The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-08-18
Our Coal-prcducing District.

The important position occuPi0" W
the State of Maryland among the
coal-producing districts of the coun-
try has, perhaps, been greatly under
estimated from time to time. The
carriers of its rich deposits know pest
how great her productions are, but
beyond that it is highly probable that
but few of her citizens know how
much wealth she possesses in That
| line, Mr.. Albert Williams, Jr., chlef
of the division of mining statistics
and technology of the United States
Geological Survey, has in the press a
valuable work on the mineral depos-
its of the county. There is mention
made of Maryland's mica, kaolin and
I other valuable deposits, but 1t is her
coal that attracts the greatest atten-
tion on the part of the student,
the specuiator and the average
citizen as well. The total coal pro-
duct of Maryland during the past for
ty years has been more than forty
three millions of tons. The great
bulk of this comes, of course, from
the Cumberland Georges Creek
field in AIlegany county. These
fields supply an important proportion
of the semi -bituminous coal that
reaches the sea board markets. EX-
perts say the Georges Creek coal is
of very superior quality. The vein
worked is said to be fourteen feet in
thickness but, owing to the insecur-
ity of the roof, the full extent is very
seldom taken out. The entire length
of this coal field is from fifty to sixty
miles-from the head waters of
Georges Creek, near FrOstburg, about
fifteen miles northeast of Piedmont,
to those of the north branch of the
Potomac, some thirty miles to the
northeast. The width Of this valley
averages six miles from OutcrOp to
OutcrOp of the lower seams of coal.
The total thickness OF the cOal-cOn-
tanning strata is about l 400 feet, but
this thickness does not pervade the
entire era, as to the south of the Pied
mont and Bloomington the yield has
ben greater, and it only few inso-
lated hills that contain the upper
seams of coal. In the entire thick
ness there are many seams Of coal,
but there are only five or six Of
thickness of three feet or over. The
coal from the smaller veins will
hardly come into use to any great ex-
tent while that from the larger veins
continues TO he offered at so low a
rate as at present. The outlets for
this product are, of course, the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad, the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, and Pennsyl-
vania State Line railroad, The Bal
timOre and Ohio began to carry this
coal rs early as 1842, and the canal
company began eight years later, and
it is quite interesting to. know that
the canal has thus far carried about
half as much as the railroad. Tie
total carriage by the Pennsylvania
road has not been much over a mil
lion and half tons. The total Mary
land coal shipm 9nts ten years ago
were nearly as large as they are to-
day. During the first six months of
the present year work has been car
ried on steadily. The contracting
season opened late, and the competi-
tion with other districts was active
and bitter, so that the prices were re-
duced to a low figure. Thus far this
year the tonnage has been consider
ably larger than last, owing to the
strike OF last summer, and there is a
good prospect for yield above the
average for ten years.