, 1880-01-01
COAL.

LIE Sl.ASON QF lotV
saw tho lowest prices for coal tllut ever were
known, anthracite selling Si.00 per ton below
the cheapest rates for 1878 To tho producer
It was year Of very small returns, or no
returns at all, mining during Mluch of
an actunt loss, but tn tie retailers
1t proved to be the most profitable
year that tlley have experienced since 1872.
During tha summer months the profits COLL
parnttvcly were small, hard conl selling ut
s4.225@4.50, Eric Mt s.. 90, and Illinois Mt
$500 per ion, delivered. These were the re-
tnIl prices 10 sn,nll CONSUMERS. In largc
blocks anthracite sold as lnw as 100, Erlnnt
s4.D, md Illinois at Sa.75. Since tho middle
Of August: l.owcyer, there was nil nd
vance ,, OF 5octasi:n per tor lfurtler = a'ong og
LEO. Tho closo of July saw tho Eastern
output !" had been from 501to per cent
greater than, III 1875 anu. prices at tho
'asy beow m e eost aGs e Ssf at wp pG1 asr
stocks on hand aild only n restricted demand
from the trade or from manufacturers, tho
situation. was gloomy one. With tho gen-
srn EHXvni II fnnfneirng in.ustIIss =.
August. the coal market bcgan to look up,
ntltl tho Inst four months Of the yenr saw.n
advance ln prices. II tho eonl companies d',
that Will glvo nn Instant check 70 tlo tendcn:
ctes now 50 full Of promise, tho improved
stnto Of things now In progress may. con.
tinne. Any further nlatcrLnl advance Ill the
p!!lso Of caal VIII certainly lead to strikes far
tho iroll-warkers, an!! should those strikrs!
le successful similar movements will
follow In aIl branches Gf manufactures,
which would prove q serious check t0 tho
rms t11a ef C+1nu IN
this nlarket lave largely exceeded those for
aliy former ycnr, tlle lhorelsa being tho most
Markcd IN anthracite coal, Which Is every
year coming Int0 moro general use >nn nc
%i soft g ~ sda sas'yp aS fSeas@f Sses Il sf sst Il
handle. Tho bulk OF tic hard conl llanllle.t
here still comes BY lake: not t1,at that [s tho
cheaper e Eo',te,-fnr coal ca,, now ho laid
mt f,irnIsll sufficient cigllt~luo,l. Chicago
lias sohl moro coal to tho country than In
my prey!o,s yenr, considerable. puantles go,
tns 10 Mlclli'Ean, M''!nssota, WISCONSIN. md
From tho beginning ut the JeNr down to
Muy
I1.IcEs WE'RE: srEAnY
nt so $50 for anthracite aud ut $3.50 for
Eric. Then tllgre Was 2 drop to Sa;M III the
tlera WIN an advance Of si.Oo per ion. Latter
there. were further ADVANCES, md tho ycnr
closed with anthrncite selling ut Sd.5o@7 100,
Erie Mt s7.00, md Wilmington 1t S4,O0. Fur
the first tlmo ll the history of the trnue ull
sizes Ut harh coal hnv0 sold ut n uniform
price, Nut, which WAS formerly quoted from
35g75o per ton cheaper tlInR thD larger slzes,
Is now In no nctivo denlusltt-0wlng to TIC
very general use Of self-fectllng stNvpa-thnt
our dealers arc barely fltj3p to get adequate
supplies, mid thut particular size Is now
quoted boc per ton above the other sizes.
FREI0lrTs FlsoM BuFPALo
were much l.!gllor than fur the previous sea-
son, the lowest rate being 200 md the
highest sl.a5. Tho first charters were nt
d0c, hut OIL 1lay.7 tho rnta, declined To
lpc. From TINT tlate until July !. there was
q. gradual advance, the rntH, then being
6oc. 1t declined to 40c on Aug: q, n.l-
yanced to 200 Oh Aug. ., nl,a to TIC
during 9optelnfer. On Oct Is tho rntc had
reacled LOO, and on Nov. u S1.3t Tho aver
nge for the .Scnsnlt WAS nlMMt Wc. The
Invest rnto f0r the Henaon Ut 1878 was 25c
and thefighest aoc, With 85c about iii average.
THE TOTAL. PRODUCTION -
OF cpnl In tho United States for 1873 has been
estimated at 10, l3o. 687 tons, Of which amount
l!ttio more than q per cent of tho entire
was II, eo5, ,2tH tons. The total ior 1917 Is es-'
tiinaled at fully as O00, eco tons.
TlIu receipts allit shipments ut Chicago fur
the three years ma med wero as follows:
ngss;Sss,s, gs;s%sss,., @ssl 1slJ5slss JSls 1iSss fi&ss