The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1851-02-12
DIR. WILLIAMS LECTURE
On the Coal Mines or NORTH
Carolina.

~ hau the talents Ia amuse and en- i
teitain public audience. talents. 10 which |
make no preiensions. could moi expect |
10 afiord amusement and entertainment on |.
a subjsc, Of dry statistics; but on suhiec,
so deeply interesting 10 the people of
North Carolina as The development Of
their resources. hope To be able TO com-
n,and the attention OF an audience so pa.
triotic o. that which have the honor 10
address. while | discourse. for short Pc
riod. on the value Of The Coal Fields OF
Deep River. a subject 10 which have
given my undivided attention and labo-
rious investigation Tor ihe last few months.
The value Of coal. as a Mineral fuel.
is bu, little known. except 30 those whose
interests have made il subject Of study.
Professor Taylor. in his invaluable work.
on The Statistics Of Goal, very justly re-
marks. that il would he no difiicull task 10
show, in figures, how vastly more profit
able il the application Of labor IN the min
ing and working and transportation ol
coal. than that of The precious metals
"The annual production Of all the gold and
silver mines Of Norih and South Americs
was estimsted by Baron IIumbold, a
nine millions OF pounds sterling. and Al
present (exceping the rerenl discoverie.
10 California; is less than FIVE millions o.
pounds, or twenty five millions ofdollsrs
Now. the value Of The coal procured an
nually, in Great Britain alone, 10 compu.
ted at fifty Millions of dollars al the pits
mouth, and from seveniy.five TO one
hundred millions Of dollars al The places
Of consumption"
Great Britain 10 indebted 10 her coal fo
her supremacy as manufacturing, com
mercial, and maritime nation. Take iron
her the coal mines and she would sink in
TO fourth rate commercial and maritime
nation. Take from her the coal mines
and she would sink into fourth rate com.
mercial and maritime power. Her mann.
faciures would cease-her Sheffiel,ls.
Rirminehams and Msnchesiers would be
no more. and her people would be com.
PEELED to emieraie or siarve.
The use Of coal in the United States
TO any considerable extent. has been very
rerent. The immense coal fields Wes
Of the Alleghanies were considered of Ii.
lie alue twenty.fire years ago, and the
authracites Of Pennsy lvania were scarcely
known thirty years since. The whole
amount ofihat kind Of fuel mined in Penn.
sylvania in eighteen hundred and twenty
was only 365 tons. The mining Of thai
species of coal increased very slowly, a.
il had TO make IFS way against public pre-
judice, arising from It's difficulty Of igni
lion.
| In 1928. the amount Of anthracite minet
and sent to market was only seventy
seven thousand tons. From that perio.
the qaaniliy rapidly increased, and il
ls49 amounted 10 nearly three millions AM
j, half tons. In 1850. il is estimated ih'
amount did not fall short Of four millions
The beneficial effects resulting To th,
State of Pennsylvania from the develop
ment Of her coal fields was felt and ac-
knowlrdged throughout the length and
breadth Of her land. The growth OF hel
. commerce increased with the growth ant
development Of her mineral resources. II
1920, the coasiwise arrivals al the port o
Philadelphia amounted TO only s77; il
: ls47 10 lS.O69. Three millions oil ton
of anthracite coal were brought to mar
ket thai year. whose value then wa
twelve millions Of dollars. and eleve
thousand four hundred and thirty nine yes
, sells cleared from the single port Of Phils
delphia that season loaded wnh millio
, and quarter mns Of coal.
During the agitation Of the tariff
1876 at Washington, il was stated by Nj
Cameron, Of Pennsylvania. that ,hir,
years ago coal was entirely unknown
this country; ye. in ls46 j, gave emplo.
: men, TO four millions Of days work snn
!, ally. Il keptin movement a thousand shiI
: of one hundred aud fifty tons each. al
E afforded nursery for the training Of $
j thousand seamen, who earned three ~