The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-16
BLACK DIAMOND B0NANZAS
the RICHES HIDDEN Nv PENNSYL-
V1NId'S MOUNTAINS.

the RICHES HIDDEN Nv PENNSYL-
V1NI1'S MOUNTIIhS.
Coal Esoueb TO Pay tho National Debt Five
1ime- Over Wealth surcr than silver
Mines The Danger Of Life UNDERGROUND.
Coal. owing to its great value, is some
times called the black diamond. 1t keeps
us warm in winter. aud cooks our meals all tho
year around. 1t enters into the manufacture OF
iron, and creates Tho steam which drives the
spindles OF our factories. and there Is to-day
scarcely industry that does not require II
more or less directly ~ very useful adjunct. IL
has given a wonderfunmpulso to commerce and
navigation. and has made possible the great
iron highways that now grid our continent and
permeate every scction Of the world.
That In this as well az the many other sources
of wealth the Creator Of the universe has been
lavish to us, Ia evidenced by comparison OF the
coal areas OF the various countries, ut least 40
far as thoy are known now. Tho coal fields OF
the United states comprise $4,000 square miles,
those OF Nova Scotia 1900 square miles, while
the coal area Of Great Britain Is but II 200 square
miles. The other countries having coal deposits
Souers ,r1ssI SQUARE ,n1ss.
France ....,..... 1880 Austra.......'....... 1870
nelgium.. 300 spain .............. aVoo
Prussia ............... 1,bOOl
Chill, Australia, India, CHINA. &C. 5000.
1t will here be seen that the United States
possess nearly threo-fourths OF the entire coal
folds % the world, from which are furnished
only 20 per cent. Of the total product while
England, with It's 1l,9O square miles. furnishes
b3.4 PER cent. OF the wOrius production. The
annual production OF Great Bril- ain Il about 10.
OOO,Op0 tons. while that OF the United States WAS
50.JE IT'S tons last wear. or this quantity Penn
sylvania alone produced 86.A7Ol5 tons from coai
fields comprising R,7ii square miles. and Of this
amount about 1900 0OO tons were from the an
thracite regions, which nave n coal area OF hut
Az square miles. Now, II seems incredible that
80 large a quantity, forming, Us II does, nearly
one half OF the product OF the country. SHOULD
come from this small patch OF only Az square
miles. or about the 4UIth part OF the coal helds
wealthy region IL Is my purpose TO speak. leaving
TO abler hands the task OF describing the other
sections whence we expect ~ derive an inex-
hausube supply Of the valuable article.
TIKI DISCOVERY or ANTHRACITE.
Singular as II may appear. II is known that an
thracite, the most valuable Of all Goals, YVES Tho
first 10 be discovered. The first coal mined was
Lehi,h, which In turn Is tine Desi Of the anthra-
cite variety. Concerning the manner of tho
original discovery there Is vet some dispu o.
purely accidental. nor did the discoveries and
original projectors OF nfty-six years agp ever
dream OF tito gigantic growth Of the Industry
they were developing. The Az square miles I
anthracite coal helds, comprising SR,VSO acres,
are scattered through the counties Of Sehuyl-
bis. ana Dauphin, In the State Of Pennsylvania.
Nowhere eisc on the globe can be found any
coal f1usl IN QuAltN 10 TINS. Inc Narltttod most
IN use are this anthracite, the nituminous and
semi-nituminous. the former taking rank above
all others for the variety Of usos to which II may
he pat. and distinguished for Its cleanliness
bOth In its handling and burning.
