Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-01-31
The Coal Mines of North Caro1,...-

no Pretentlons could not expect to afford on,,'ao
menu ana entertainment on subject of drv s.at;s
ucs out on subject so deeply interested 10 sI :
people OF North Carolina as the deveonnote 70 inc
resources, hope to be able to COMMAND the t..
ton OF an audience patriotic as that which
the honor to address, while discourse for q sbor.
PERIOD on the value of the Coal Fields of Deer Rror
subject to which have given nv undiv;ded go
ton and laborious investigation for the Last fn
months. ' ~"
The value Of coal, as Mineral fuel. is Int ,;..o
KNOWN except to those whose interests have made II
subject of study Professor TAYLOR in his ;nvo1ua
BILE work. on the Statistics of Coak very iustIs 30
marks that it would be no difficult task to show. in
how vastly more profitable is the application
OF labor IN the mining and working and transporta
ton OF COAL than that of the precions metals The
asinuai production OF all the gold and silver mines
OF North and South America was estimated bv Ba
ron Humboldt at nine millions of pounds sterling and
at present excepting the recent discoveries in Cali
fornla( is less than i've millions of pounds. or TWEEN
ty-ive millions of dollars. Now, the value of the
coal produced annually, in Great Britain alone is
computed at fifty millions of dollars at the pits;
mouth and from seventy-fve to one hundred millions
OF dollars at the places of consumption
Great Britain is indebted to her coal for her SUI
premacy as manufacturing, commercial and mari
time nation. Take from her the coal mines and she
would sink into fourth rate commercial and mari,
time power. Her manufacturers would cease--her
Shetfelds, Birminghams and Manchesters would be
no more, and her people would be compelled to emf
CRATE starve.
The use of COAL in the United States. to anv CON-
siderable extent, has been very recent The immense
coal helds lest of the Aleghanes were considered
OF little value twenty-five years ago, and the an
thracltes OF Pennsylvania scarcely known thir-
ty Years since. The whole amount of that kind of
fuel mined in Pennsylvania in eighteen hundred
and twenty was only 365 tons. The mining of that
species OF coal increased very slowly. as it had to
make its way against public prejudice, arising from
Its dlfhculty of ignition
In III r
TO market was only seventeen thousand tons. From
tnat period the quantity rapidly increased, and i'm
lo49 amounted to nearly three millions and half
of tons. In 1850, it is estimated, the amount did
not tall short of four millions of tons. The benef-
clal effects resulting to the State of PENNSYLVANIA
from the development of her coal fields was felt and
acknowledged throughout the length and breadth of
her land. The growth of her commerce increased
with the growth and development of her mineral re-
sources. In 1920 the coastwse arrivals at the port
OF Philadelphia amounted to only ST.: in 1847 to
lS,O69. Three millions of tons of anthracite coal
were brought to market that year. whose value then
was trcire millions Of dollars and eleven thousand
TOUR hundred and thirty3nne vessels cleared from
the single port Of Philadelphia that season loaded
with million and quarter tons of coal
During the agitation of the tariff in 1916 at Wash
ington it was stated by MIR. Cameron, of Pennsylva-
ma that thirty years ago coal was entirely unknown
four millions of days work annually 1t kept in
movement thousand ships of one hundred and fifty
tons EACH and afforded nursery for the training of
SIX thousand seamen who earned three millions of
dollars yearly 1t gave circulation to capital Of
fifty millions of dollars. 1t kept in activity fifteen
thousand miners, and sustained a mining population
OF seventy thousand souls, uho annually consumed
up~aTdS Of tuo millions trorh Of agricultural produc-
Mons ana more than three and half millions ofdol-
lars worth of merchandise
10 Pennsylvania (says Prof. Taylor) the almost
exclusive possession of this species of combustble
anthraclte) within reasonable distance of the sea-
board is boon of inestmaHe price, which places her
In position of enriobe superorifu and battles sncc
ulation as to the point to 1cch it mav uitimatev eIe-
cate her. If such then have been the MAGNIFICENT
results from the development of the coal fields of
Great Britain and Pennsylvania, and such the anti
cipations to the future the question occurs what
ire the value of the coal fields Of North Carolina?
heir value depends upon their extent, upon the
h'cknes Of the beds, the quality of the COAL and the ia
htes and cheapness cf transportation to tide uoter
ma me"ce TO market As to their extent you heard
asst evening the statement of Professor Johnson than
whom no one stands higher in his profession. He
lad recently returned from tour of several weeks
Hamlnatlon IN the valley of Deep River He stated
nat his own observations satisfied him that the coal
measures OF Deep river extended fifteen miles, and
hat he had reliable authority for their extenton ff
cen miles farther. He did not state the width of
he measures as he had not time to examine except
n one place where he had traced the beds on both
ldes OF the river and where they were from three
nd half to four miles wide From other sources
# information, have doubt of their greater ex-
ent both in length and width But, if we take the
ength to be but 80 miles, and the mean width Mt
hree and half miles, we have an area of one hun
red and fre Sqaare miles,
The thickness of several of the veins, the learned
rotessor stated. None that he examined were less
han six feet. Some were of greater thickness and,
some localities, two three veins were found un-
erlying each other. Now, if We estimate the area
0 be underlaid with only vein and that vein to
e only six feet thick, this estimate would give for
ne solid cubic quantity in the ground six millions of
ons to the square mile. Making allowance of orc
tth tor waste and faults the whole available amount
ould 0e five millions of tons to the square mile
% millions of tons for the entire coal area of Deep
liver The coal is of three kinds the highly btu
linous, the sem-btumnous, and the pure anthra-
lte and each kind has been shown by ANALYSIS to be
mong the best Goals of its class In quality of Goals
he fields of Deep River unsurpassed; in rariety
nequdlled by any location in the United States in
uanity as far as regards all practical purposes,
quail to any other. To mine the coal of Deep River
the rate of two millions of tons year, would
upy 262 years. and the rate of three millions oftons
year, one hundred and seventy-fve years. The re-
naming question is what the means and cost of
to market The means of Transport
alton are through the slack-water improvement Of
ape Fear and Deep Rivers. The enterprise of
ew individuals, aided by the liberality and visions
f your Legislature, has opened pathway to the.
cean, which for extent, and capacity combined sur
asses any canal in this any other country, and
t expense not exceeding four hundred thousand
ollars Compare the canal, it may without I'M
ropriety be called. with the great canals which
ave been constructed with view to benefit the
oal trade of Maryland and Pennsylvania The
ost of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, was upwards
seventeen millions of dollars. 1t is about the ex-
ent of the Cape Fear and Deep Rvers-is sixty feet
ride, and six feet deep. with locks of fifteen feet
n width and 100 feet long. Your canal averages.