The asphaltum and " oil coals" of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia contain as much bitumen as the best cannel coals of our Western fields. Some of the lower coals in the Pictou district stand thus :— No. 1 is known as a steam coal ; No. 2, as the Stellar or "oil coal." From the latter, oil can be made with profit,—perhaps on an equality with the cannel coals of the Great Kanawha, as far as the yield of oil per ton is concerned ; but the relative cost of mining is much greater.
The Kanawha cannel-seams are from 4 to 6 feet in thickness above water-level, and can be mined with the greatest economy ; while the "oil coal" of Nova Scotia lies deep below water-level, is comparatively thin, and divided thus :— The seam is therefore only 29 inches in thickness, and the oil-producing stratum or bench only 13 inches: it will thus appear that the comparison is unfavorable to the Nova Scotia oil coal.
The common bituminous coals, however, of Nova Scotia are rich in bitumen, will produce certain amounts of oil, and may be considered good gas coal; though much of the Arcadian coals crumbles on exposure to the atmosphere, and are subject to spontaneous combustion in consequence, as some of our Brooklyn friends may know to their cost.
A specimen of the best gas coal produced the following analysis : Volatile matter 32.0Fixed carbon 59.3 Ashes 8.7 100.0 This result is nearly the same as may be obtained from the Richmond ("V irginia) coals, which are as favorably located to the shipping at tide-water as the coals of Pictou, and which, perhaps, can be mined with equal economy.
A mean of several specimens of Virginian gas-coal gave— Carbon 58.50 Volatile matter 37.50 Ash 5.00 100.00 An average specimen of the Westmoreland (Pennsylvania) gas coal, on the line of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, which is used extensively for gas-making purposes in Pennsylvania, made the following analysis:— Carbon 59.50 Volatile matter 36.00 Ash 4.50 100.00 The cost of putting either of those two coals in New York cannot vary much from the cost of the Nova Scotia coal; and as they are equally as ;ood, if not better, there can be no good reason why we should import gas ;oal to this country when we have more of the article than all the rest of the world combined. All such importations are simply wasteful leaks in )ur economy, which need stopping.
We shall not attempt to identify the Arcadian coals.