Meanings of black piles in English

Today, it was a slumping huddle of black piles slowly being transubstantiated into slime.

The loom of the big fires disclosed buildings, roofs, black piles as far as he could see.

Here and there about the wharf, leaning their head carelessly over black piles, are sly-looking policemen, who scan every voyager with a searching eye.

He saw the black piles of the herring wharf, and next the west face of the church clock, the hands and numerals glittering like gold.

Black piles of peat stood on the solitary ground, ready after a summer's cutting and drying.