The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-02

estimates been made about the dura-
tion Of the fields, bot they are gener-
ally absurd. The State geological
survey has not progressed sufficiently
TO enable even the semblance Of an e.
innate TO be made with any degree Of
certainty. The Panther Greek basin,
which only covers about one fortieth
Of ths entire area Of the coal teid, is
the only locality where any measure
ments have been computed by the sur
yey, as 10 the amount Of coal taken
out or that which still remains 70 be
mined. IL has been claimed by one
prominent mAn-and his figures do
not bear him out In his Estimation
that the eoal.held: will last one thOus-
and years, but it will easily be seen
that the statement IL perfectly absurd.
Another Hays Il will last one hundred
and seyenty-five years. Mr.. Sheafer,
& prominent geOlOgist. states that the
field still contains about twenty-five
billion tons Of coal. Up to January
LIST, 1888, Il IL estimated that the tOtsl
amount produced since the early days
Of coal mining Is COS. .3S3. .695 tons. IL
has been generally thought that but
one third Of the coal contained has
been consumed as fuel so that up to
the date mentioned an area had been
exhausted which originally contained
about 500, 900, 600 tens; . 500, 900, :
600 tons remaining untouched. IL
this same proportion Of production to
original content be applied 10 that
which still remains, about eight bill
lions OF tons would represent the pos
sible future production. In 1870 there
was shipped from the regions Is, 1872
lSl tons, and ten years lateF-lSSO-
the number Of tons shipped was q, :
4S7, ,242. Last year there was produced
throughout the region 81 PSI, ,0G6 tons
II this production should remain con-
slant for all future time the field
would be exhausted in about three
hundred years but such a conclusion
is untenable for It Is annually in
creasing at a rapid rate. BY the fig
ures above given IL Is estimated pretty
closely that the coal will neatly all be
mined about the year 2i25. But the
abrupt exhaustion of the coal fields IL
q practical impOssibiiity, nor is Il rea-
sOnable TO suppose that IL on an aver
age for every ton Of coal won there are
two lost, that this will be the practice
in future mining.
The geological survey sunGer prog
ress at the instance Of the State au-
thOrities has already i'm its possession
many valuable facts that will throw
great light upon this subject, and
when the work is completed the ques-
ton OF the ultimate exhaustion OF the
anthracite coal will become more
practical, and very correct statements
can be made as TO how long the coal
will really last. The Anthracite Coal
Combination distributed in 1852, TO
Pennsylvania, New York and New
Jersey, l9, ,957 600 tons the New Eng
land States, 5.O64 900 tons Western
States, 2,2l3, 600 tons; Southern States
including Delaware, Maryland, and
the District OF Columbia. 1,l6s, 600
tons; Pacific coast, 49, 900 tons; Do
miniOn Of Canada. $4,000 tons (;
FOreigR ports, 5000 tons. Total
number Of tons, ., 1900.
Coal operatOrE generally think that
by the end Of this century the yield
annually Of coal viii be fully one
hundred millions Of tons, and that
more than one million five hundred
Thousand persons will be dependent
upon this one Industry for q means of
would be very much larger il the con-
sumption Of wood vas reduced. In
1850, according TO the census, the
amount OF wood burned In the United
States was 145, ,77S,137 cords. Even
Pennsylvania, with her vast stores of
coal, consumed 1881 ,992 cords of
wood for domestic purposes alone, be-
sides the amount used IN the coke and
charcoal ovens. If wood should cease
To be a popular fuel the coal trade
would receive a tremendous boom,
and the time would soon come when
our coal mining operations would
equal those OF Great Britain.
Who will say that coal iSnOt King
in this great commonwealth IL has
brought an immense amount of for
elan capital into the State, and is still
doing so and will continue when you
ami /, reader, and our descendants
both lineal and collateral are for
gotten. Yours truly,
II. &. MERRILL.