Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-01-10

New York SUM-


New York Sun
We have often hsd occasion TO de-
noupce the w0rthlessness OF many OF
the volumes issued ~ great expense
from the government printing ONCE.
bat We are equally ready 70 welcome
the rare appearance Ut anything real
" valuable from the same source.
We are glad to Gay that some useful
and creditsble work has been done
by Mr.. Albert Williams, Jr.. in col.
lecting for the United States Geolog
ical Survey Ill the attainable data re-
latine TO the mineral resources Of our
country. Among the meritorious
features Of the cOmpilers method are
the wariness with which unverifiable
and perhaps interested statements are
Disseminated from authentic returns,
and the caution with which copjec-
tursl estimates are put forward in the
absence of exact statistics. Instruct
i've also are the comparisons made.
whenever they are practicable, be-
tween the output Of mineral sub
stances in the United States and the
yield Of similar products 10 other
countries.
The thoroughness Of the inquiries
instituted by Mr.. Williams IL well IL.
Illustrated by his exhaustive survey Of
our coal industry. The more impor-
tant results Of this Investigation may
be summed up il . few instances II
appears, for instance, that In 1882 the
totsl output Of coal In the United
States WAS In round figures, q. 000. 000
gross tens, OF which nearly 81 .0O0. 0O0
tons belonged to bituminous and
rather more than 81 ,000. 900 tons 10
anthracite varieties Of the mineral.
II We assume an average price oil
t1.25 per ton at the pit mouth for
bituminOus coal, the total spot value
Of this product would slighily exceed
go, O00, 900. OF course the sum paid
for coal BY the consumer was enor.
n,ously greater. the price OF anthra-
cite by the cargo In the New York
market during the year 1882 having
averaged 14.06. Here We should
note that frsm the shipments Of an.
thrscite and bituminOus coal during
the first six months Of 1883 Mr.. vii
liams computes that the whO.e pro.
duction Of the year will not surpast
by much more than one per cent. that
Of the preceding twelve months. II,
however, We look back TO 1870, We
shall observe On immense increase In
the volume Of deliveries, for In thai
year the yield Of al the coal mines IL
the United 6tstes-exclusive OF the
amount consumed ct or close to the
collierics, and which is supposed t.
form from 8 TO 8 per cent. Of the
whole product-was but $3.50, O0(
tons
Let us now avail ourselves of Mr..
Williams statistics 10 compare the
output of coal In the United States
with the quantities Of the same min
eral extracted from the mines Of other
countries 10 1881, the latest date fol
which trustworthy Information is &C
cessible. In the year named the az
gregate product OF the world-exclu
sive Of Italy, Sweden, Chile and Chi
na, from which returns are not forth
coming-was 500, 800. 600 gross tons.
To this total the coal fields Of Great
Britain, though their united area ID
less than 1900 square miles, con
tributed above 154, 700. 600 tons, or 4
little more than two-fifths. Next came
the United States with 20, 76O, 00(
tons, and II II To be remembered thai
our knewn coal area covers not lesi
than 1872, 900 square miles, withou,
taking into account the imperfectly
verified reports relating to Colorado
Montana, Wyoming, Dakota, Cali
fornia, Warrington. Oregon, Arizo
No, New Mexico and Utah. Thirt
in the list Of coal producers is Ger
many, whose stores Of this minera
have . surface Of not over 100 squar'
miles. Notwithstanding the Limited
field Of operations. the German min
ners turned out in 1851 upward o
81, SOC, 600 tons. France, with . Goa
superficies OF 1858 square miles. cen
forth lees than 20, 900, 900 tons, or ne
much more than Belgium ~, SOC. Co
tons), whose coal area does not ex
coed $40 square miles, or is not, Il
other words, . tenth greater than tn
anthracite district in Eastern Penn
sylvania. With Austria Hungary
which yielded 1000, 900 tons, VI
come to the end Of the great coz
purveyoss. Among the minor pro
ducers may be mentioned lndi
a, OOO. O0O), Russia e ,925, O0O), Aus
tralis q .775. OO0), Nova Scotia Il, 125,
OOO) and Spain goo, OOO).
The period ct which the British
coai 3sidA viIl IA exh au.ted haa heeI