Although, as before stated. the total area Of
the anthracite COL Fields ~ but i12 square miles,
some idea may he formed OF its inexhaustble-
ness by tile fact that ut Summit linl Carbon
county, $4,000 tons of coal we Q taken from ten
acres, when the mine was abandoned owing to a
IRE. Hence the coal seams we're not fully ex-
hAusted, ana II this rate Of production Is taken
A. IA hold IN
that there are slowed away Ia this coal field
twenty 1--we thousand six hundred ana seventy
six millions, eight bundled thousand (2jG16,-
$4,000 tons, which ut tho present rate Of pro-
duction OF 2.01,OOO tons, would hold out for
l.l11 years. Certainly fair prospect for n con-
tinuod supply. Allowing Tor the ordinary IN
crease OF consumption however, II will readily
be seeu thnt the supply will run out many years
prtyious to the year 2pa6, reckoning from the
commencement OF the trade-ls.O. Yet m any
generations ~ come viii continue To be blessed
with this useful article; Tho great shaft Of the
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Com
pany. which has been sunk to depth Of 1859
feet from the surface TO the great nam
moth coal vein, which attains thickness
Of y Ct in that distarce passed through no less
than Is coal seams, OF which six are work.
able aud hayo an average thickness together
Of "a feet. Even then there are number Of
coal seams underlying these. which viii be
open d u he future, and this mine alone Is e.
tmated TO furnish future supply u over on .
hundred = u ions of tons OF coal from the seams
already OPENED, and perhaps an equal quantity
from the Underlying ones.
ENORMOUS WEALTH uSMrSEp.
The total production Of anthracite since tho
Opening Of the trade in 1870 Is ~, ,OOi,y1 tons,
leaving no less than 2551y.1yj,Ui, tons still un-
mined The most sanguino persons Interested
in tho trade count ON an average annual III
crease OF consumption OF two million tons.
should this estimate hold good. tho total pro-
dlctiDn up to our second Centennial year Will be
l2,ouOVOJ.uOJ Cons, which Is 81 rcely one-hali Of
tho quantity siiIl IN the ground az the present
time ana the total supply as estimated above
would be exhausted IN tue Year 2SO
Hut these estimates are liable TO he modified
by two causes; Late discoveries ana surveys
lead ~ the BELIEF that tue coal area Ia really
measures already lately discovered hrng the
total area no 70 about 5l0 square miles. The
mean average thickness OF the coal measures
throughout this territory 10 ~ feet, reaching IN
odd places lOO feet. ana In others less tn II 10.
The aforementioned product of SI,OO tons per
acre Is. 100, 10y 10 means the limit. or even The
average. The total anthracite coal area bring
JJO square miles, or J,u.sN acres, 40 an average
Thickness OF 70 feet viii show US 36.1is $50 OOO
cubic yards Of solid coal. Each cubic yard VIII
Yield 2.siO pounds, or fun ton. Allowing
20 per cent. for waste IN mining nnd preparing
Tor market. we have sill so.glO $4,000 tons left.
Deduct from this the amount already named,
and we have stili LEFT IN the ground %.63.SE,0T
tons fr future production, promising to hOlu
out until our third Centennial, Il not longer.
from its start IN $50, and note It's progress n
that year the Lehign region was first opened. its
production being Sd5 tons In lssl It PRODUCED
lU13 tons. Ia 1872 the Schuyklll region was
opened. furnishing l,4Sl tons OF the total pro-
due OF $3.50 tons Inc productions Of the Two
regions N the years following wero;
1873. 0,05i tons iSlG ........ as.Of7 tons
1874. ........ los to 3.i3i tons
1895. 3is0J tons is2s 1913 tons
In 1899 the Wyoming region was opened. aud
hencefOrth the production increased Us follows
1893 ...... ll2 Os3 tons 1884 1913 OO tons
1880. 1i7a tons lbt ..u, 7h tons
1881 $50 tons sJb Isl III tons
1882 1888 A7l tons Nf7 St AL tons
1888. 1913 tons 1888 OJ7 tons
Deer ease.
In 1879 the Northumhe rland region was opened.
Tho trade progressed as follows the dec de
ftom 1889 10 1879 both inclusive, shows "A pro-
ducton of l9,T5s,5il tons: That cndinV IN 1859
5S,SBAG9 tons; that ending in 1863 lo6sSj4s5,
and Tor the half decade. enling with the year
1870, the production ~ larger than that for the
whole oil tue preceding dec de- It being l0i ys4,-