North Carolina Newspapers

VOL. XXVII._ VADKINVILLE, YADKIN CO., N, C^THl RSDAY, MAY 5, i9;'Y " ’ N0.17 ^ COM. STRUCTURE BEHSTin |Bureau cf Mines Conducting Mi ci'osoopic Investigation at 'flr Pittsburgh Station. — ■' I OLD TESTS ARE UNRELIABLE _.. “ l>> ■■■* <*t (Reinhardt Thiessen, Research Chem ist, Says Scientists-of the Past Only Had a Vague Idea of the Composition of Coal. > Washington.—Conceptions of. the or igin, composition #ud, general, nature (of coal held by scientists in the past are so different and contradictory that it is a difficult matter to determine the .real extent of knowledge available .or :to rely on the literature, says Kein jhardt Thiessen, research chemist of ithe bureau of mines. Scientists in gen ‘aral had only a vague idea of the com position of coal, the origin of its con stituents, the transformation they have Undergone, and the conditions they Bo w are in. The chemist did not have enough fundamental knowledge to attack its chemistry in the right directions. The fuel engineer, in turn, did not have a Abroad enough chemical basis for stud * lies in combustion, distillation, cooking ffcnd other processes relating to the use »f coal, hence the efficient utilization JjDf coal in the industries has suffered [from the lack of a proper knowledge |pf the nature of coal itself. I The bureau of mines, in order to Ifclear up some of the confusion that Exists and to get a more exacts knowl edge of the nature of coal in general, fes well as to obtain certain fundamen tal facts, has been conducting at its 1 ■Pittsburgh station a microscopic study ; Pf the structure of coal. One of the j great hindrances to its study, from the ! time of the earliest investigators to : the present, has been the difficulty in • [preparing thin sections for microscopic ipbservation. Many attempts had been [made to overcome this difficulty, and [also to devise other means of study, j For a number of years the ash meth •Od was pursued, bits of coal being ei ther totally or partly burned and the ' [ash examined under the microscope. j jLater, maceration was tried with some success, but on the whole it failed to jreveal the true nature,of coal. More [recently the method was tried of sof tening the coal with reagents :.nd then i [cutting it into thin sections with a mi jcrotome. But this changes the coal too much to show its true appearance, besides the method is inexpedient. Used Rock Methcd Study. For the bureau’s work an adaptation jjof the method used successfully for 'years by petrologists in studyii g rocks [land paleobotanists in studying plants [was employed. A small rectangular (piece of the coal to be examined was • planed and polished on one surface, which was then cemented to a glass fslide with a mixture of Canada balsam and marine glue. The,piece was ground to a safe thickness on a lapidary’s [wheel and was finally ground to trans parent thinness by hand on a fine hone. Examinations were then made through i the microscope at magnifications rang - up to 2,000 din.. Ua'K:. I The bureau says that even with the naked eye a bed of any bituminous coal is readily seen to be batided, and I a chunk of coal is seen to be highly laminated and composed of layers varying greatly in thickness and in Color, texture and fracture. There are generally recognised and described two kinds of coal with re spect to its texture; compact coal and mineral charcoal or mother-of-coal. In the compact coal, in geftertd, two kinds Of blinds aja recognized, apparently nuternating and in sharp contrast. The 'one is of a bright jet-black, pitchy ap * [pearanee and breaks with a conchoidal, [smooth, shiny fracture. The other is iefayish Jjlack, ^ JUjJi appearance, and breaks l?r€gularly. The former is generally called “bright cofcj” or “glana Coal” and the latter “dull or “matt coal.” The bright coal conShs£s of lenticular masses greatly varying in thickness and breadth and entirely sur rounded by or imbedded in the “dull Coal.” ► From the study at high magnifica tions it has been definitely shown that the “bright coal” represents constitu ents that at one time were pieces of [ vwood, as of trunks, stems, branches eud roots. They are called “anthrax ylon.” The “dull coal” is extensively jAMhlaminated into thinner sheets of xvm. -Weight coal” and “dull coal.” These u sheets of “bright coal” also con ^ ™ Hist of defiaite components and are im 1 bedded in a dull granular appearing * [matter. The “dull coal” may therefore ^ / cot.veniently be divided into two classes—the thin black shiny strips and the highly comminuted material, [termed attritus, in which they are im 'bedded. i Derived From Plants. L It is conclusively shown that the thiii strip* of bright coal are also de rived from woody parts of plants, and are anthraxylou, but represent thin ner and.smaller fragments than the thicker strips. Tli^re is no real dis tinction between the larger*and