>Hi all.
>
>        I've been monitoring the excavation of a trench for the railroad
>through
>Reno, along the original transcontinental route. One of the things we've
>found is a substance that is similar to coarse sand in grain size, texture,
>and ability to pack (I couldn't get vertical walls, they all ended up being
>at the angle of repose...) and a uniform black that rubs off on your hands,
>clothes, etc. Normally, there's nothing else in the deposit. A couple of
>deposits have been rather random in shape, but one was in an approximately
>cubical hole about 1 meter on a side. I was thinking that it could be the
>remains of coal used in the train boilers, consequently subjected to high
>and extended heat. But coal isn't a common fuel in the Great Basin, so I
>have no idea what coal ash should look like. Could someone accustomed to
>coal-fired heat give me a clue what remains when coal is well burned?  Ashy
>(like wood)? Mottled color or uniform? Black or shades of grey? Can I
>expect a scent after its been buried for a century (I detected none)? Or
>??? Unfortunately, I have no picture, but visualize black sand.
>
>Robert C. Leavitt

This might represent deposits of coal "waste" found at the bottom of the
coal chute or bin.  Could the cubical hole have been used to filter water,
like a carbon filter?

Erica Sanborn

Mebane Archaeological Services
108 West Carr St.
Mebane, NC  27302
(919)563-6392