COKE, Thomas, first bishop of the Meth odist Episcopal Church in the United States: b. Brecon, South Wales, 9 Sept. 1747; d. at sea, 2 May 1814. He was educated at Oxford and entering the ministry of the Established Church obtained a curacy at South Petherton. Sympathizing strongly with the Methodists, he sought an interview with Wesley, which result ed in his joining that society and being appoint ed to London. He rendered valuable assistance to Wesley in procuring what was called the deed of declaration, which provided for the settle ment of the Methodist chapels in the connection and restricted the conference to 100 of the preachers and their successors forever. He was appointed president of the Irish conference in 1782. Wesley set apart Coke by ordination as superintendent of the Methodist Church in America and gave him authority to ordain Fran cis Asbury as joint superintendent. In 1784 he arrived in New York and exceeded his instruc tions by ordaining Asbury a bishop. As such they were duly accredited, to Wesley's annoy ance, as the joint bishops of the Church in America. In company with Asbury he traveled, visiting the different conferences, until June 1785, when he returned to England and visited Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Subsequently he returned to America. The first mission which he established was in the West Indies, in 1786, whence, after visiting the several islands, he went to South Carolina and engaged again in the regular work of the episcopacy. After traveling through the States, he embarked from Philadelphia for England in 1787. He revisited the West Indian and other American missions again and again, crossing the Atlantic 18 times in all. He was a prolific author and published 'Commentary on the Holy Scripture' (1803– 07) ; 'Life of Wesley' (1792) ; 'History of the West Indies> (1808) ; etc.
COKE. One of the most important fuels of to-day is coke. It has in fluenced to a greater extent than any other one fuel the immense advances made in the iron and steel industry of the present time. The immense production of pig iron is due in a great measure to its peculiar adaptability to the special requirements of the blast furnace. Its manufacture has influenced many millions of dollars invested in the development of its by products, and from these by-products have been developed, especially in Continental Europe, many important industries. Modern war as fought with high explosives would be impos sible without the by-products of the coke ovens.
Tar is the raw material in the aniline dye and briquette industry, as well as others of great importance; from the gas, light, fuel and oils are obtained, and from the ammonia sulphate, the anhydrous ammonia and aqua ammonia utilized to such a large extent in refrigerator plants. The present is an °era of coke,* as well as of iron, steel and electricity, for without this invaluable fuel the others would hardly have been possible.
Coke is the solid residue re maining from the dry distillation of bituminous coal. It consists chiefly of carbon with the min eral matter or ash of the original coal and such small proportion of the volatile components of the coal as the degree of heat employed has failed to dislodge. There are two types of coke — furnace coke and gas coke. The former is produced at a high temperature gained as rapidly as possible in order to form a hard crust on the outside of the coke fragments to retain as much as possible the carbon vapors from the interior. The coal selected for this operation has a low content of volatile resinic matters, and the retort in which it is made is packed closely with the coal, so as to leave little empty space. In the manufacture of gas coke the valued product is the gas, and the coal chosen has a high content of volatile resins and the retort is loosely and only partially filled. Gas coke averages: Carbon, 84.4 per cent ; hy drogen, 0.2 per cent; nitrogen and oxygen, 6.3 per cent; sulphur, 0.8 per cent; and ash, 8.3 per cent. Furnace coke averages: Carbon, 86 to 92 per cent; ash, 6 to 9 per cent ; volatile mat ter, 0.3 to 1.3 per cent; moisture, 02 to 0.7 per cent. Coke differs in porosity and specific gravity to some extent according to the type of retort in which it is made. Coke from a verti cal retort will show 40 per cent pores and a specific gravity of 1.08; that from a horizontal retort a porosity of 46 per cent and a specific gravity of 0.91. The heating value of coke is anout 14,400 B.T.U. The basic analysis on which most coke is now bought and sold is as follows: Fixed carbon, 85.5 per cent; ash, 12 per cent; volatile matter, 1.0 per cent; sulphur, 1.1 per cent. Moisture is deducted, the pay ment being on the dry coke. By volume the coke is estimated at 50 per cent porosity and the standard specific gravity is 1.89 for the solid coke substance.