the sina-ier or thinner anthraxylon constit uents. there being a complete range it intermediate sizes, but the smaller are the more numerous. Some coals are largely made up of the thinner an thraxylon strips. The attrit.us is composed of a tram ber of groups j>r classes of constitu ents. most of which can be definite^ identified and their origin determined -i-^ese are th»» degradaUiUUB£paue.f$; at cellulose {the essential ebugtitttent of cell walls), lnimie matter, spore exines, resins, remains of cuticle highly car bohizetl material rocllets. and some min eral matter. All are readily distin guishable in the photomicrographs. .Examination of *tr number of coals' has' shown that um.st </f _\he coat is der rived from the woody!parts pf,;plants!. such -is trunks, steins. 'branclfek an&. roots, including all the tissues that make up such parts. Some of thijs wood is represented by the larger arp thraxylon, some by the smaller ap thraxylon and some by the attritu^. The proportion represented in each of these varies in different coals and even at different levels in the same coal bed. There is evidence, that some of the cellulose matter is derived from the more delicate tissues, such as her baceous plants, young or growing parts of"H)loots, leaf tissues, etc. The humic or decayed vegetable mat ter forms a considerable proportion of the attritus of all coals. It is derived from the cellulosic parts of plants, but includes, besides macerated, semi-de cayed 'wood, some macerated gum, hark, pith, cortex and other more deli cate parts. There is no sharp dividing Hue between the anthraxylon and the humic constituents. Resins are found in all coals, but in greatly varying proportions, both in the anthraxylon and the attritus. When found in the anthraxylon, the resin is found in those tissues where it would he expected if the constituent wire still a sound piece of wood. In the attritus the resins are easily distin guished from the other constituents. Comparing Different Coals. The ex.ucs or outer walls of spores are present in the attritus only and form an important part of all coals, but in greatly varying proportions. The spore exines are the most readily dis cernible constituents in all coals, and have definite characteristics. Different genera and perhaps different species of exines differ in sculpturing, size. Thickness of wall, and by means of these characters can readily be distinguished from one another. The spore characters have been so w ell preserved in almost all coals that the spores of one kind of plants can be clearly distinguished from those of an other kind. In some coal seams the larger bulk of the spore exines are of the same kind, in other seams two or three kinds may form the main bulk. In comparing coals from different beds the predominating exines of one seam are easily seen to be different in some way from those of any other bed. Thus the coals of different beds, containing different spores, may readily be dis tinguished from one another. Occasionally in a given coal seam a spore exine is found that differs from those of any other seam, but does not predominate. This, spore exine may be a distinguishing -characteristic of the " 11 “ i. , v* 11.11 vj il £•. * * * • ■ predominate one. This fact promises to be of value in the stratigraphic cor relation of coal seams. The Pittsburgh seam, for example, contains a small spore exine that is both predominant and characteristic and may thus be easily distinguished from any other. . All ordinary bituminous coals' con tain certain constituents that are more highly Carbonized than the rest of the coal and stand'out in sharp contrast to it on account of their opaqueness. In general there are two types of car bonaceous matter—one type shows def inite plant structure and consists of the more highly carbonized parts of pfant cells or bits of woody tissues or other plant tissues; the other shows no plant structure and is of indefinite origin. > Other constituents that are invari ably present In all coals are the so called rodlets or needles. Many are s?gfrBraji bul+er-gk^er through the at tritus. Sorhetimes the^ hr£ ftFesent in such large numbers that they form a considerable part of certain thih lami nae. Many of the anthraxylon compo nents, and, conspicuously, many of the mineral charcoal constituents, inclose a smaller or larger number of rodlets that are evidently part of their struc ture. Most of the tissues remaining in the coal with which rodlets are associ ated are recognized to be those of plants related to the Medullosae, well known paleozoic plants allied to the J cycads. From this it appears that some of the rodlets, If not all, are tlie semi-petrified contents of the mucilage canals of Medullosa-like plants. In the original plants these canals were olon ' gated intercellular spaces containing gumming substances. Can Keep Two Wives • Akron, Ohio, May 2.