Ceredo crescent. [volume] (Ceredo, Va.) 1857-1861, 1859-01-15

rsstosiae ID the Old Dominion, her former pros
pssity ssd ia1uence. The supply Of coal in
Westsrn Virginia may be regarded as practical
N usliuited. The most accessible beds are a
long tAs banks q the Big Sandy, the Guyan-
dAtts. the Kanawha. Coal River, Twelve Pole,
for ali which streams. improvements for slack
water navigation are in progress, or projected;
she priseipal works. as is said, being already far
advanced These beds supply different varieties
Of common bituminous, aud camel coal, equal
in quality, as is claimed. to any mines in the
eosatsy. When these improvements in the a
beve named streams are completed, SO as to Sc
cure the means ofreguar transport to the Ohio,
the value and importance OF the coal field, con-
pared With those one hundred and Fifty miles
farther up on the Ohio, will at once be seen
Ciseiasaf aud the lower country would often
hase escaped great Inconvenience aud even SUIT
fesiog, had there been supplies Of coal on the
Ohio from the Virginia mines, when, on account
Of Lev water, NO boats could be aoated ut Pitts
burg. The present and prospective Importance
Of ,ae coal trade Of the Ohio Valley, aud eoase-
Qaestly the value ofthe beds ii Western 'lr-
g,uia and Eastern Kentucky, are very clearly
set forth ia The following extract from state
nent made by gentleman OF Virginia familiar
with the facts 1t is believed that very few at
the East are aware Of the extent Of the Western
coal trade:
srh's trade is supplied f:om the mines of those
PORTIONS of Pennsyivania, Virginia, Ohio and
Kentucky. which Lorder on the Ohio river aud
its tributaries and every year assuming greater
6mHspsanuea1s ssztaSau ". hsisg s1A
nlore or less bituminous, with occasionally
few car.oss of the canuel variety, from the
mines of Kaaawha Valley. Lower down the
Ohio, some considerable shipments are, believe
made of eannsl coal from the Breckenridge
mines in Kentucky. and other bituminous Goals
from Illinois and Missouri, but comparatively
of limited exteut at present. The rlrer trade
in coal few years ago was limited, 1t not IN
significant wood Lcingrhen plentiful and cheap
But in 1850 the consumption of ccal In Cincin-
natl is set down at 1900, 900 bushels. In 1850
il had increased TO 10, $4,000 bushels, and by
a Statement made BY gentleman largely later
ested ia the business, tie consumption OF I'm
e:nuati andits vicinity WAS from sixteen to elSh-
teen millions Of bushels in 1851, which at ten
cents per bushei, would amount to one million
six hundred thousand dollars. What then
must be the aggregate consumption from fltts-
burg to New Orleans, for household consump-
t;on. gas making, iron smelling and uiac
turing. with all the variety Of trades dependent
thereon. together with the demand for sugar
boiling in the South and the enormous require
ments for steamboat fuel. Several years since,
il was affirmed that there were from eight to
twelve hundred steamboats, navigating these
Western rivers, between PittsburS and the Gulf
of Mc1ico-whose consumption of wood was
from, twenty to thirty thousand cords per day.
How long let it be asked, can our river side Tor
ests furnish such supply? Looking to the fact
that sixteen millions of bushels are are now
Consumed yearly in one city alone, it would be
reasonable to suppose that at least sixty millions
Of bushels are now used in the whole route of
two thousand miles from the mouth of the
Great Kanawha to New Orleans; and when it
is considered that this is trade confined for sup
ply to a few localities at present, that it is the
trade of few years growth only; but increas-
ed from four to sixteen million bushels in the last
seven years in one mart Of consumption, what
are we justified in anticipating its extent will
be, in the whole valley of the Ohio and Lower
Mississippi twenty -one years hence? But to con.
6ne our attention to Cincinnati alone, which,
with respect to the coal fields Of South western
Virginia, may be designated as comparatively
close at home. We will not presume that every
seven years from this date, the quantity of coal
used will be quadrupled, rs demonstrated from
1850 to 1857: but only assume that its increase
will be twelve millions Of bushels in every sew
en- years. tnen it iS piatu tuat iu tue year 1910,
the consumption of coal in this city aud sub
urbs will amount to fifty two million bushels,
aud it is only fair to presume that the popula-
ton of the city at that date will approach to
three times its present number, from the fact
that Cincinnati has become essentially manu-
featuring city, using up as staple the raw
material of iron and coal. From what source
shall this two million tons of coal be obtained?
We unhesitstingiy say that the mines OF South
western Virginia, and that portion of Ken
lucky lying on the Big Sandy river, es5 most
economically supply that dem.ud The Penn
sylvsnia coal fields lying much further up the
river than those of Virginia, could not CON-
pete with these because Of the increased eqpen,,
ses of transportation, and general risk and
difficulty in navigating the Upper Ohio; in the
dry summer mouths over the shoals, and in
the winter because Of the ice and freshets
Again, the river-shors coal beds are oeing
rapidly exhausted, snd have already attained,
a. aonHksd, prices auctuating around
- .per, acrs. for such as