Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-03-18

Is 10 Pennsylvania, together with 800 squar
miles of anthracite in Rhode Island an,
Massachusetts,. aud 100 square miles il
Oregon; these however, are not inportan
deposits. anl are of very little value.
These statistics are taken from Darrow'
Coal and Oil, I" and may be deemed as re
liable as any work on the subject attainabl,
to the student of such affairn, Those rels
ing to the anthracite coal are supplied By
Mr.. Bannan, who for fifty years has OBJ
served aud studied the subject
In Pennsylvania, Notwithstanding her
rugged surface aud her numerous mountain
chains-in spite OF the fact that nile Of
railroad in our State costs many times a.
much as in some Others, We now bavs more
miles of railroad than any otLer State in the
| Union. while our capital invested in these
far surpasses that Of any other, amounting
in the aggregate TO $500, ,O00, coo.
As an indication of the value Of coal in
developing nearly every decription of inter
nal improvement, let me call your attention
to the fact that, to carry our Schuylkill an.
'hracite Goals TO market, we have invested
in
Railroads-..... $5o.Oo0,OoO
eana's .-.... ....-......-...--. 22.OU0,O0e
Mining operations and laBds......... Is 0O0. 600
9o,oo0, 900
While in the residue we have 10
Railroads $50 000, ,OO0
Y A n
Mining operations and lands .......... l3JO0, ,00o
grand total of............... ..... 2os O0o, 600
The amount invested in Ike improve
ments for sending our bituminous coal for.
ward have no means of accurately de-
termining; bur it IS very large. For the
greater area, and the greater distance inland
at which our soft or bituminous coal i,
placed, involves greater outlay for trans
portation. The yield of this description du
ring the last year was l4,llT,6 62S tons, and
was chiefly produced from the State of
Pennsylvania,
And while the capital invested in mining
operations is not so large as in the anthra
cite region, this marked difference exists be-
tween these great interests, and Is well
worthy Of remembrance. The bituminous
coal is situated far in the interior, it suffers
greater wastage in mining and carriage thau
hard coal and It is open to the competition
Of foreign product, having all the advan-
tSge Of cheap ocean carriage, while our soft
coal must rely on artifcia, modes of trans
portation, built at enormous expense over
great mountain range, to bring it to tide
water and an eastern market.
Il viii be observed that these coal miners
do not petition you 20 protect their especial
product. Bur, with clear appreciation Of
the intimate relation between all branches
of productive industry in our country, they
ask Congress to protect American labor and
home manufactures, well knowing that
everything which Eitalizes production vital.
ICES every material interest Of the country.
and especially its greatest interest-labor.
| hope the craftsmanship of these hardy
miners may be reflected by members of Con
greSs whenever the threatened onslaught on
American industry shall be made 10 the In
terest of British capital in these halls, un-
der the label of Free Trade or Tariff
for Revenue
l have already sdverted to the fact that
my own State has more miles of railroad
than any other, and that the cost per mile
is greater than 10 other States; and have
justly attributed this supremacy to the coal
mining Before leave this branch of the
subject let me add anoiher fact which will
doubtless be interesting. Beneath the sur
face, far doEh in the mines lin some in
stances as much as ! 500 feet below the
level of the riTer), we have 10 the small an
thrscite regions more than 400 miles of rail-
road, not included in the aggregate of rail-
ways in the State. | may be more success
ful in placing this fact before Senators by
assuring them that these subterranean rail-
ways would. if formed into one continuous
line, reach from Boston to Washington; or
they would form double track road from
here to New York, and back again to where
| speak.
While the subject on which now ad
dres you is Of national importance, | have
coufaed my Illustrations entirely within my
native State. The personal knowledge and
familiarity / possess in relation to the sub
ject as it has developed about my home, and
also the higher degree Of skill that has been
attained with us than 10 other sections has
governed me in this design And, pursuing
that course, | call attention to the cities of
Philadelphia aud Pittsburgh in PennSyl-
vania as eminently Illustrative of the benefits
flowing from coal, as shown in creating and
maintaining home manufactures and home
industry. When the commercial interests
of the country were transferred TO New
York, and Philadelphia lost her supremacy
as the emporium of the nation. her people
at once directed their attention to the
creation of the wares aud fabrics which she
had formerly been content to exchange.
The result is that instead Of sinking under
the withdrawal of commerce she is now the
greatest manufacturing city on the conii-
nent. She has a better fed, better clothed
and better paid population than any city in
this country. And she has the hest housed
population of any city on the globe.
Second to Philadelphia in this last par
ticulai and in the extent Of her products
second to Philadelphia aIone) is Pittsburgh,
in the western part Of the State |, in part.
represent Here is the great work shop Of
our iron manufactures. And here TOO, as
in our eastern city, III same natural wealth
--eoal--torns the ba,is and foundation Of