—An un usual ruling under which Gui seppi Sarniola, an Italian, will be allowed to keep two wives was handed down by federal author ities and Akron police when the man, accompanied by wife No. 1 with a 10-year-old son, and wife No, 2 leading a 3-year-old boy and carrying a baby, ap peared at police headquarters. Sarniola married wife No Tin Italy eleven years ago. Later he came to America. Four years ‘ago he Sent for her and due; to the war heard nothing and pri* ■sumed;sh£ was dead.: Then. he .met wife No. 2, a Pennsylvania ■widow, She became his com ;mon law,; wife, he said. -lAyo children Were horn. Last week Mrs. Sarniola No. 1 and her son reached! Akron on an immigrant train. Sarniola hastened to the police with his troubles, wives and children. After an investigation federal authorities told the man to take his wives home with him. The wives agreed to love each other and. live peaceably together. They left police headquarters arm in arm. “I love them both. They love each other. We all love. 1 keep them all. They say so,J j Sarniola said in broken English, i | John F. Robinson, retired cir-! cus owner, died at his winter | home in Miama, ^Florida, last! Saturday. He was 77 years old and is survived by two children John F. Jr., and Mrs. H. F. Stev ens, of Cincinnati. Burial was at Cincinnati Monday. Asheville officers last week rounded a gang of thieves that j have, it is thought, 'committed forty burglaries in the past few months in ihat city. The gang had a system for carrying on their work. riow PASS UP “FIZZ" Bon Vivants of London Lose Taste for Champagne. Cafe Proprietors Bewaif Dwindling Receipts from Sales of “Wealthy Water.” t *T7 London.—Proprietors of fashionable Tvest end hotels and restaurants are bewailing the slump in tlieir receipts which they declare has taken* place. “We have the same number of > p;e dining each night,” said tlie man ager of one of the best-known res taurants, “but our receipts are 50 per cent below those of a year ago, The difference,” he added, “is chiefly a matter of wines. During the war, and before the war, it was customary for a small party here to have a magnum of champagne. Now they are satis fied with a bottle of Chablis or some other wine which costs much less than champagne. “Apart from the greater expense,’ said a famous bon vivant, “it must be admitted that dining out is not as pleas ant as it used to be. The restaurants '\here there used to be refinement and charm, not only in the surround mgs but in the people themselves, have been invaded by a new type of diner. * -r ^ * r ^r “The conversation and behavior <5f these new clients have rather vulgar- < ized some of the best restaurants, and the old frequenters prefer to dine at home or at their clubs. Two mights ago I saw a man in what used to be one of the most fashionable and re fined of London restaurants dining vvitli bis serviette tucked all around his collar. That sort of thing rather spoils the charm of dining out for patrons of the old school.” “As far as the best brands of cham pagne are concerned, the sale is deau.” said the head of a large firm of wine merchants in Pall Mall. “We are sell ing very little champagne to our pri vate customers, who are instead drink ing port, sherry, Marsala and claret. • People cannot afford champagne. They j could when it could be had at from ; 8 to 0 shillings a bottle, but what with increased taxes and high prices gen erally, they naturally fight shy of pay ing from 16 to 20 shillings for a bot tle of champagne, which is now de manded of them.” MOX j)AViD 11, Ulahi I ; . : : I : : r vsEtsto'. vy/xr^K'K'y-^ - - Mr. Blair is the new Interal Reverse Commissio ner appointed by Fresideni B ding. He i from Win-. stoit-Salem. STATE. NEWS ' I - I Durham had a $30,000 fire the past week, when a business block burned out. Charles Vv hite, of Alexander county, was killed bv lightning at his home a few days ago. Bugs have destroyed thous ands of tobacco plants in Stokes county and farmers are faced with -a shortage of plants. The King section of Stokes county was visited by a severe rain and hail storm Friday after noon. The barn of A. R. Reece at Cool Springs, Iredell county, was destroyed by hghtning last Wednesday afternoon. Carl F.'Nissen, member of the firm of Nissen Brothers, of Win ston-Salem, died suddenly at his home there Wednesday. Men’slsuit mado of paper are being exhibited at Statesville and Kinston stores. They retail at $1.25 up and are said to be of durable texture. A motion picture film corpor ation has been organized in Winston-Salem. They are film ing a Congo villiage scene near the city. rhe home and school im provement campaign in Iredeil county came to close Saturday with a bigfcelebration. Govern or Morrison made the address. Kinston and Statesville mer chants are exhibiting paper suits. They are of German manufacture and retail $1.20 up for coat and