WARRIOR    COAL    BASIN,    ALABAMA. 
221 
CHARACTER    AND    COMPOSITION    OF    THE    COAL. 
The  coals  of  the  region  are  all  bituminous.  They  average  about  58  per  cent  fixed  carbon, 
7  per  cent  volatile  hydrocarbons,  10  percent  ash,  2  percent  moisture,  and  2  per  cent  sulphur. 
Ahey  are  good  fuel  and  steam  coals  and  make  excellent  coke.  The  coking  property  of 
hese  coals  gives  them  exceptional  value.  The  coal  from  the  Mary  Lee  seam  everywhere 
nd  from  the  Pratt  seam  in  localities  is  so  full  of  impurities— clay,  shale,  and  slate — that 
t  is  unfit  for  coking  as  it  comes  from  the  mines.  These  impurities  are  derived  from  the 
lany  partings  that  occur  in  the  seams,  as  can  be  seen  by  a  study  of  the  detailed  sections 
iven  in  the  preceding  pages  of  this  report.  It  is  therefore  necessary  in  the  worst  cases 
nd  desirable  in  others  to  remove  these  impurities  by  washing  the  slack  and  crushed  coal 
i  specially  constructed  washeries. 
The  composition  of  the  Pratt,  Nickel  Plate,  and  Mary  Lee  seams  is  shown  in  the  follow- 
lg  table.  These  analyses  were  made  under  the 'supervision  of  Prof.  N.  W.  Lord  at  the 
uel-testing  plant  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  samples 
nalyzed  were  taken  in  the  following  manner:  From  a  freshly  exposed  face  of  coal  a  sec- 
ion  was  cut  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  seam  or  bench  sampled  of  sufficient  width  and 
epth  to  yield  about  50  pounds  of  coal,  rejecting,  so  far  as  possible,  such  impurities  as  are 
xcluded  from  the  coal  in  mining.  By  pulverizing  and  quartering  down  the  sample  was 
hen  reduced  to  convenient  size  and  sealed  up  in  a  glass  jar  or  galvanized-iron  can.  It 
^as  then  soon  sent  to  the  coal-testing  plant,  where  it  was  sealed  in  a  glass  jar  until  ana- 
yzed.  In  this  way  it  is  believed  that  samples  were  obtained  that  closely  represent  the 
uality  of  the  coal  that  is  put  on  the  market. 
Analyses  of  coal  from  Warrior  field,  Alabama. 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
0. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
2.51 
27.  10 
59.  96 
10.  43 
I.  OS 
7,571 
13,628 
1.00 
2.08 
25. 17 
61.82 
10  33 
1.80 
2.07 
20.  80 
61.28 
9.85 
2.  13 
2.27 
27.  00 
57.  70 
13.  03 
1.79 
1.83 
29.  28 
57.53 
11.36 
4.24 
2.88 
29.  50 
56.  91 
10.  05 
2. 04 
7,477 
13, 459 
1.00 
2.27 
20.  86 
55.82 
15.05 
2.45 
2.  00 
29.  93 
59.04 
8.37 
1.71 
1.03 
30.  81 
04.  03 
3.53 
.57 
1.80 
rolatile  matter 
'ixed  carbon 
28.52 
04.73 
4.89 
2.27 
lalorific  value  de- 
termined: 
Calories 
British      1  her- 
nial units 
iir  -  drying  loss, 
1.80 
1.40 
1.40 
.90 
1.10 
1.00 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
10. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
3.35 
20.  41 
57.58 
12.  00 
1.84 
7,247 
13,045 
2.10 
3.10 
25.  31 
50.  15 
15.  44 
3.11 
2.80 
29.08 
05.29 
2.77 
.95 
1.70 
28.  52 
54.08 
15.04 
4.05 
3.14 
28.  40 
59.35 
9.05 
1.05 
3.40 
20.  08 
59.  53 
10.  39 
.05 
2.89 
28.87 
59.94 
8.30 
.63 
3.35 
20.  92 
59.  01 
10.  72 
.07 
7,309 
13, 264 
2. 20 
2.49 
27.  34 
57.14 
13.03 
1.37 
2.16 
Volatile  matter 
fixed  carbon 
27. 11 
55.47 
15.  20 
.93 
'alorific  value  de- 
termined: 
Calories 
British      ther- 
mal units 
Vir  -  drying  loss, 
per  cent 
1.90 
1.30 
1.00 
1.00 
2.00 
1.00 
1.20 
1.30 
