134 Fuel for Steam Boilers. 
The vast mines of anthracite which exist in this country, (and of 
which accounts have been published in several of the volumes of 
this Journal) afford an inexhaustible resource for fuel, on the eastern 
side of the Alleghanies, while the bituminous coal is equally abun- 
dant on the west, and this variety of coal will hereafter be applied to 
the production of steam, when the forests of the Ohio and Mississippi, 
and their tributary waters, shall have been wasted. 
t is well known, that the anthracite of Pennsylvania differs from 
that of the old continent, by producing considerable quantities of in- 
flammable gas.* ‘This is most copiously evolved when the coal is 
first ignited, and is gradually diminished in quantity, and finally ceas- 
es, with the continued action of the fire; and a very intense heat is 
long maintained in the furnace after the flame has nearly ceased. In 
this state, when the fire is in active ignition, if a little water is thrown 
upon it, the flame is renewed, and perhaps a great volume of it in- 
stantly bursts into the room. The cause is obvious; the water is 
ecomposed by the highly ignited carbon, and its hydrogen being lib- 
erated, burns ; this depends upon the well known chemical fact, that 
intensely heated carbon decomposes water, by attracting its oxygen; 
and by supplying a regulated flow of steam, passing in, beneath the 
grate, as much as the coal could decompose, without having its tem- 
perature too much depressed, (when it would cease to decompose 
the water, and the latter would operate to extinguish the fire) We 
might probably have a constant supply of flame from ignited anthra- 
cite. It is well known, that moistened anthracite burns better than 
dry ; it will indeed not kindle so soon, but when kindled—which is 
most easily done by adding it to anthracite or charcoal, already 0” 
fire, it burns with very abundant flame. I have often observed that 
anthracite thrown into the fire with much snow adhering to it, burns 
all the better for this addition.t On putting a large mass of snow 
into an anthracite furnace, in a very active state, a great roaring Was 
immediately produced, like that from a burning chimney, and the 
noise was rather startling, and continued till the snow was all melted 
and the water decomposed ; by throwing in small snow balls in succes 
sion, the inflammable gas was produced in a more manageable way- 
It seems evident, therefore, that a supply of water, or of steam, duly 
Sigtea, so 2 eee 
*See Vol. X. p. 333, of this Journal. 
t I do not advert to its use in the open grate, but in furnaces, such as are used for 
warming halls. 
