New-York tribune., 1883-03-12
Total production OF
-. f,r G2O


Within this region, which is full of interest and
of economic Importance to Americans, is the great
northern coa-feld of Durham and Northumberland,
the oldest worked mines in England, as yet today
the most prolific This area comprising an exposed
coalGeld of 46O square miles and q concealed area
of 225 souare miles, possesses some OF the most
,mnortant coal seams worked III Great Britain. lhe
rivers Blythe TYNE and Wear naturally give their
names to the three great divisions OF the coa-heio.
AsviIl be seen by the little map which L nave
drawn TO accompany this letter, the Blythe coal
feld the Iyne coal-feld, and the Wear coa-heid
are really one, extending from near Warkworth' at
the mouth of the River COquet, on the nortn' 10
near the north bank of the Tees within SIX
miles of Barnard Castlel on the south-an eA'
panse of nearly fifty miles IN length by twenty
miles In breadth its greatest diameter beins near
the centre along the course Of the river Tyne. mar
rowing in the north after passing the river bytne'
From the Coquet, near WarkwOrth, to the r1ver
TYNE the North Sea limits the coal-feld to the
east To mine the 50 600 900 tons of coal annually
produced IN this distinct i'm 1880, $4,000 persons
were engaged, making an average of ahout one Ton
of coal per day for each man, or 300 tons year II
We include Sunday. or the $4,000 abont To'ooo
are employed under ground. Wages have huctnated
in the last twenty years NJ greatly ~ the price OF
coal which averaged in London coal markets In
1890 Iss. I'D. or 81 90 n ton to 3Os 0d. or
81 20 q ton In 1873. and gradually decreased until
the average price for the year 1880 was l4s lld.'
or about 50 20 ton. sliding scale has been
adopted by which the price per ton paid the men
varies W tn the market price-a maximum and min
imum rate being fixed SO great has been tho hue
tuatons that in the last decade both Of these rates
have been reached. According to the employers
information tho MINERS in 1870 were paid 4s. 81.
or I'll I2 day for an average output of 4.67 tons Of
coal and Is slid. In 1873, a fartbiDg more, Tor
an AYERS &c output of 402 tons being decrease of
/ @ per cent In the quantity Of work done for the
same wages Certain it is that the earnings IN ihls
dangerous and dsagrecable work do not exceed.
at the present time, 6s. or al 20 DAY
for a steady days work The available coal
remaining In this great Northern coal-held
IL estimated ct upward Il ten thousand million OF
TONS At the present rate OF production tie supply
will last 2s0y ears.
So much for the coal supply of this district. Now
for The Cleveland iron mines, which are inciudeh IN
the area am considering. The existence OF an ifoo
ore ON the northeastern coast OF Yorkshire appears TO
have been long known indeed the constant discoy-
ery of IRON Stag on the hl of Cleveland showa that
ores were worked IN remote antiquity. About
thirty wears ago local iron-nssteIs begAn 20 employ
! tho Cleveland ore to supplement the supply OF
o,,s 10 their furnaces. It answered well ami soon
IL was fonnd that the Cleveland Hills were full OF
,ron Then negan that remarkable development o
the district which reminds m0fe of the develop
,ncpt Of the udnstrial towns of the United states
than of ANYTHING in the history of British industry
| Prom a place Of 1000 people IN 1901, Middle
bor5uqh has in thirty years leaped TO 10000. and
the whole surrounding district - a marvel Of indus
trial energy. The area Of rho Cleveland Hills CO
tanning the deposits Of iron ores extend ola th'
northern escarpment from Ormesby near Middle
borough TO tho coast, and southorly 10 th'
F.kadaIe and Ros-dale valleys the workable
nortion If the ore being found most fully developed
| IN the northwest portion Of the area. diminish
! ing both in the thickness OF the beds aud
the quality of the in the south an'
eastern part of the area. Jhe growth Of .hs region
has been unparalleled Commencing with the year
! 1854 when returns of production irst appear
$50 900 tons of ronstone raised in the Cieyo
| land district Two years later II had increased
10 I1is4sS At home the development OF thu
Ia,e Snpcrior district is regarded as remarkable,
but the following table. which have compiled
| from A. r. Swinefords statistics of the Lake Su
pcrIor mines or for thS Cleveland mines from join
| Marley's Memoir on Cleveland lronstone. etc.
shows the magnitude and richness of the Cleveland
| uuI. even when compared with the Lake superior
! Iron Region: