Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-02-08
An Addcass before the Students Of the
PGrdee Scientific Department in La
fayette College, by Mr.. p. w. Sheaftr.
Continued

AH1SttS SoiiVSOs ny his = W. IhSdItI
Continued.
With heappliances Qflnodern chem
lstrv we can so condense an OK that
he can be carried in a handbask ct and
so to-day we find mighty tree OF a
past era reduced to a scuttle OF Goals
We find the sunshine of the past
concentrated in the tropical growth,
and long stored up in the hidden places
of the earth, now lighting all our hous-
es, its heat drivins our locomotives
with the speed of the wind and carry
ing our burdens with the strength c;
an army Of giants. Think of single
locomotive performing in day the
work Of ten thousand camels on the
Arabian sands, Well may we be
thankful for these vast grapares--so
we'll filed by our Joseph, during the
years of plenty, that when the lean
kline devoured the forests that were
on the earth, and the years of famine
came we had abundance in store for
all the nations,
1t is SO well located too, this power
treasure 0! ours placed near the great
cent es OF commerce, with q Divine
foresight that Just here it would be
most needed river channels opening
for it pathways to the sea- mountain
walls cloven asunder to lay their black
diamonds open to the miners hand
and again, that the whole land might
sha.e N the blessing, vast deposits
underlying the western plains where
no forests wave and man can find no
other fuel.
Nor must we think of this warmth
and-hght- giving coal as a creature
comfort only. 1t preserves the life
and energy of nations. lrofe,so
Tyndall says the destiny of the Eng
lish nation is not in the hands of its
statesmen but in those of its coal own
ers and while the orators Of st Ste
phen $ are unconscious of the fact, the
life blood of the nation is flowing
away" The fearful amount mined
from English soii gives that nation no
concern SO much, indeed, that one of
its writers is constrained to offer no
better consolation than TINS: "Ecoho
my will reduce oar conslmp, ion , the
bplntnq Of ultste heaps of coal viii be
stopped 4mer1nt Will relieve II from
the world wide demand for our coal,
and will, eventually, furnish this COIN
! try with as much as we want. Let
us see now, how the coming demand
! upon America S resources Is to be met.
In our estimates of the areas of the
Anthracite aoal fields Of Pennsylvania,
we place that of the
F, Southern coal field at 146 square miles,
Oh the Shanokin district, 80
| Ofthc Mallanoy Al q"
OF the Upper Lfhigh field s. .
vi the Wyoming aid
Laclwanna field, 1893 g
T4tal, 40 square miles,
! or 3UU, 500 acres
Averaging the total coal thickness Of
the Southern coal field at Is tee, and
that Of the Middle and Northern fields
at is feet, we have q total content
zone cubic yard equallng one ton) Of,
say,
| 2G3Gl ,01G,00O tons
| Deduct One-half for
waste in mining, pre- -..........
pairing. and faults, 1890, 53S 900 tons
And we have a net
result of 13,1S053S, 900 tons
| The amount mined from 1920 to 1870,
the first fifty years of the Anthracite
coal trade, was BOG, 1866, 1926 tons so
tina We haze yet 10 store l2.973,o7S,-
G75 tons.
The progress Of our coal trade is
thus silown;
In 1920 tl.e produ ton was 362 tons.
From 1S20to 1880, 533lD4 "
" 1889 to 1910, 5,40till "
I" 1916 to 1850, 1882 93 g
1850 to 1860, 42,0SS,64t "
g 1860 10 1870, 5O,331, 354 "
To estimate the future consumption,
we must also consider the increase Of
our population.
In 1880 our population was nearly
thirteen millions, (l2,96G,020 j the
consumpti~n Of Anthracite being at
the rate Of one toA t1 tWenty-tour
persons.
In 1910 the population was 1903
4o3, and the consumption one ton to
three persons.
In 1850 our population was over
twenty-three millions, (23, l9l ,S76D
and the consumption not quite cae
ton per capita
In 1860 the population vas over
thirty one and half millions, (3l,64l
977,) AL Ch. casa np5ioa abolt two
tons per capita.
And in 1870 the population was
thirty eight and a-half millions, (30,
$50, 1889 while the consumption of
Anthracite coal had reached ratio
of three tons to each individual.
The consumption during the last
decade hardly equals onr expectation,
From 1910 to 1859, it increased Is,
s52,895 tons, or at the rate Of one and
three-tenth millions per annum.-
From 1859 to 1860, the increase was
42,08S, GA, or three and five, tenths
millions per annun. From 1869 to
1870, the Increase was $685., 324 or
four and two tenths millions per an
mug.
At the rate of fifteen millioa tons
per aDnpm, our supply Of Anthracite
Coal alone will last two thousand six