Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1878 [PAGE 186]

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186 of Ohio was about ten. It has been observed that the amount of water in any coal diminishes the heating power as well as the quantity of illuminating gas produced. Analysis of Prof. Weber, in the Geological Report of Ohio, of the Youghiougheny coal of Pennsylvania and the Briar Hill .coal of Ohio, both celebrated gas producing coals, show them to eontain but little moisture. Youghiougheny coal: Moisture Ash Volatile combustible matter Fixed earbon Briar Hill coal: Moisture Ash # Volatile combustible matter. Fixed carbon .90 3.a5 28.90 66.85 100.00 3.60 1.16 32.58 62.66 100.00. A S H . — T h e relative amount of ash found, varied from 2.70 per cent, present in a coal from Jackson county, to 17.10 per cent, found in a coal from Sangamon county. T h e mean average being 9.10 per cent. T h e Ohio coals ranged from .77 of one per cent, to the same limit as found in our state. If a coal contain a large amount of ash it is unfit for use in the manufacture of iron, since the per cent is about double in the coke. The tendency of a coal to " clinker," that is, the ashes fuse and form a " slag," is caused by the presence of certain substances in the ash. This glassy slag is formed by the combination of silica with potasium, sodium, calcium and iron. The amount of these substances can only be determined by a separate analysis of the coal ashes. 'The color of the different ashes estimated, was ascertained as nearly as possible, and the observations given in the table. From the color of the ash we may judge, relatively, of the amount of iron contained, and as it exists generally in the form of sulphide of iron (iron pyrites), it enables us to judge of the amount of sulphur contained in the coal. T h e nearer the color approximates to red, the greater the amount of iron ; the fawn and gray ashes contain less, while the white have little iron pyrites, and are not liable to clinker.

VOLATILE COMBUSTIBLE MATTER.

T h e third column gives the percentage of volatile combustible matter contained in the coals. The amount varied from 23.54 per cent to 34.02 per cent of the coal. I t is not by any means certain that the amount of fixed gas evolved, is in direct proportion to the amount of volatile combustible matter, although our analysis shows the coal possessing the highest amount of volatile combustible matter to have the greatest amount of fixed gas. A coal, however, from the