The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-06
The Coal Mines of the Future.


The installation during the present sum-
mer Of steam engines in the mines near
Pekin, probably inaugurates a new epoch
in the development Of the coal beds known
to exist in China We are led TO inquire
what the extent and character OF these
deposits really are and how decisive fac
tor they may one day constitute In the
productive industry OF the globe. On this
hitherto obscure subject the last few
months have happily furnished us with
reasonably full and precise data. How
soon, or by what agencies, native or for
eign, a vigorous and enlightened regime
may be secured TO China, remains, OF
course, q problem, but the notes of Count
KLEczKowsKr. formerly charge dafdires
for France at Pekin, and the personal ex-
plorations of Baron RIcHTHoFEN. enable
us to forecast the role for which natural
resources have qualified the Celestial En-
pire.
Ii appears that to the south Of the noun
tain chain, which separates the watershed
OF the Yang tse- kiang from that Of the yell
low river the coal formations are Of less
importance than on the north OF the divid-
ing line, yet they occupy vast areas. The
most extensive Of these deposits lies In the
southern province of Tetchuan, and is es-
timated by RICHTHoFEN to cover a surface
OF one hundred thousand square miles.
Throughout this basin, which is environed
by high mountains, the feeders Of the
Yang-t kIang have cut deep cafons where
the beds OF coal crop out, and are easily
turned TO account, the greater part Of
hot ax,u ha
OF the mineral stores accumulated in this
region lie no less varied than in Pennsyl-
vania, the northern and western districts
producing q good bituminous variety,
which is replaced in the south and east by
an anthracite OF rather less than average
quality. Thus far no attempt has been
made TO forward these products to Shang-
hal, but for centuries the natives Of the
province have drawn their supplies of fuel
from this source. Still further 10 the south
in Yunnan, on the Burmese frontier, are
veins Of considerable size, which yield q
tolerable anthracite, and in their neigh
borho cd ores OF lead, copper, zinc. and tin
abound. According TO RICHTHoFEN, how
ever, all these deposits, like those OF India,
must be referred TO more modern forma-
ton than the true oal-beariug stratum.
The coal matrix proper 1rst appears in
the province OF Holman, whence the fleets
OF boats which enliven the Yang-tse-kiang
and its tributaries convey the combustibe
to Hankow, the great entrepot OF central
China. This BASIN, which expands along
both banks Of the Slang as far as the city
OF Siangtan, and embraces an area OF
twenty thousand square miles, is almost u
fac simile Of our Allegheny region, offer
ing in one quar- ter au admirable sort OF
anthracite, and elsewhere "A bituminous
mineral. The first grade OF the former va
Iiety is sold in Hankow for tive or six dol
lars ton, and the amount OF 1t extracted
in 1870 was about one hundred and Atty
thousand tons. We may mention that this
province furnishes the largest number of
mandarins 10 the empire, and that Its in
habitants, according to RIcHTHoFEN, are a
sturdy, hard-w orking, and intelligent race,
very hostile TO Europeans.
IL is in the north of China, in that coun-
try where land and water, roads, fields.
hills, and rivers arc all tinged with yell
low hue. that the widest and richest car
| bonlferous veins are found. Here seems
TO have primarily existed continuous
longitude from the desert OF Cobb to the
shores Of the Yellow Sea. The slow process
Of erosion and denudation has gradually
modified the contour Of the soil and made
deep breaches in this stupendous maya
zine; yet what remains OF II may vie in
amplitude with the aggregate OF our
American deposits, and by far the larger
portion Of its treasures belong to the veri-
| table coal formation.
The centre Of this mineral zone may be
fixed in the province OF Chansi, which also
happens to be the district OF China most
| fruitful III iron ores. The whole southern
half OF the province forms one coal bed
OF incredible richness, and nowhere could
the business OF extraction encounter more
favorable conditions. The carboniferous
| strata, where the mineral crops out in
huge and nearly horizontal layers are
| concentrated IN a homogeneous table land
embracing nifty thousand square miles
which reposos on floor OF limestone like
| wise horizontal, and is bounded on the cast
aud south by steep detcents, lending it the
aspect OF an isolated mass. This mountain
of coal, known from the most ancient
| times under the name OF Tai-hang chan,
| rises some TWO to three thousand feet above
the adjacent plains, and is itself surmount-
cd by a second terrace which reaches an al
ttude Of Fix thousand feet Both plateaus,
however, are scanned with profound cut
inRs to the bottom limestone, and in these
or the shailower gulies worn by water
courses the veins Of carbon bulge forth,
aud become accessible. Miners will appre-
cate the position Of these lodes when We
state that most Of them may be attack ed
by horizontal galleries, the faint inclina-
ton OF the strata insurng both natural
drainage and the employment OF tram
ways. We may add that a high ledge Of
gueiss, tho Hochan, splits the table land
into two wings, Of which the eastern yields
Gn anL,rAniLA Aud the western soft coal.