Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-12-04
Our Future Wealth.

OuT FuLure WEALTH.
That our country is eventually to take
the lead of all the world in wealth,
must be plain to any one who fairly esti-
mates of her as yet undeveloped re-
sources.
Since steam has been applied to COM
merce and manufactures, the productive
coal fields of Great Britain have been
her chief source of strength. These
coal fields have been worked for great
number of years, and many of them
show symptoms of exhaustion. They
are, moreover, insignificant in extent,
as compared with what this country
possesses. The aggregate area of the
coal fields of Great Britain and Ireland
is, at most, but 10000 square miles,
while that of the United States is at
least 10000 square miles. The coal
area of Canada, mostly in Nova Scotia,
is put down at Is, 900 square miles.
If the quantity of coal in each given
square acre be about the same, then
Nova Scotia is richer in coal than Great
Britain ever was, and the United States
Is more than sixteen times as rich. In
fact, according to elaborate estimates
made by Prof Rogers, the whole of
Europe contains but one-twelfth the
quantity of coal which exists in this
country. The present available guam
tity in the British Islands is estimated
at 100, 900 millions of tons, while that of
France and Belgium is set down at
50, 900 millions.
These facts show-if coal be a syno-
nym of wealth and power-that the
United States will be rich and powerful
when the great countries of Europe have
passed into decadence, and the future
New Zealander, sitting on a broken arch
of London bridge, muses. on the ruins
of st. Paul.
Coal and iron get together. One is,
as 1t We're, factor to the other with
out iron, coal would lose large portion
of its value without coal, iron ore
would be comparatively worthless.
Though unlike they are still nearly re-
lated in their range of uses. The iron
engine is rendered serviceable through
the power which coal supplies, and the
iron horse and iron ship are propelled
through the force which it develops.
In England, the production of iron
consequent upon the increasing difficulty
and cost of producing Goals every
year becoming more and more expen-
sive. Dear coal in England as well as
III every other country, means dear iron,
and with dear iron England cannot long
maintain her present admitted pre-emi-
hence in manufactures, and the support
of commercial marine.
The rich distribution of iron ores in
close proximity to all our great coal
measures is a prophetic indication of
our future wealth. All history shows
that wealth and population gravitate
toward centers enriched by the valued
presence of coal and iron. No other
country is as well supplied as the United
States in these twin agencies of wealth,
power, and population, consequently no
other country will be as wealthy, as
populous, and as powerful.
Our largest coal field is that known as
the "Great Appalachian. " Passing
through Western Virginia, Eastern
Kentucky, and Eastern Tennessee, it
terminates in Alabama, where it makes
its nearest approach to gulf or ocean
waters. AS yet this great field is COM
paratively untouched but it is now
attracting attention, and several blast
furnaces for the production of iron have
already been established, not only on
the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad, but In Alabama, toward the
fields most southern extremity.-Ne,O
Orleans Times.