I9I3-] 



STEVENSON— FORMATION OF COAL BEDS. 



97 



ash. This coal does not coke and the rather voluminous gas burns 

 with a feebly luminous flame. After drying at 225° F., the coal 

 absorbs water rapidly, regaining within 2 hours about 60 per cent, 

 of the quantity originally present. 



The higher bed, known locally as Coal B, gives as the average of 

 the three benches a fuel ratio of i : 10.289, an anthracite according 

 to the ratio but an ordinary bituminous coal in appearance. The 

 three benches show no notable difference in composition and the 

 gases burn with feebly luminous flame. One mile away, a coal bed 

 was seen, whose relations to the others could not be determined. 

 At one opening it has 14.085 of volatile and 16 per cent, of ash, the 

 fuel ratio being 1:4.57, ^^^d the gas burns wuth a non-luminous 

 flame. At another opening the structure is, coal, i foot 3 inches, 

 slate and fireclay, 6 feet, coal, 3 feet 8 inches ; McCreath analyses 

 show for the benches 



Upper bench. 

 Lower bench 



Water. 



7.930 



2.910 



Volatile. 



21.410 

 11.780 



Fixed Carbon. Sulphur. 



54.099 

 81.672 



0.551 

 0.598 



Ash. 



16.010 

 3.040 



Ignoring the water and ash, the results are, 



Upper bench 28.354 71.646 1:2.57 



Lower bench 12.606 87.394 i : 6.93 



These Bernice coals, belonging in the lower part of the Pennsyl- 

 vanian, differ from those in other small areas within Sullivan 

 county, which, with fuel ratio of about i : 6, yield gas burning with 

 brilliant flame. All are approximately at the same horizon. 

 McCreath's reports contain many illustrations of noteworthy varia- 

 tion in composition of the benches. 



The Spitzbergen coaP°^ of Jurassic age is in appearance a typical 

 coal. The bed mined in 1904 on Advent Bay is double ; the upper 

 bench averages about 3 feet and shows the same features through- 

 out ; the lower bench is i foot thick. The coal from the upper is 



^"'J. J. Stevenson, "The Jurassic Coal of Spitzbergen," Ann. N. Y. Acad. 

 Sci., Vol. XVL, 1905, pp. 85-89. 



PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC. LII. 2o8 G, PRINTED MAY I4, I913. 



