The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-02-26
VOLUME XXI.
Coal Formation Of North Carolina.
Mr.. WILLIAMS LECTURE.

formerly Of Boston, the purchaser of one of
the tracts Of land on which the Coal is found
in Chatham CO. Tie address was solicited
for publication by Messrs Bond, Washington,
G,imer, Wood6n, Ellington, Joyner, Kelly,
Shepard and Haugh,oo, all of the Senate
The facts and views presented by Mr.. VII.
hams msy.bs said to be Of astounding impor.
lance :-FSyt. Ob.v.
GENTLEMEN: Ii had the talents to amuse
and entertain . public audience, talents 70
which make no pre;ensions, | could not ex.
psct to afford emusemen, and entertainment
on subject Of dry statistics 4; bu, on sub.
jec, 30 deeply Interesting to the people OF
North Carolina - the development Of their
resources, hope TO be able to command The
stteniioO Of an audience 50 patriotic as that
Which have The honor 10 address, while
discourse for a short period on the value Of
the C"sl Fields Of Deep River. = subject to
which ! have give my undivided attention aud
lsbosious investigation for the las, few months.
The value Of coal, as a Mineral fuel,
10 but little known, except TO those whose in
,ercsts have made it q subjcc, Of study Pro.
fsssor Taylor, in his invaluable work on the
Statistics Of Coal, very justly remarks, that
il would be no difficult task TO show in figures,
hsw vastly more profitable is the application
Of labor in the minirl aud working and trans.
poriaiion Of coal, than that of the precious
metals The annual production Of oil the
gold and silver mines Of North aud South
America was estimated BY Baron Humboldt
N9 600 900 pounds sterling, and at presen,
(exceptiug the recent discoveries in Califor.
nj. 4. L.. uQn mn a.. cox nm nnp
Nov. the value Of the coal produced annual.
ly IN Great Britain alone is computed at s5O,.
900. 900 al the pits mouth, and from IS to
el00 900 600 at the places Of consumption
Great Bri ain Is indebted 10 her coal for
supremacy as manufacturing, commercial,
aud maritime nation. Take from her the
coal mncs and she would sink into fourth
rate commercial aud maritime power. Her
nanuiac iores would cease-her She iiie dc,
Bifminghsms and Manches,ers would be no
more. and her people be compelled to emi-
CRATE or s,srve.
The use of coal 10 the United States, to
any considerable exteai, has been very recent
The immense coal fields IVES, of lie Alleg.
haaies we're considered Of little value IS cars
ego, and The an,hfaciies Of pennsy lsania were
amount Of that kind Of fuel mined in Penn.
sylsabia ia 1890 was ouy 365 tons. The
mining Of that species Of coal increased very
slowly, as i, had to make l,s way against pub.
lie prejudice, arising from its difficulty OF 'g-
nuion.
tn 1890, tho amount OF anthracite mined
and sent to market was only II 600 tons.
From ths, period the quantity rapidly inctea.
sed, and in ls49 amounted TO nearly three
millions and half Of tons. 10 $50, II 10 esti.
mated, the amount dad not fall short Of L..
100000 tons. The beneficial effects result.
ing to The State OF Pennsy lvaDia from the de
veiopment Of her coal fields was felt aud &C.
kpo~iedged ,hfoug ghout The length and breadth
Of her land. The growth Of her commerce in
creased with the growh aud development OF
her mineral resources. Ia 1890, the coast wise
arrivals at the port Of Philadelphia amounted
TO only s77; in ls47 to ls,06S, 100000
tons Of anthracite coal we're brought to mar
ket that year, whose value then vas Sl2 000,.
900, and | | ,439 vessels cleared from the SIN.
gle por, Of Philadelphia that season, loaded
with million aud o quarter tons OF coal.
During the agitation of the tariff IN lsi6
a, Washington, II was stated by Mr.. Game.
ron, of Pennsy lvanla, that thirty years ago
coal was entirely unknown in this couniry
ye. IN lsi6 it gave employmen, to four mil.
hons Of days work annually. II kept IN
movement thousand ships Of CD tons each,
and afforded a nursery for the training Of six
thousand scanen, who earned 3 millions OF
dsllsrs yearly. |, gave circulation to cap.
iiai Of fifty millions Of dollars. I, kept in ac
tiviiy $4,000 miners, and sustained mining
population Of 10, 900 souls, who annually con.
sumed upwards of two millions worth of acrl.
cultural productions, and moro than three
and a half millions of dollars worth Of mer.
chandize.
To Pennsylvania Gays Professor Taylor
the almost exclusive possession of this spe.
cies Of combustibie (snthracite) within Iea.
sonable distance Of the seaboard, is a boon
Of iaes,imabIe price, which places her in
position Of cnviahIe superiority, and bsflles
speculation as TO the point TO which II may
ultimately elevate her. If such then, have
been the magnificent results from the devel.
oPment Of the coal fields Of Great Britain
and Penns, lvania, and such the antcpalons
sto the future, the question occurs, what
ere the value Of the coal fields Of North Car.
olina
Their value depends upon their extent, up.
on the thickness Of the beds, the quality o:
tho coal, and the facilities aud cheapness of
transportation to tide water, and thence
to q market. As to their extent, you heard
last evening the statement Of Professor John.
son, than whom no one stands higher 10 his
Profession. lie had recently returned from
atour Of several weeks examination in the
valley Of Deep River. fie stated that his
own observations satisfied him tha, the coal