and for 
the most obvious purposes ; these are now happily dissipated 
by the light of reason and experience. ex 
