An Important Rival to Welsh Coal.

Evening Star, Issue 8483, 7 April 1891, Page 3

An Important Rival to Welsh Coal.

Nothing is more firmly believed in general than that South Wales coal is by far the best that exists. It turns out, however, that an almost equally excellent description of coal has come to light in the East—namely, in the French territory at Tonquin. A steamer has made exhaustive tests with this coal, and the results are reported to be very satisfactory, The seams of coal are at the base of the low hills which adjoin the shore of the Gulf; some of the seams are enormously thick, one of them being 152 ft. The steamer burned 300 tons, and maintained her full Bpeed (over fourteen knots) with nearly the same economical consumption as is got with Welsh coal. The fuel differs from other Eastern coal, and particularly from Japan coal, in its comparative freedom from ash, there being but 3 per cent., as against eight times that proportion in Japan coal. It is a very fine semi-anthracite, with about 87 per cent, of fixed carbon, and it is smokeless. This valuable find of coal should turn out a godsend to the steam trade in the far East.—' Fairplay,' January 23.