34 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
were stacked in pyramids iu suck a manner that the intervals between tke pieces gave 
tke air uninterrupted circulation between tkem. 
When leaving the island in the autumn I found the pieces of good consistency 
and took a fair (prautity with me to have the properties of the peat tested. They 
were turned over to Dr. Fred. P. Dewey, then curator of metallurgy at the United 
States National Museum, who kindly furnished me with a report of his analysis of 
the iieat, which he found of good quality. It should be observed that the peat was 
from the surface, and therefore not nearly so good as it would liave been if it had been 
taken deeper down. Dr. Dewey’s report has never been jjrinted, and, in view of the 
great imi^ortance of this question, both for Bering Island and the other Aleutian 
Islands, I think it well to submit it in full : 
llEPOKT ON PEAT FROM BERING ISLAND. 
A.S received, the sample consisted of about 30 slabs of the peat, most of them of considerable size, 
so that it can be considered as a fairly average sample; since, however, it had been collected several 
years, it was nnusually dry. It was first tested by Iniilding a fire under a small boiler. It ignited with 
great ease and gave off its Amlatile matter at a low temxieratnre, forming a good, solid flame without 
much smoke and giving off a good amount of heat. It recjuired only a small amount of kindling wood 
to thoroughly start the Are, and after it was once started and had been thoroughly observed it was 
left to itself, and at the end of live hours it still had vitality enough to ignite fresh material, showing 
that it had good staying power. If there had been sufficient material on hand to build a large fire, it 
would probably bavo held its lire for 1.5 to 20 hours, but only a small fire could be built, and the result 
is very satisfactory. A small piece was cut off from each large piece and the small pieces properly 
ground and sampled for a chemical analysis, which yielded the following results: 
Water 7. 60 
Volatile matter ; 51. 07 
Fixed carbon 22. 06 
Ash 18. 37 
100. 00 
As might be expected from the time since the sample was collected, the analysis shows an unusually 
small amount of water, and while the ash is rather high, the whole analysis shows the peat to be above 
the average in its contents of actual combustible material, and that, therefore, it would undoubtedly 
form a very valuable fuel in the country where it is found. 
As prepared for use by simply air-drying, peat frequently contains from 15 to 25 per cent of water, 
and unless artilicial heat is used in drying it is not probable that this one could be dried to less than 
20 to 25 per cent of water; and on this basis its composition would be — 
Water 
Volatile matter 
Fixed carbon . . , 
Ash 
20.00 
25. 00 
45. 00 
42. 19 
19. 10 
17. 90 
15. 90 
14. 91 
100. 00 
100. 00 
These results compare favorably with the following analysis of a peat from Devonshire, England, 
which has been used extensively for fuel : 
Water 25.56 
Volatile matter 35.41 
Fixed carbon 29. 30 
Ash 9. 73 
100. 00 
Should it be necessary to use artificial heat, it could, of course, readily be obtained by the combus- 
tion of a portion of the peat itself in a suitably designed furu.ace. 
1 am satisfied that this peat will make an excellent fuel, and that the proper stejis should bo taken 
to introduce its use among the natives of the region. 
