* 
1883. ] The Naturalist Brazilian Expedition. IOTI 
nately the entire capital was exhausted in preliminary works, in- 
cluding the railroad to the river shore at São Jeronymo, and the 
company failed ; the mine and railroad with all privileges, were 
sold at a low price, the purchasers being the house of Holtzweis- 
sig & Co., of Porto Alegre. The coal has since been worked by 
them, but on a small scale, the enterprise being in fact beyond 
their resources. The original horizontal mine of the English 
company was abandoned and the present perpendicular shaft was 
sunk; this is known as the Arroio dos Ratos mine. The quality 
of the coal varies somewhat, certain portions of it being inter- 
stratified with shaly rock, and containing lumps of iron pyrites. 
By experiments made on government steamers it appears that the 
average São Jeronymo coal gives, ton for ton, about thirty per 
cent less steam than good Cardiff coal; there is a proportionally 
larger quantity of ash, requiring more labor for its removal, but 
the engineers in this case reported little difficulty with clinkers or 
stones ; other engineers, however, say that the furnaces become 
clogged, and they suggest a modification of the grates to meet 
the difficulty.’ In igniting power the Sao Jeronymo coal is prob- 
ably superior to the Cardiff, the fires being lighted and steam got 
up quicker with this than with the English coal. On the whole 
the São Jeronymo coal appears to be well enough fitted for sta- 
tionary engines, freight locomotives and river steamers; for 
Ocean steamers it may serve if mixed with better grades. It does 
not coke well, and its adaptability for gas making is doubtful. 
The coal is in good demand in the province, where English is 
very high, owing to the difficulty that coaling ships experience in 
Passing the bar at Porto Alegre and Rio Grande. Comparing 
the prices paid at Porto Alegre and Rio Grande (April, 1882), I 
find that the Sao Jeronymo coal, where it can be used, is much 
cheaper. This will appear from a simple calculation : 
Ths Sao Jeronymo coal costs at Porto Alegre.......... per ton, 15 milreis, 
At Rio Grande “ is s 
Cardiff coal costs at Portb Alegre e pons 
At Rio Grande ., a a s 
Difference in favor of the Sao Jeronymo coal at Porto 
Alegre ae “ 17 “ 
At Rio Grande er co 
The milreis, by present exchange, is worth about forty-four cents. 
SRE oe CR Oe en ee 
* Latterly the quality of the coal has been much better than when the experiments 
were made, é 
