REPORT

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 580, 22 February 1851, Page 3

REPORT

On the Coal and Wood Fuel of New Zealand in reference to their adaptation for Steam purposes, derived from Dr. Forbes’s analysis -with an extract from the “ Acheron's” Engine Room Register, kept by Mr. Thompson, Chief Engineer :— TABLE OF RESULTS FROM DR. FORBES’S EXPERIMENTS.

The several quantities given in the Table, were taken from 1. A heap of 30 tons. 2. A hand specimen. 3. A heap of 5 tons. I 4. A hand specimen. 5. The Government Depot at Wellington, ! 500 tons. Portions of each were burned under the ; same conditions, as nearly as possible, in or- | der to test their individual and relative qua- I lities. Massacre Bay Coal is a species of anthracite, and when burned in a crucible under the reducing flame of the blowpipe, gives the following results : —lgnition slow and difficult; flame feeble, yellowish not persistent, much smoke and strong sulphurous ouour : no traces of bituminous matter, or iuflamable volatile gases observed. Waikato Coal ignites more readily than the preceding, burns with a clearer flame and jess smoke, and leaves a cinder of better quality. No traces of sulphur were observed, neither were there any of bituminous matter, but in neither case was the heat given out apparently very great. Saddle Hill, Otago. This coal is a variety of Lignite, or brown coal, which ignites more readily than the preceding specimens, burning with a rather feeble, yellowish red flame, and greyish smoke, which soon ceases, leaving a charcoal-like cinder, which disappears under the continued action of the blowpipe, leaving a white ash mixed with a coarse powdery charcoal; no traces of bituminous mattei, but a slight sulphurous odour was observed. Motunau Coal, Canterbury Plains, resembles that of Massacre Bay in its general characters, but ignites more readilv, and burns with less smoke; it contains a great quantity of sulphur, but no traces of bituminous matter; its residue is composed of hard . clinkers of brownish red colour, and of powi dery charcoal-like substance. i A ewcastle Coal, i\ ew South I Rales. A pori tion of this coal was tried under the same | conditions as the preceding specimens, for ! the sake of comparison, w 7 ith the following i results: —Rapid ignition, clear flame, extri- ' cation of highly inflammable gases and of ' bituminous matter, the coal forming a cakev ! mass, and leaving a cinder capable of further i combustion.

Locality of Coal. Quantity used in Experiments. Quantity and description of Residue. 1 Massacre Bay Grains. 210 Grains. 12 Semi-Carbonaceous 2 Waikato River 210 whitish powder. 32 Cinder. 3 Saddle Mill, Otago 210 28 White Ash, with 4 Tvlotunau 210 coarse powdery charcoal. 77 Hard Ciinkers, do., 5 Newcastle, N. do. S. W. 220 126 Good Cinder.