New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-10-16
A VISIT TO THE LAcKAWANNA COAL
FIELDS.

initiated might seem fabulous. Less than thirty years
ngo We remember 10 have seen an enterpHsng man
irving 10 interes, the good people Of Newark IN the
use 4 the Lehgh coal. In order TO test its merits
emory unbeievers. he put up CRATES at his own eA'
pense stpulatng only for pay in case the experiment
succeeded He had strong argument IN his favor.
and that was the yrice of wood. which. for hickory
often reached & cord. By the time 1t was pre-
pared for the fire il cost ten. Wood was very
serious item in the expenses Of housekeeping; and H.
as vas alleged ,un of coal costing - or = would
make a. much heat a. two cords Of hickory costing
sl6. the economy apparent deserved tral' onr
good uncle f r these reasons allowed CRATE TO be
put in liz old kitchen fireplace and IN spite OF the
ladies' who c, ndemned the vile stuff which, nowith'
standing their industrious rokmg. often ceased 20
burn. TO their great vexation, he persevered, ana
pronounced the Lehiyh coal great invention
few Others did the same, and yet, for years. only
verv few tuns Of the article were consumed IN that
ente7rsing city; and the same was true OF nun
dreds Of other races the people Of which very reuc-
family left the good old ways of their nthers to use
this fuel.
In those DAYS. too we were well acquainted with
Tie blast furnaces in New-Iersey. at Pompton, WI
ncckie IIamburCh Mount Hope. and others AMI
tie managers of these never once dreamed that any
other fuel but charcoal could be used in smelling the
iron ore When the first rolling mills in Morris County
were built at Dover and Rockaway. the blooms and
faegots were actually heated by of wool 1t be-
ing then supposed TO be the only available material 70
mike bright and hot fame. 4 few years ago we
were convorsing with Of the veteran iron masters
Of Morris County on this very subject, and, incident
ay he was led to relate an anecdotc too good to be
lost One of his early friends native of Sucka-unny
Plains in Morris County, y. j., went, more than nifty
wears ago to Philadelphia and established himself a.
n merchant He was successful and gradually drew
around himself class Of reliable customers. One 1t
these was umberman a. understood from one
Of the tributaries Of the Delaware. This man dealt
largely with the merchant and for years met his pay
ments with promptness in the Spring when he brought
his lumber to market. One Spring he was unortu-
nate and the merchant having entire confidence IN
him. extended his notes, and allowed him to make
fresh purchases. The next Spring the man came To
the citv but said his msfotunes had been such that
lie was unable TO pay his debt. lie had nothing
cleft in fact but poor forsaken tract Of land. which
"was worthless, and he felt ashamed to ask him to
take it, but a. il was all he had, if he were willing,
he would make il over to him if he would cancel his
debt" To this the merchant agreed. For many
years subsequent he paid the taxes, which were small
thinking that by and by he might sell it for some price,
OF perhaps get back part of his investment by selling
the new growth Of timber Many years after the pu-
chase q shrewd-lookng person inquired of the ner-
chant if he owned such track of land and If he were
willing 10 cell it, There was something in the sran-
gers manner which put him on his guard, and he told
him promptly that he did own such tract OF land,
which he had never seen, but which he would not sell
until he had il. The then told him that the
entire tract underad with coal very accessible 10
market. On visiting the land the merchant iound,
that had he had his choice of the whole region, he
could not have selected tract richer III coal or more
favorably situated than that which he had bought oil
the unfortunate lumbemGn. The long and short OF
the matter that il became Of itself nch fortune
to him. Some time between 1880 and 1910 our TREND
called to his old acquaintance, and his poor Tor
." ,alen land had already furnished him more than
100000, aud IL productive wealth still e1hauseTs
Such an account seems fabulous and yet it was re-
lated a. tnle. Doubtless there many very many
similar in which lands, regarded as very nearly
worthless, have suddenly proved to be Immensely
valuable. The change of opinion and practice Is also
marvellous If recur to Newark, illustrating the
whole by part are surprised at the comparison OF
the coal business with what it was thirty years
ago. Then, not Il dozen CRATES had been but there,
but there is scarcely house III the city which
does not coal the principal fuel then fe" tuns
consumed year but now it can only be reck-
oned BY the hundreds Of thousands of tuns which are
sold to out of the numerous yards along the
Passaic, and the Morris Canal. If we look at the
manufacture of on the change is not less marvellous
few furnaces still smelt iron with charcoal, but
the most Of the enormous iron business in this country
is now carried on with hard coal The cupola furnaces
use this fuel fol melting pgron for foundery castings
Tie great blast furnaces at Boonton Allentown, Crane
Vile Danville, Scranton &c, &C.. the same fuel.
The pudding furnaces and rolng-mills at Troy, Fall
River, Boston Boonton, Trenton, Scranton and Others
use the hard coal in immense quantities Look at
OF two items Of the coal consumption II is said that
at the Boonon establishments some 20 900 tuns are
consumed year; at the two great Troy mills
COCO tuns at the Scranton furnaces and mills, l00
eco tuns. II at the pains to examine all the
furnaces and iron mills in New England and the Middle
Staes the almost innumerable factories which gener
ate steam with hard coal, the inland ana ocean steam
ers which employ this fuel and countless yards which
do rohng but supply hard coal for house consumption
and then contrast the figures with the consum ption
Thirty years ago, il would make marvellous para
graph. The growth Of the coal business is of the
ma>e els of age and country. In the trial Of coal
wood the decision has long since been in favor
Of the former. Even in thickly wooded districts of
NewJersey, Pennsylvania and New-fork coal is sup.
planting wood on the grounds 0f economy and safety
And here We may incidentally remark, that during
recent visit TO Ohio and Indiana, We were a.onished
TO find how extensively the soft coal i penetrating into
the interior Of those States much that it viii only
take few wears 10 make Columbus and Indianapoli.
as Dizzy as Pittsburgh and Gainesville. For many
years this coal has been along the nver- but
now it j. carried nto the regions ntor-ected by