, 1874-11-29
COAL.
statistics Of Production, Prices. Traasper~
taiion, and Consumption.
The Coal Docks Of Chicago---Items Of
Our Local Trade.

ICED countries, there las been developed VIZ
fund OF interesting Information touching tne ~
cation Of the great coa'-beds OF tho "orla' III
extent of country underlaid by it; lie mean
available for its transportation to marker. anu
general history of the yaried lndustHes coaoecee
with the handling. distribution, aud consumE
tion. Some of these statistics, 1hongn Else'
necessarily by abstract OF abores1atlon' Will Ii
donht be OF interest to this practical community
the items being gathered from coa!~trade Jour
nails. and from intelligent gentlemen couuecte'
with the trade in Chicago, including 3lr +. II
Uh;tebouso. A. J. Hocle OF E. L. Hedstrom
co., Miper T. Ames & Co.. E. " Morley of kel
lev. Morley l. Co. Robcz1 Law. and Mr
Joseph Kirkland. Of C. Il. Dyer Co., Secfetar.
Of the Coal-Exchauge of Chicago. and others:
THE ANTHRACITE REGION.
Il is we'll known that, although We have il
tho United States some 625.00o square miles o1
land entirely undeslain with coal, yet fully one
half of the yearly production is at present froH
tho narrow territory known as the anthracite
coal-felds OF Pennsylvania, embracing abou
40 eoaare miles, the production OF this region
being estinased at 20, ,000, 900 tons for 1873
the entire production OF the coal-felds oI
America being lf0oo,ooo tons for the s.ne
period. Tho coa1-produc:ion Of tho entire globe
DGlDT ElfEQ At dAlUt ~o.uooNoo teiASa ~ "@4'&-
Epeland with but II, 800 square miles Of coal
area, yields 1913 1000 900 tons,-it will sc: be seen
that the anthracite coal.felds Of Pennsylvania
exceed tue enormous yield of the English mines
more than thrce-fold in proportion to extent OF
surface. Prussia produces 23.o00.0O0 tons aa-
p,,ally; France II, 100000. Belgium 10000
Austria G,530 900, Spain 60D, 600, Russia 259. 900
tons.
THE TnTIy COAL, AREA
of the United States IL sectioncd OFT III square
miles about ns follows:
Illinois sccnon largest Of all), $4,000; Mis-
souri, Basin. 26. 5s7 Iowa, $4,000; hansas, IT.,
900: West Virginia section, 10000: Ohio sec
tion, 10000; East Kentucky section, s,983 :;
penusYlyania section, II, 502; Pennsylvania an
thracite, 472; Now Englsnd Basin. 500; Mary
land section, $50; Teunessee. 5.l0o; Alabama.
$3.50; 1ndinua, G.449; West Kentucky, 3sss;
Texas, I.5e0: Michigan Basin, G,iD0; Aebraska,
5000; Arkansas, 9.04s; Virginia, 1855: and North
Caiolina, 3lO. The great bulk Of the general
coal deposit is The common eoft or bltumiuous
coa thcexccption being the aenai~b;tuminouS, the
anthracite, and camel coal found largely III tic
k1nawha coal-ieIas Of West Virginia, pro-
nourccd by Prof Rogers tue nlost remarkable
deposit iu the United States. and estimated at
5000 tons Of coal-caurlel splint ana bitumi-
nous-to tue acre. But small proportion OF
the coal-tie!us in the United States have yet
bcon opered. and iu regard to
The poss1pI11 TIES OF EXHAUSTION
OF this s.eae natural fuel, Prot. Schaefer gives
the following figures in regard to the unthrnci.e
coal fields Of Pennsylvania Average total tAich-
ness of coal in the southern coal field. IS feet;
middle aud northern field. Is feet; total cubic
quantity. 26.3Gl, ,O76. 600 tons. Deduct half for
waste in mining, preparation aud faults. and
we have 13,ls0, 53S 0cD tons, sufficient to supply
over q. .0o0, 900 tons annually for $40 years to
come. very large proportion of the coal trade Of
Chicago Is supplied from these anthracite fields
which lie in mountainous district, out Of the
way uf the great trunk lines from the East to the
West, and the predictions OF WHICH must. there
fore. be moved over the roads especially con-
structed for the traffic As these roads a.e nj
most entirely dependent upon the carrying OF
coal for their maintenance, they have. for tue
purpose OF securing tonnage for tbelr lines,
gradually absorbed by purchase or lease. almost
the entire territory. Individual operators there
are, but these are so dependent upon the rail-
roads that the latter find it an easy task to con-
troll them.
