LIGNITE

(Lat. lignum, wood), 2 mineral substance of vegetable origin like coal, but often showing a distinct fibrous or woody structure. It is light, friable, and porous, closely resembling charcoal, but brown in color, hence ‘brown coal.’ It occurs in beds like true.€oal, but is of much later geological ‘age. Deposits of L. are found in many parts of the world. It is used as fuel, also in the manuf. of producer gas. Jet is a variety of L. ‘colored, cro -grained heartwood of a small W. Indian tree (Guaiacum offici- ‘nale) which, though soft while in the tree, becomes very hard, and is therefore of great value for making wooden ‘rollers, rulers, pestles, pulley blocks,, Gtc. The bark has medicinal properties.