147 
that the Churwell Thin in the neighbourhood of Tong, where 
it is known as the Shertcliffe Little coal, contains too much 
sulphur. The Black-bed coal makes a hard coke, which 
may be used for any purpose where the amount of sulphur 
is of little importance. 
The Beeston bed, which is the Churwell Thick and Thin 
coals joined, makes a coke which is used for malting purposes. 
The Middleton Main, in some places, will make a coke 
which is used for malting purposes, and might be used for 
iron smelting if necessary. 
The Haigh Moor coal, so far as my experience goes, will 
not coke, but from its appearance in some districts, it may 
be possible to coke it. These cokes are quite as hard as some 
of the Durham cokes used for blast furnaces, but the coals are 
worth more for other purposes than coking. The coke, how- 
ever, used in the foundries in the neighbourhood of Leeds is 
made in the County of Durham. A first-class qualit}^ is 
made at Brancepeth, near Bishop Auckland. It is much 
harder, and will bear a greater burden — that is, will melt a 
larger quantity of iron by weight, for the same weight of 
coke, than that made in the Leeds district. The top and 
bottom of the Barnsley, Parkgate, and Silkstone coals are 
all made into coke, some of which, when washed and picked, 
are as good as the best Durham ; and the whole of the South 
Yorkshire coke is of good quality, and is used in the blast 
furnaces, and for steel melting, &c. 
Another property, which regulates the uses to which coals 
may be put, is the Ash and its melting point. 
But even if a coal yields a considerable amount of ash, if 
the ash drops between the fire bars in a dry state, thus, 
leaving the grate open so that the air has free access through 
it, it will give better results than a coal, containing a larger 
proportion of hydrogen and carbon, but yielding an ash 
which runs and blocks up the fire bars. 