Yne principal outlets north are the Lehigh
Valley, from Pittstoa 10 Wayerly; the Delaware.
Iackawanna l. Western, from Scranton to SYRIA
cuse and the Jefferson Branch Of tie Erie Raii-
way, from Carbondae to Sus4uehanna (as near
y all tho coal Carbondals is under the control
Of The Delaware i Hudson Canal Company,
This branch is practically their road). The North
ero Central also haula considerable coal under an
exclusive contract with 8Eessrs. Laugdon 4 Co.,
OF Ein,ira; aud the Philadelphia & Erie under |
au exclusive contract with Messrs. Lougstreet d |
Co., OF Erie F:on, one or the other OF these |
sources Chicago dealers must obtain their cup !
plies. Tho expenses Of handling ure |
60 great that they. find it cheaper |
to purchase at Buffalo. where the wholesale trade |
is concentrated in few hauds. At that Point the |
Delasnre. LacIlawaana Western, Delaware i |
I1u lson, and LauSdon l. Co. have united their |
business under the style OF the Anthracite Coal !
kssociation, and divide their sales pro rata. |
There are also Several firms ut that point who |
are active competitors of the Association. but |
prices are the same. Coal is 4lso shipped from |
E.le. Oswego. Fair Haven, aud Charlotte, but ]
tho cost to tue Chicago dealer i'd rhe fame from ]
any point.
i 1e coAl is mostly brought here in grain-yes- |
sells, 1T low ra:et. 4 few years ago lnrge pro-
portion came rs ha!Iast. but, al the demand in-
creased, VESSELS obtained consideration for car
tyiny in, which gradually increased, until last |
expenses for the round trip. This year, owing
20 various causes, the tonnage Was greatly re-
auced aud freights ruled very low until within
The last thirty days. F.
10 tho vessels hold. hoistcd out by horsepower
Jumped into q wkeeearrow, and wheeled back
into the Yards on ali elevated staging. This is &
eride way. aud very expensive, and it is mat
Ter cf Wonder that it should 50 long obtain.
Owing 10 the many landings which the coal
nuier.,ncs it is very dirty when it is fuslly
dumped i,to tie Dealers yard here, mud before
delivering to the purchaser must be ~ screened"
which process involves another expense to the
hoalcr, varTing according to tho refnae lost
From all this it will readily strike tho reader
that the dealer here has heavy expenses, which
must necessarily be added to the price OF coal
COAL IN OHIO.
DlHereut kinds Of Ohio coal arc also exteu- |
Hvely represented in the Chicag 20 trade. The coal
measures within this Stata. according to tue Coal
Trade Journal, occupy space or ls0 miles in
length ~ 80 III breadth. the area being bounded
by the Ohio River from Trumbuli County on tie |
aorth to the mouth OF the Sclota on the south
! he regularity in the dip, and tho moderate in-
cliaat1on Of the beds, afford faciiities to tho
miner hardly known elsewhere, while the policy
Of the State in limiting railroad freiglts 10 IL
cents ton per mile has done much |
to stimulate the industry Of production-
p1of. J. $. Ncwbnry. State Geoiogist. d,y;ies
the Goals Of Ohio into thee cjasscs -
first. tho dry, open-buruiug, or furnace
Goals; second, cementing or coking Goals: ttird
canncl Goals. The first. popularity known as
block coal, includes those that do not cake md
adhere III the furnace, and are such IS NAV be-
nseo III the raw state for the manufacture at |
Ion. i The second embraces tue bulk of the pro-
aat., are Of the ordinary coklng, bituminous
A.nas, which, to q greater or less degree, melt
na =; agelu'luate by heat. Tha third variety cou-
eAets OF cannel cQAls t3esrr;had a1savaro r.; +h;, |