Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1877-01-13

'"hAo 'hiHS, W IeuuCe tue Cost ol
imports to the home market. British
manufactured goods can be shipped at
very low rate. Of. freight to all those
countries which consume British coal,
and thus Lancashire makes two profits
on nearly every ton Of coal mined in
the Black Country A British ship
can take cargoes in Calcutta for the
return voyage at a much lower rate
than an American vessel, having al
ready earned part of the expenses
of the voyage by tho sale of coal
which was taken out for ballast. If,
to make the voyage profitable,
ship must receive $22 per ton for the
outward and return voyage to Bonn
bay or Calcutta, the British ship, hav-
ing realized $40 in freight upon her
ballast Of coal, is enabled to take the re-
turn cargo at $l2, whereas an American
ship, going out with worthless ballast,
would have to charge $22 per ton for
the return cargo or lose money.
But the coal business of Great Brit
ain helps to sustain the commercial
supremacy Of the Empire in still an
other way. Including the coasting
traffic in British coal, the marine
transportation of the products of the
British mines require 10000 vessels
of 400 tons each, in the course of
year. This simple fact makes the col
lier feet the back bone of the British
mercantile marine Ae has been
strongly said by contemporary "All
other srms Of the merchant servics
are recruited from this source, ev-
cry vessel wanting a cargo is sure
to find one at Newcastle, every sailor
out sf work is sure to find there occu-
patton. No wonder that an intelli-
gent Government has refused to dis
courage a branch of sxportetion which, |
without seriously enfeebling the in
dustrlal resources of tbs country, has |
contributed 50 nightly to its ascen-
dancy at sea, and TO the cheap trans
portation of its manufactured pro
ducts.
Here then, we have an illustration
of what Great Britain is doing with
its coal supply in these directions
where ~e can follow, initiate and
eventually supplant it, For the coal
suppl y Of Great Britain is extremely
and already the cost of raising
the carbon from the pits is beginning
to be counted as check upon con-
The total area of the coal
fields of Great Britain does not exceed
ii 500 square miles, the average depth
OF the workings is moro than 1000
feet, and it has been estimated by |
careful experts that, at the rate Of
production and consumption which
prevailed in lS66-67, the coal-stores
of Great Britain would be practically
in l60y But the con-
is enormously increasing
In 1854 the total quantity Of coal
mired in great Britain vas 100000 !
tons, of which 100000 tons were ex-
ported In 1866, the year in which
the Parliamentary Commission inves-
tigatsd the subject, there were lOl,-
O3O, ,544 tons mined and 9,053 ,22l tons
In 1875 the quantity
mined vas 1875 100000 tons, and the
expectation 14,475,036 tons. This
shows tremendous ratio of increase
"a, 100000 of tons in nine years, or
$500, 900 per annum.
The coal fields of the United States,
on the other hand, aggregate nearly |
100000 square miles, the seams are
numerous and of unusual thickness,
and the average depth of workings, |
taking the whole field over does not |
exceed fifty feet. The time must
speedily come, therefore, when the
American coal can lie mined and ship |
ped more cheaply than that Of Great
Britain and must accordingly supplant
it in all foreign markets,
The total output of the American
coal mines is about 5O,00O,O00 tons,
considerably less than one-haIf the
product of the British fields. We
import about half million tons and
export nearly the same quantity, 30
that tits production Of 5o,OOU,OUu
represents about our annual consump-
ton. Great b..lain consumes over
l00,00O,000 tons, Of which q ,OOO,OOu
are used in manufactures. The British
coal exported to South America ag
orepates O0O.UOO tons, whereas that