American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-06-04
G COA L..

on the resources, Improvements and com.
merce Of Virginia. by S II. Debow, Esq,
now publishing in the Richmond Enquirer,
we find the following. |, is worthy of an
attentive perusal:
CoAb-How many are its uses to
what thousands of purposes is il devoted
how impossible would il be for the improve
men's, into which the world is rushing, to
be carried out-for the industry of the nine
teenlh century TO be sustained, without our
boundIess fields of suberraneau fuel. All
The remaining forests of the globe would be
soon exhausted TO supply the 100 million
tons, OF inel now dug from The bowels of the
earth,
Nature has provided substitute for our
diminishing forests, but for coal there is no
substitute; il is abundant aud exhaustless,
and abundant il should for who can compute
or who will pretend TO calculate, how many
millions of tons, the United Provinces Of
America will require, even one hundred
years hence?
With tens of thousands OF steamships, ar
irving or departing from our ports, or plying
upon our shores and lakes; the iron horse
rushing to and fro, from city 10 city, or from
ocean 10 ocean the glare OF millions of
furnaces, palng the influence of the moon;
The steam from millions of manufac lures
eendlng their vapory columns to the skies,
and the hum aud clank of innumeIable en-
gines, stirring the industrious souls of ambi
tious mutitudes, whose busy hands and
minds gather together The wealth of ma tions,
and assiduously add to the imposing monu-
me mt OF Western Empire. With all these.
we must have coal-it is the food upon which
our labor-saving machinery--our ''iron SER
wants" exist; it is the Indispensable aliment
oil industry, and engehderS force and gives
superior power TO the hands Of men.
Our CRATES, our stoves and our furnac es
glow with the genial heat of mineral coal !;
the metals which give strength to our hands
ana subject all nature TO our use and plea
sure, are elaborated from their indirect ef-
iects; the steam which propels our steam
ships, our rail cars, our printing presses and
all the mutitudnous engines OF our ingenui.
ty, is generated by its power our cities are
lighted with illuminating gases, and even
the oils, so necessary for thousand uses,
lie boarded in its gloomy caves. But il is
useless even 10 enumerate its virtues fire
is The great primary agent of man, and coal
is its native element.
Coal, steam and iron have done more TO
ciyilize and enlighten the word during the
last century than the pulpit, the forum or
the pen could have done for one thousand
years. without its aid. Time and space are,
in effect, annihIlated, and distant provinces
no longer lie beyond The control or influences
OF the central governments. The feud and
an,ipathy which originally existed between
tribes and clans disappear before these bands
of society, which bind every grade and class
in common sympa Thy and unite the interests
OF the inland with maratime cities miscon-
ceptions and hostile prejudces cannot long
hold out under the influence Of rail roads
ard steam.
The coal production Of the United King.
dom Of Great Britain is between sixty and
seventy millions of tons per annum from
nearly 1900 colleries; the most extensive
of which-Dowlais in Wales---produce
1000 tons daily. Within the last fifty wears,
over two hundred million tons Of coal have
been consumed in the manufacturing OF iron
alone, into pigs and bars, Of which sixty
millions Of Goals have been produced, and
most of it converted into rail road iron and
locomotives, steam ships and razors, iron
aud steels, cannon and needles, wire end!es
and jack knives, engines and nick-nacks
wheels and whirlings, &C., &c. Iron, thus
worked up, is worth from $50 TO $4,000
per ton. England buys and works up, with
the aid Of her coal and her spndles, over
2,250,O00 of bales Of cotton annually, and
scatters il over the world in her own ships.
thus giving work 10 her mil lions and increas.
ing her strength and adding to her resources.
To illustrate more forciby the use and
benefits OF coal, os connected with steam to
the industrial pursuits, we will refer TO
SChuylkil county, which is part of the great
coal producing region of Pennsylvania, I'm
this county there are 420 steam engines
employed in raising coal, draining mines,
manufacturing and other purposes the
power of which, is equal 10 the exertion of
100000 able bodied men, calculating seven
per horse. power. The entire reputation of
his county, is about 5000, OF which not
more than 10000 are able bodied men--.or
capable Of eXerting tho influence of men
consequently, the power of the i20 engines
is fUe times greater than the actual iaduslri-
al force of the entire population or coal
steam does more in the process of mining
and preparing coal than the miners and labor
ers OF Schuylkill county. We can recolect
when the prepared coal, of this county, was
broken BY hand it then required three men
for every len tons OF coal broken and cleaned
exclusive of the mining and raisine-now
thirty horse engine will break, clean and
ship from 500 TO 1000 tons Of coal per day,
To illustrate further, the value OF material
produced, by the united oxertion of the
steam power and men power Of Schuylkill
county, we may state that 1000 900 tons Of
coal are annually shipped from the mines
Of Pennsylvania, exclusive Of the coal used
at home, which is 100000 more, which is
supposed to be worth TO that State, no, less
than $50, 100000 per 0nnum, yauing it a t
place OF consumption, and including The
facility IL gives to The iron business. Or the
above 100000 Of tons Of coal, Schuylkill
county produces more than half. Such ain
item in the Industrial resources Of county.
whose acres Is about 700 square miles, ie,
indeed, astonishing. Our people do not
believe in tbe power Of steam
A single FIRST class locomotive will do as
much work in ~ hours on good Iail road
as 2,io0 stout horses and 1000 teamsers.
or an ordinary turnpike road Steam effects