Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/44

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CLYNES
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COAL

the United States. He died in Moinsville, Pa., Jan. 23, 1813.

CLYNES, JOHN ROBERT, a British Labor leader; born at Oldham, England, in 1869. He represented the Labor party in Parliament beginning with 1906. In 1918 he was appointed Food Controller. He was President of the National Union of General Workers and Chairman of the Executive Council.

CLYSTER, an antiquated term for enema.

CLYTEMNESTRA, in Greek mythology, daughter of King Tyndareus and Leda, and half-sister of Helen. During the absence of Agamemnon in the war against Troy she bestowed her favors on Ægisthus, and, in connection with him, murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, and, together with her paramour, governed Mycenae for seven years. Her son Orestes killed them both.

COADJUTOR, a Latin term, nearly synonymous in its original meaning with assistant. The term is especially applied to an assistant bishop appointed to act for and succeed one who is too old or infirm for duty.

COAGULATION, the act or process of being coagulated, or of changing from a liquid to a curd-like semi-solid state, produced without evaporation and without crystallization. It differs from congestion in not being attended by a fall of temperature in the substance coagulated.

When blood is drawn and allowed to stand it emits a “halitus” or exhalation, which has a faint smell. In three or four minutes a film overspreads the liquid, commencing at the circumference and gradually spreading to the center. Two or three minutes later the lower part of the blood, in contact with the vessel, becomes solidified, and then the whole mass, only about eight or nine minutes being needful for the whole process from first to last. In about 15 or 20 minutes a thin serum begins to exude from it, and goes on to do so for two or three days.

COAHUILA (kō-ā-wē′lä), a State of Mexico, separated from Texas by the Rio Grande, has an area of 63,786 square miles, partly mountainous, and forming in the W. a part of the wilderness of the Bolson de Mapimi. The climate is healthy, though extremes of heat and cold are usual. The State is rich in minerals, especially silver, and coal has been found. It has valuable pasturage, and in many parts a most fertile soil. The Mexican International railway, traversing the State from N. to S., has contributed much in recent years to the development of its resources; several cotton-factories and a large number of flour-mills are in operation. Pop. about 400,000; capital, Saltillo (pop. about 40,000).

COAL, a solid mineralized vegetable matter that can be used for fuel. In the sense of a piece of glowing fuel, thence a piece of fuel, whether dead or alive, the word is common to all languages of the Gothic stock, and seems allied to the Latin caleo, to be hot, and is allied to glow and kiln. The different sorts of fuel are distinguished by prefixes, as char-Coal, pit-Coal, sea-Coal, but, owing to the eminent importance of mineral or pit-Coal, the word Coal alone has come to be used in this special signification. Coal is one of the most important of all minerals; it consists chiefly of carbon, and is universally regarded as of vegetable origin. It occurs generally in strata or beds; it is always of black or blackish-brown color; some of the varieties have considerable vitreous or resinous luster; some are destitute of luster; some have a shell-like fracture, and some have a sort of salty structure, and are readily broken into cubical or rhomboidal fragments. In a general way we may define Coal as a fossil fuel of a black color and stony consistency, which, when heated in close vessels, is converted into coke with the escape of volatile liquids and gases. The variety known in Great Britain as blind Coal, and in the United States as anthracite, no doubt gives off scarcely any volatile matter; but this is because it has undergone a natural distillation through metamorphism or other cause.

Divisions.—We may, therefore, divide Coal into two primary divisions, viz., Anthracite, which does not, and Bituminous, or soft Coal, which does, flame when kindled. Anthracite averages in analysis 85 to 87 per cent. of fixed carbon. The term “anthracite” is applied to all Coals containing more than 80 per cent. of fixed carbon. Various synonyms, such as stone Coal, glance Coal, culm, and Welsh Coal, also are used to designate this substance, which in Great Britain is used chiefly for smelting purposes and for raising steam, but in the United States is used also almost entirely for domestic fuel and manufacturing purposes. It is difficult to kindle, but gives out a high heat in burning, and holds fire for a long time. Bituminous Coal includes an almost endless number of varieties, one of the best marked being cannel or parrot Coal. Cannel Coal is so called from burning with a bright flame like a candle, and the name “parrot Coal” is given to