THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION - 67 
PAPER READ BY PROF. W. A. PARKS, Ph. D. 
April 13th, 1905. 
“Professor W. A. Parks, Ph. D., was called upon to give his 
paper on ‘‘Formation of Coal Beds and Life of the Coal Forming 
Age.’’ In discussing the different theories as to the origin of 
coal beds, the lecturer showed that they could not have been 
‘formed by alluvial deposits at the mouths of rivers. By means of 
slides he proved that the plants must have fallen where they grew, 
“as erect trunks of trees, and roots penetrating the soil bene>th 
are distinctly visible. He favored the theory of coast lagoons, 
and showed maps of the North American Continent before coal 
was formed. The location of the coal fields correspond to the 
lagoons or coast swamps of that early time. Many views were 
given, showing the plant life, and also the animal life of thoze 
early times. The lecture was fully illustrated and most interest- 
ing and instructive. 
