Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-01-25
Tram the Michigan Ci:y Enterprise
Eisc Indiana Coal Question.


TTam the Michigan Cry Enterprise.
Ti3c Indiana Coal Question.
In brief report mtie by Professor J L. CAMP
bell, OF w abash College recently quoted by tho
Directors OF the Michigan City H.rb1r Company,
in Circular issued 10 the public some thoughts,
comparatively new 10 Indiana, have been devol-
spod that must prove as the starting of ball of
snow upon the summit of the Alps, which in il.
growth to the avalanche Is but an illustration Of
the future Development Of wealth - our State from
tho sources Of which the Proierolls' speaks. Hs
says: The Coal beds along the sof The Lous-
vile, Now Albany < Chicago Railroad are %
great extent. ald almost iaexhAustible in SUPPLY
land OF quality thought 70 be superior TO the
Brial Hill Coal" Che most celebrated Coal for
Iron Smelling known in the Union) all of which
is fully coToborated by the opinion Of practical
Iron Workers. Verify Indiana has come into pos-
ssion of an elephant. But does she know how,
OF has she the disposition 10 hIrness itl "Col
m 'kes good fire." says the'capitalist whom for
tune has favored with the power Of developing thi.
new source OF wealth-as with a CONSEQUENCES OF
a supply of Five -Twenties stored away, he cOzly
Resigns himself TO his morning paper, with never .
thought beyond. The working of these Coal
mines Is good thing for the poor-.ives them
considerable employment NOW. and Will, more.
when people come to know il w.il DO as well AZ
wood, and cost less Us the nabOb, as com5aceut-
ly he thinks OF lis own secure competence. Yes,
THIS Coal Is good thing for fires, and but few
years ought to eiapso before the whole line from
Lake Michigan toithe coal mines should be abazs
with the fires of furnaces, fouuleries and rolling
mills, where the poor could find plenty to Co. and
thOusand. of Others be wanted 10 carry forward the
Iron interests Of Northern Indiana. And why
EOtl For many years our wealth has been freely
poured cut for English Iron for our Railroads,
simply because England had elephant about
one fourth as large our newly discovered
Hoosier Elephant, which she knew how to harness.
in report OF the Iron trade of South Stat
forlslire 10 Tie British Association, it is shown
that in the product Of 10000 tons Of pig iron,
made by li9 furnaces, which smolted Eve differ.
ent varieties Of orc, the average yield of iron
only thirty five per ceut , and this made largely
ider by the additional cost of first cokcnr the
coal With which it melted. And yet Eng
land with all these disadvantages, has supplied .
very large proportion OF our railroad iron. Con-
,rastsl with this Indiana possesses coal which re-
quires NJ coken,, while the Lake Superior o.o
producing Iron better than any other, and yielding
- per cent ldoub.s Tuch English ore) can
be landed on shores for less than the motley
ores Of England be scrapcd together from their
scattered deposits.
English coal and ore begins 10 succumb TO the
long protracted draft upon them, and iron manu-
hcturcrs of Ensland..are beginning to seek more
rcmuncTatve fields Of operation. Already heavy
caritalits of the old world have been attracted by
our superior advantages, and the iron interests Of
America must be developed. Shall Indiana, with
her natural advantages surpassed by none, and
with her already accumulated capital awake to her
interests and share la the profits of the trade
Pennsylvania and Ohio are astir and adding mill
ions to their wealth by the development Of their
Iron and coal. Because coal is found in tho We
mango valley, there are now more than a Of
furnaces engaged there in smelling Lake Superior
orc, which is landed by lake at Erie. For the
same reasons, untold quantities of this ore
yearly landed at Cleaveland from whence it is
transported by rail to furnaces all along the Msho-
ming Valley, large quantities going far Pitts
burg 10 be smelted there. To give an IDEA of tho
magnitude OF this trade. il is only necessary 10
state the fact that AZ time last season there
we're lying in Cleveland HIrbor SEVENTY VESSELS
engaged in the coal and ore trade. This same
trade demanded the building Of the Mahonins
Railroad from the lake TO the coal mines, running
nearly hundred miles with the Cleveland and
Pittsburgh Road, at an average ofEttle more than
ten miles apart, TO Youngstown, beyond which
point it has no connections, simply running 10 the
mines through heavy grades with very little local
produce trade, and not travel enough 10 require -
passenger train separate from the coal trains; and
yet ths road is paying stock. As the result OF all
this, orr Penn. ylvdnia and Ohio nsighbors be-
coming wealthy. Heavy firm. for the mi NJ ac-
ture OF iron are being organized yearly. whose
iron power is acknowledged wherever Railroads
alt Dulit UT III thalActuIlN, ClEIsI lofNdFu Dut
Indiana is enjoying delicious repOse upon one of
the largest and best beds OF coal in the Statcs,
with lake Superior nearer her doors than those
oil Pennsy ylvania and Ohio. What cares she 50
long as her pillows are stuffed with greenbacLs,
with coal enough to warm her toes. Shall this
newly found source OF wealth, employment for ths
masses with whom CT me is making such havoc be-
cIusc unemployed, ike our other advantages, bo
appropriated for our more enterprisIDg neighbor.
For years we have not only been amiaby content
to see other States tapping our rich cereal valliess
with Railroads that should secure 10 other CONNER
cal centres the profits on our products, but have
bspe SOently subscribed to their railroad stock and
chserfully carried our shares to profit and loss
Saenerer such corporations have asked it. That
SO important a source of wealth an immense
cal deposit Of JUST THE QUALITY for the mlnufac-
ture OF Railroad iron, situated hun1 eds Of miles
nearer the great West, whore the demand for fp-
ture roads must be, tn IN present centres of manu-
facure, will be improved, admits Of not a doSbs.-
But whether Indiana will reap the harvest OF wealth
and population such improvement would secure. is
not quite so clear. Suppose railroad built di-
rectly frem Chicago to our mines for the purpose
Of procuring this ore for smelling, h,w much wo'd
Indiana gain by the trade? Simply the amount
paid the owners of coal lands and miners for their
labor, while the great advantage would be secured
to another State. And should Indiana fail to act,
such movement on the part Of our enterprising
neighbors is not unlikely. Just now an intelligent
friend at our elbow says: "a stock company with
a capital of $4,000, for the purpose OF smelling
lake Superior ore with cOked Illinois coal is being
formed in Chicago II this be true, il will be
found that Indiana raw coal will make their iron
fifty per cent less than Illinois coke, the result of
which is obvious. Our coal Is power. Shall this
power be plucked from Us! A small expenditure
will cure 10 our own State for all tine the
wealth il brings, while little deliy may prove the
obstruction wh:ch at its source shall turn the fu
ture course of this golden stream. Open the Hsr-
bpr at Michigan City so that lake Superior ore can
be landed, a.ld capital to develop our mineral
wealth will not be wanting. Tho expenditure of
the necessary amount to open our port is sual
item compared with the wealth TO our State
which would be legitimate result Wel believe
hazard nothing in the conclusion, that IN its in
fusnce W on the development ofOur mineral wealth
alone, it would be the planting Of germ whose
fruit in ten years must add Fifty Millions TO the
taxable property of Indiana. d.
Missouri and Equal Suffrage.
The defeat of a proposition to permit negroes to