Anthracite coal

From Wikinfo

Anthracite is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal, of high luster, differing from bituminous coal in containing little or no bitumen, in consequence of which it burns with a nearly non luminous flame. The purer specimens consist almost wholly of carbon.

It was first experimentally burned as a fuel on February 11, 1808.

Anthracite delivers high energy per weight and burns cleanly with little soot, making it a sought after variety of coal and hence of higher price.

In early 20th century America, the Lackawanna Railroad started using only the more expensive anthracite coal, dubbed themselves "The Road of Anthracite," and advertised widely that thanks to this travelers on their line could make railway journeys without getting their clothing stained with soot. The advertisements featured white-clad woman named "Phoebe Snow" and poems containing lines like "My gown stays white / From morn till night / Upon the road of Anthracite".

Most anthracite coal in the United States is found in Pennsylvania where there are 7 billion tons of minable reserves. Deposits at Crested Butte, Colorado were mined historically. Anthracite deposits of 3 billion tons in Alaska have never been mined.

See also jet

External links

• Map of the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania
• History of anthracite coal mining
• Coalregion.com
• "A Jewel In the Crown of Old King Coal Eckley Miners' Village" by Tony Wesolowsky, Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, Volume XXII, Number 1 - Winter 1996

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Anthracite_coal" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite_coal, used under the GNU Free Documentation License, May 2, 2004