The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-08-20

full time, and they are now putting coal
upon the market at the rate Of over half
million tons per week, but the demand is
fully up to the supply. The anthracite pro-
ductiou thus far this year is about three and
"ne-quarter millions of tons greater than for
The same time last year, but the market is
taking It all, and the August prices rule
steady, with very little evidence Of any cut
ting under the schedules. There has been
some difficulty reported about water trans
portation, which is causing an accumulation
of coal at the shipping ports but fthis did
not exist, there is no doubt that the compan-
les would dispose Of all their prod d1ction at
the present rate of output for an indefinite
period. 1t is complained at Port Richmond
that, while orders are plentiful, the stock on
the wharves accumulate from the scarcity
oil vessels TO carry II away. Last week the
cars landed $500 tons more than there was
shipped, although the weeks shipments
reached the large figure of 81 500 tons. On
Saturday the stock on the Port Richmond
wharves was l34,40O tons. This coal is
awaiting delivery mostly to the eastward.
The steam colliers are carrying away about
$4,000 tons month, but the sailing vessels
usually transport three times as much, and
they are scarce just now at Port Richmond.
The Southern lumber and phospato trades
and ice carrying from Maine are occupying
part of the fleet ordinarily relied upon for
coal transportation but this scarcity of ves-
sets, probably, will be only temporary, as
the prevailing freight of 81 rs per ton to
Boston, with quick loading, will quickly
induce the shippers to bring their schoon-
ers this way. If the sailing vessels
can get good freights for coal carrying
they will soon come into the Della.
ware in sufficient numbers 10 take all the
coal away that there is wharf room to land.
Despite the prevailing idea among people,
who do not know much about the shipping
interests of the country, there are plenty of
schooners aAoat, and their managers are al
ways on the lookout for the best freights.
This temporary overstocking Of the wharves
has produced a suggestion in some quarters
Tor three days temporary stoppage OF
work, so as TO reduce the supply, but the
proposal meet opposition. From the pres
ent outlook, and the TACT that the month of
August is half over, without anything being
done about stoppage, the prevailing opin-
ion in local circles is that there is no likeli-
hood Of there being stoppage. The ad-
vanced freIghts will soon cure any glut
caused by scarcity of vessels. This branch
OF the subject having been considerably dis
cussed recently, it has caused some of our
Philadelphia coal consumers to marvel ex-
ceedingly at phase OF our retail coal trade
that is somewhat puzzling. At retail here
we are paying s. so to Sc 25 per ton for
COAL 1t costs 81 rs per ton to get cool car
ried from this city to Boston yet the Boston
quotation for coal at retail is IS 75@$6 per
ton. Either they pay about ST. 90 too little
or we pay about 81 so too much, if these
quotations are correct. Some of the mys-
| teries of Drawbacks" on eastern shipments
are possibly responsible for this discrimina-
tion against US.
The Ledger recently contained a brief
summary IN its news columns of the census
report on the anthracite coal mining indus.
tries OF Pennsylvania, made by the special
agent, Mr.. Raphael Pumpelly. 1t appears,
IRON his compilation, that in The eight cuun-
ties reporting there were 273 separate estab.
lishments or colleries, with an average
yearly capacity Of las, ,34S tons of 1000
pounds. The aggregate merchantabIe pro-
duct for the year ending June LIST, 1880, was
nl
va lue, when delivered for transportation,
was 40,33l ,9Sl, the average value of the
coal per ton at place of shipment being
81 AZ. The maximum yearly capacity OF
the reporting cOlleries was 40,772,0O0 tons
and the excess OF this capacity over the
amount actually mined, when considered in
connection with the last few years and the
state of trade in 1880, affords another strong
indication of the wisdom and necessity Of
ludicious efforts to establish reasonable rela
tions between production and consumption.
AS compared with 1870 the out nut OF last
year shows an increase from 1896 ,257 tons
TO 27,433,329 tons, gain of 1873 per cent,
while the gross value increased only 525
per cent. The apparent fall III the average
price per ton ia from So 40 to 81 AZ, a re-
ductiOn much greater than can be fully ac-
counted for by the fluctuations in the cur
rency occasioned by the restoration of specie
payments. The number of acres of coal
lands reported as being attached, either di.
rectly or indirectly, to existing cOlleres was
| l64 1852, and their mineral value was estl
mated tO be $lO2,6l4 ,S44. This is exclusive
OF $3.50 acres Of non producing coal lands,
valued at $25, 1902 800, which is held in re-
serve by important companies OF the
l64,S52 acres retained as the coal lands 10
which the reports relate, 1852 are described
as having been worked over; but in nearly
all of these mines the lower seams remain,
and the land is, therefore, regarded as coal
producing The entire area of the anthra-
cite lands is estimated at 290, ,7Sl acres. The
total value OF the capital employed in an
thracite mining, including the value of the
worked lands, is estimated at $3.50, ,l6l 1886,
and the ratio of real estate TO total capital is
6S "a per cent. The plant is estimated at
26.5l per cent. OF the total capital, and the
ratio OF the working capacity TO the total
capacity is estimated at 5.l5 per cent. The
ratio of the value of the annual product TO
the total capital is 1886 per cent. The
average number of acres Of coal lands at
tached to a colliory is reported to be 604.
The average number of hands employed at
each colliery is $50, and the average amount
of wages paid yearly S79,4l4. The number
OF tons raised yearly per man, counting two
10 bhO was III Tue ldSl CELSIUS
year Asa A, a gain Of Al per cent. over $40.
The total number OF employees was 6S,239,
classified as follows: 10, ,5S5 miners, 47,4lO
laboreis, and ,244 as administrative force.
OF these employees 1894 were men en-
ployed above ground, SO 952 were men EN-
ployed below ground, 1881 were boys un-
der sixteen years Of age employed above
ground, and S,sO2 were boys under sixteen
years Of age employed below ground. OF
the total force 2s.7 per cent were miners
and 23 per cent. boys. The wages paid to
them were $2l $50, 1870, the average yearly
income of each man being 1859 Os. The
percentage of the year during which they
worked was 1869 percentage Of year lost by
stoppages, &c, was 1850, aud the percentage
of year lost in strikes O.72. As compared
with 1870 there was a marked reduction in
the percentage OF time lost in strikes The
number of boys employed above ground
alsO increased during the last ten years
much more rapidly than the number of
adult employers, the total increase being
from So ,SS2 in 1870 To 81, ,239 in 1880. Dur
ing the same period the average actual pro
duct per colliery increased from go 800 to