pants. Col. Iredell Meares, of Wil mington, has been appointed special assistant to the attorney general. The job pays $6,000 a year with all traveling expenses, Eli Hartman' a well-known farmer of the Advance section of Davie county, was iound dead in a small pond near the Yadkin river Friday. He was subject to epilepsy and it is supposed he suffered an attack and fell into the pond while fishing. He was 48 years old and is survived bj a wife and two children. j The American Bankers Assso ciation is holding a convention in Pinehurst this week. Col'. A. D. Watts has resigned as president of the Federal Tax Service Corporation to give his time to liis duties as state tax commissioner. Wilkes county will hold its annual Confederate Vefran’s Re union at Wilkesboro on May 10. An interesting programme has been arranged. Davenport College, the Meth odist school for women, now lo cated a Lenoir, may be moved ! to Salisbury. The board of trustees favor the movement, Statesville officers were noti fied the past week that ttie Buick car taken from Mr. Eu ! gene Cowan, of that place, near j Winston some weeks ago, had I been located at a town in Illi* j nois. 1 Li' ‘tenants I. K. Y:: i . 0 — H. J. Hartman, of the eighth aero squadron, United States army, were killed at Camp Bragg last week when their airplane crashed into a tree. Parker R. Anderson has insti tuted suit against Lieut. Gov. W. B. Cooper damages to the amount of $4,700. Mr. Ander son charges Mr. Cooper with misrepresentation in the sale of the controlling stock in the Wil mington Dispatch to him, Citizens of Winston-Salem wete greatly excited Monday morning about 1 o’clock when they were awaken by a fierce popping which sounded like a battle being fought. Officers investigating found it to be an old tin lizzie that had persisted in cutting up a bit. Salibury was visited by a se vere hail storm last Wednesday afternoon. For thirty minutes, the hail stones, some as large as hen eggs, poured down on the the'•nown. The lighting, tele phone and transportation facili ties were put out of business thousands of dollars damage done to goods in stores by the : roofs being beaten to pieces by tile hail. I l Harding Reviews Fleet President Harding sailed down the Potomac river to Hampton Roads last Thursday and re viewed tile Atlantic division of the American fleet. 1 he trip down the Potomac on the Mayflower with the band playing and the marine guard ai attention when the president boarded the yang plank. The usual presidential salute of twen ty-one guns was tired. I he president was accompan ied by Airs. HaMing, his mili tary aides and T jaarty of sena tors. f - - T Ai*- . " ~ . JNorth Carolina Leads Tiie largest hosiery mills in world are in North Carolina — Durham Hosiery Mills, Dur ham. The largest towel mills in the world are m North Carolina— Cannon Manulacturing Com pany, Kannapolis. i he largest denim mills in the country are in North Carolina— Proximity Manufacturing Com pany, Greensboro. The largest damask mills in the country are in North Caro lina—Rosemary Manufacturing Company, Roanoke Rapids. Tne greatest underwear fac tory in me country is in North Carolina—Hanes Knitting Com pany, Winston Salem. Gastonia is the center of the fine combed yarn industry in the south. North Carolina einbiaces more mills that dye and finish tbeir own product than any oth er southern state. North Carolina leads the en tire south in the knitting indus try. 1 here are 515 textile mills in North Carolina, as compared, with i80 in South Carolina and 173 in Georgia. North Carolina mills are equipped 5,321,450 spindles, as compared with 5, 038,988 in South Caiolina and 2,706,022 in Georgia. Three-fourths ot all the new spindles and looms set up in the south in 1920 were set up in North Carolina alone. Severe Hail Storm The Eagle . Mills section of Iredell county, just over the line from Yadkin, was visited by one of the worst hail storms ever u... a* iuckiou Wednes* ua) aueinuuu. Some of the wheat fields are completely -ruined, resembling fresh ploughed ground. Vege tation was beaten into the ground and hundreds of w indow panes broken out and roofs riddled by the hail stones, some of them being as large as hen eggs, Twenty-four hours after the storm the ground w as still covered, in places, ^vvith hail as large as marbles. The hail was accompanied by one of the heaviest rains ever witnessed by the oldest residents and the damage will run into thousands of dollars. A tornado swept through the Braxton, Miss., section last week A number of people were killed and many homes demolished. New York, April 28.—Ger many, through the economy and sacrifices of her working people has settled down to real produc tion and is outstripping the Uni ted States and allied nations in the fight toward normalcy, C. M. Schwab declared here today in an address before the cham ber of commerce of the state of New York.