, 1872-10-17
Coal Instead Of Wood for Domestic and
1--nui~ctu-:ng Purposes.
Over Million Tons Of Coal Consumed in
Chicago Last Year.
The Illinois Coal Fields---Their Loca-
ton and Extent.

shlS fuel, IN this comparatively sparsely-
region, began some years since to bring forward
the substitution of our Illinois Goals and it is
remarkable how general change has taken
place. extending to all forms Of domestic use, to
manufacturing, and most exclusively OF all, for
railroad purposes.
ESTIMATED CONSUMPTION.
No larger amount Of wood ia used to-day than
6as consumed when the city WAS but half it's
present size, but the use Of mineral fuel has In
creased in very largo proportion. The esti-
mated consumption for the year 1871 was one ton
to every inhabltant, for domestic purposes only.
consumed in this city, in the last year, for man
rfacturing and domestic purposes. Three hun
dred thousand tons Of this amount was anthra-
cite, and the remaining 900, COO tons bituminous,
chiefly our own Illinois coal. The anthracite ia
used almost exclusively for household purposes.
The increase in the consumption OF coal is esti-
mated to be from Is to Is per cent per annum,
ANTHRACITE COAL.
because Of its cleanliness, will always be a
favorite with housekeepers, but bituminons coal
from its vigorous fame and heat is preferred
BY the manufacturer, and for steam purposes.
Neither can take the place of the other. By de-
cree Of Providence, the production Of anthracite
coal seems to be placed permanently among the
the only source of anthracite coal in this coun-
try. From the greater cheapness OF
SOFT coat
it is brought within the reach Of large number
Of househho1ds here and throughout this State,
and the stove dealers have. with much
Painstaking,. secured great improvements
and large degree Of perfection in stoves and
ranges, SO that the consumption, for domestic
purposes, is far more satisfactory than it was q
few years ago. But the most marked change in
the demands upon our Illinois coal las been its
general adoption on our railroads, where coal
burning locomotives have almost entirely done
away with wood burning, at great saving Of cost.
The cost OF every mile run is % 77-100 cents
for coal. One cord OF wood, costing $50, will
run an ordinary train IS miles; one ton of coal,
at $3.50, will serve the same train 20 miles.
coAL-BURS1SG ENGINES
we're adopted about fourteen years ago. Great
objections at first existed to theuse OF coaliup1ace
OF wood On the locomotives. The enginersretused
to assume charge Of engines upon which coal
was burned, because OF the dirt and smoke aris-
ing from the use Of this material; but the COM
panies persisted in the experiments until, to-day,
coal is used upon almost every road centering IN
Chicago. Wood has always been very high and
scarce, and the different companies we're com-
PEELED to resort to material more economical.
The officials Of tile different roads agree that
the locomotives consuming coalrequire more re-
pairing than the wood burners. The extreme
heat generated by the mineral fuel generally
nelts the CRATE bars, and attacks the metal Of
the fire box itself, yet the superior heat from the
NId1 44O Ii u6ltEA h4aPL6A W SkGl4A 6EAS1dLlE5
purposes: and its cheaper price more than com
pensates for the increased cost Of repairs.
The first cost OF wood-of the variety
consumed upon the locomotive Is
$3.50 per cord, and the cost of handling, aaw-
ing, and the waste in preparing it for use
andyances the price to $50 per cord, upon the
engine. The coal used is placed upon the en-
gine at q cost Of $3.50 per ton. Large amounts
OF coal are annually transported over the St.
Louis Railroad from the mines in Genital Hill
H!H1cr their line fnr rn1sun1rficn
On the different lines diyerging from Chicago.
The St. Louie Railroad Company alone, coz
sumes ebout 81 200 tons Of coal every year.
THE CARBON WHICH ESCAPES
from the smoke-stack Of the engine forms q
large proportion in the composition Of the btu
IuinouB Goals. and occasions considerable waste.
4 new apparatus to consume this carbon has re-
Gently been invented, and, it is claimed by the
saved By it's use It will prevent also, tie bad
odor arising from the fumes Of the soft coal,
thus removing one objection to the use Of this
coal The st. Louis Railroad Company contem-
plate the adoption of this improvement.
The greater portion Of tile wood consumed at
this point comes by lake from, Michigan and
Wisconsin. Hickory, beech. and maple COM
prise the @ wood supply. About 10000 cords Of
wood OF different kinds were consumed III this
city the Last year.
THE UNDERLYING COAL FIELDS.
The ine1haustible store OF fuel beneath our
Illinois prairies have only recently begun to
claim the attention which its immense impor-
tance demands. The small proportion of the
State covered with timber, compared with the
vast extent OF prairie, indicate that at
no distant day manufacturing and COM
mercial interests Will be forced to resort to
mineral fuel as an unavoidable necessity. The
Of tie surface Of the entire State, comprising q
larger area Of coal lands than can be found With
in ths boundaries of any other State in the
Union. This division Of the carboniferous sys~
TEN is q grand repository of industrial wealth.
The greater portion of the discovered coal-felds
is extensively worked.
CLASSIFICATION.
The Unanimous Goals differ 60 much that they
may be classified into distinct divisions: cubcal
coal, the slate, or splint coal the camel coal:
coHng coal, the dry, or open burning coal, and
the very dry. or semi-bituninous Goals.
TIE FIRST COAL SHAFT
was sunk at Peru, in tho year 1856, and was
hazard. This adventure proving complete sue
cess, financially, additional shafts were opened,
until the year 1862, when the entire fields wore
developed, The aggregate daily yield Of the dif-
from Ii, ,00G to &c, 600 tons. The product Of the
northern mines is shipped directly to the adja-
cent manufacturing towns and business centresi
and to Chicago. The coal obtained in the southl
ern measures is transported to Cairo and st,
Louis for consumption, On the Mississippi
River steamboats,. 4 large amount Of this Goa.
is consumed by the Illinois Central Railroad
Company on their engines.
TIE GREAT BANE OF TIE WESTERN COAL
L. the presence Of iron, in the form of sui
pLriret, and in the absence OF this material the
bituminous Goals obtained in the east and south
eastern sections Of the United States, afford
better material for working in iron-sulplur
running the malleapi1ity and tenacity Of that
metal. Manufacturers working in iron cannot
employ the Western coal in their furnaces. The
Eastern soft coal is used by them entirely. The
PRINCIPAL COAL MINING POINTS
in the State are in the Counties of LaSalle, Will,
yermilion, Perry, Jackson, Rock Island, and and
Madison. The Wilmington coal mine, in Will
County: by. its proximity to this
city, nnd the cbeapness and eaze with which the
coal can be- reached by shafts. ranging in depth
from 80 to 200 feet, and the superior quality Of
coal this mine affords, renders the deposit one
of great value. This is, probably. the nearest
point to Chicago where coal can be found on
any direct line Of railroad communication.
THE STEAM ENGINE
has become the indispensable agent Of produc-
tive industry throughout the civilized world,
aad that locality which possesses the
grcateEt facilities for the cheap genera
ton of steam power, other things being
e elual will inevitably take the advance in COM