The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-04
TIE SOUrH'S COAL
The Inexha ustible Supply Of Our Coal
Fields.


The Inexha ustible Supply Of Our Coal
Fields.
From the Baltimore Manufacturers Record.
The entire coal area Of Great Britain COW
cred II, 800 square miles, while West Vir-
ginia alone has 5000 square miles Of coal
fields; Alabama, 10, $50 square miles; Ken
lucky, nearly 1900; Tennessee, 500;
Arkansas, over 5000, and Texas estimated
at over 80 900 square miles. Moreover, the
coal is easily and chesply mined, and is, as
to much Of it, of the best quality Some idea
OF how near inexhaustlble are the coal beds
OF the south may be gained from few sta
tstlcs regarding the Warrior coal fields Of
alabama, wnicn is simply one of the coal
neids OF one state. Regarding the extern
slVe Warrior field Prof. Henry McCalley,
IN his late geological report, SAYS that il
contains about 1880 square miles, a d is
ABOUT two-thirds as large as the entire coal
territory Of Great Britain. Its coal meas
nres are over 5000 feet thick, contai ling
% seams of coal, being from a few inches
10 IA feet thick, having a combined thick
ness of over 125 feet of pure coal.
/ is estimated that they contain not less
than l13, ll9. 100000 tons, of which about
lUo,oJ4, OUO, 900 tons would be available.
Nowhere else, so far as is known, are the
coal fields SO admirably located il relation
TO iron ore, to the best markets. and as re
CARDS the ease and cheapness of Mining, as
IN the south. The mineral belt, which ex-
tends from Wheeling, W. Va, to North
Alabama, has greater undeveloped wealth
ana greater combination of advantages
and possibilities of development than any
other area of equal extent in the world.
AS rapid as has been the expansion of the
COal-ninincr fnA1Stru Of thfS ;e
but IN its incipiency, and of very small
proportions compared with what will be
seen within the next i've or ten years. In
1882 the south produced 6569, 3l6 tons Of
coal, and in 1888, 1901 go, aud the output
for 1889 will probably be at least %, 000, 900
tons, and before the end of 1890 the south
Will be producing at the rate of $4,000, 90
or more year. Or, in other words, be-
tween the taking of the census Of 1880 and
that OF 1890 the output of sout fern coal
mines will have more than quadrupled, and
every year will then show continued gains
as to the development of this territory which
is but yet in his infancy. In Southwest
virginia, in West Virginia, and in 5 )uth-
overwhelmingly the abundance of cook
ing Goals of superior quality has caused an
almost unprecedented activity in tie Mining
and scoAe making interests of that section.
Some idea of the extent of
the operations that are being carried on in
this district may be gained from tue fact
that the American Association Qimited)
which owns about CO., 900 acres Of coal lands
in the neighborhood of tie new town of
Middlesborough, KY, has within the last
twelve months made leases of coal proper
ties for mining to fourteen different operat-
ors. 1t is estimated that these mines alone
will put out 100000 tons of coal within
eighteen months. Many new mines besides
these on the American associations lands
are being opened in the same part of Ken
lucky, and in Virginia and West Virginia
there is similar activity. In Alabama the
demand for coal exceeds the output, not
outstanding the rapid Increase il the pro-
duction, and extensive arrangements are in
progress for increasing the capacity of
mines now in operation and for opening
new mines.