Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-08-11
THE COAL OUTPUT.
Statistics Compiled by the Bureau
Of Industrial Affairs.

It would really seem as though the mineral
resources Of Pennsylvania were practically
exhaustless Every year more and more coal
and iron are taken out of its hiilsides and val
leys and yet there seems to be no serious
dimnution in the supply of the precious pro-
ducts.
The annual statement of the Bureau OF In
dustrial Affairs Of Pennsylvania, giving Sta
tistics concerning the coal production OF the
State for the year 1887, is just out, and IL
furnishes q good deal of interesting and IN
structiye information. Tie report has
been summarized by Editor Saward. OF the
Coil Trade Journal, the leading authority
of the trade in the United States. 1t is
work that only an expert could have salts:
factorily undertaken, and conveys much OF
interest TO the statistician and economlsC.
The compilation first gives the returns from
tie six anthracite coal districts OF Pennsyl-
vania for the year 1887.
The coal mined in this region during the
twelve months Of last year, as shown by the
official figures, was 35,207, III tons, OF winch
amount there was used i'll and about the mines
3 Ol5 oi4 tons This was sold to employees or
used in making steam power for raising coai
from the mines to the surface. of the ground,
and in preparing it for market. The com
merciai" coal--that which one sees recorded
from week to WEEKS put at over 81, 0oU,O0o
gross tons for the year, by far the largest
output ever known.
The number of employees in and about the
Pennsylvania anthracite mines last year was
nearly 100 GO-to be exact, IS, $40. The ma
iorty of these we're employed in the prepa-
ration of the coal after it was mined, the
number of actual miners and their helpers
being $. O93. 7 he number of fatal accidents
among the miners was ZIG, and OF non-latal
accidents 943. The fatalities were, as is al
ways The case, much more numerous IMAM
in iH btumnous coal districts of the State.
Grhpowder is largely used in the s "a coal
rlincs of Pennsylvania III breaking way
through to and in the seams OF coal. DIX
hundred and ninety-three thousand eight nun,
dred and twenty nine kegs of it were used
last year.
The number of days on which the men en-
poyed about the mines worked during the
wear averaged only about two hundred ana
fifteen. 1t was the exception where any col
Iiery in the entire anthracite district kept its
men at work during as mahy as two hundred
and forty days.
There are six hundred mines or pits in the
soft OF btumnous coal districts OF Pennsyl-
vnnia. They are, in the main, merely drifts
into the hillside, and the cost of loading Their
product into railway cars. or, as IN the MO VIC,
nongnhela pits, into boats and barges IS small
The number of persons employed INSIDE the
min, il 81, 0S9 and outside l0.I3.
Fatal accidents among the miners, how
ever. only footed up eighty -four during the
year, and the number of nonfatal accidents
was but 2;1, favorable showing as com
pared with the record in the anthracite fields.
All the districts do not report the average
number of days OF work during the year, but
an average OF the returns received gives III.
which is probably not far from the average
for the entire district
The total output of soft coal for the year yea
was g.. S5i tons. of which amount o,9z9r>
3342 tons was made into coke.
The average value of the coal, loaded on
cars at the mine, and in the crude state, was
! about 81 25 per ton. The value OF the COKE
] is set down at Sl.75 per ton ut the ovens.
4, The wages paid for mining averaged about
forty-iive cents per net ton.
| The largest tonnage of the region is credit;
J ed to the Clearield district. in Centre anc
Z, ClearfeM counties, where the output OF coal
during the year was nearly five million net
tons