Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-02-19

WEST VIRGINIA Coal
! Is Making some of the Pittsburg opera'-
ors squeal Out Loud.

Is Making some of the Pittsburg Operat-
ors squeai Gut Loud.
Yesterdays Plttsburg Dispatch con.
tanned an interview with coal OPERATOR
who said:-
THE West Virginia operators are
playing the deuce with Pittsourg oper-
ators who ship to Lake Erie, aud the
only thing that will prevent disaster
will be a reduction in freight Of 20 cents
a ton by the Pennsylvania Company
Freight charge must come down from
90 to 20 cents. or Pitts6urg operators
will be obliged to give up the lake trade
A very slight knowledge OF arithmetic,
added to ordinary intelligence ana com
mon sense. will explain how IL Is tnas
the operators in the West Virginia fields
near Morrantown and bordering on this
State, including such powerful capita,
lists as Senators Davis and Camden ana
Secretary Elkins, can get away, hahas
down, with Pittsburg coal.
"In the first place, Plttsourg cosi
costs the owners from 500 to sS0O an
acre, while West Virginia coal costs gu
an acre. Secondly, Pittsburg operators
must pay 70 cents a ton for mining,
while West Virginia operators pay So
cents ton, and at that price their MI
pers can make as much money as Pltts-
burg miners. Thirdly, Pittsburg coai
veins are but four feet thick, while
these West Virginia veins are seven to
ten feet thick. Fourthly, IL costs as
much in the way OF machinery 10 run
| four-foot vein as IL does ten-foot Veih'
and entry ways cost Us much In develop
ing four-foot vein as In ten-loo1
vein.
at REQUIRES as much work on the part
of a miner to cut under a 4-foot vein
preparatory TO dropping his coal as TO
do the same thing under l0.foot vein.
A 4-ioot vein Yields 1000 tons TO the
acre. while these West Virginia mines
Welded from 1000 20 10000 tons. Final
ly when the mines are worked out your
tiuples and other machinery necessary
to abandon has put out double the
amouut OF coal in West Virginia as In
Plttsburg territory. Pittsburg coal
costs the operator in some cases 10 cents
ton, while the West Virginia operator
at $50 an acre gets 1t Tor quarter OF
cent ton.
"Now all these things taken together
enable the West Virginia operator TO
Law down coal in Cleveland ut SLIT per
ton, coal over n 24-inch screen, and,
taking freight into consideration, he
can compete TO an extent that leaves
but s7% cents net for Plttsburg coal
over ak screen. As mining costs ~
cents and the coal 10 cents you see
there is loss OF ~ cents per ton In
competition with these West Virginia
people.
at is true that PIttsburg coal is supe-
rior for both gas and coke-making to
the West Virginia article. Coke can be
made OF the latter, but II Is OF poor
quality, but for making steam and heat
ing purposes generally IT is superior, at
the price at which 1t can be laid down
at the lake, to Pittsburg coal. As
said before, the Pennsylvania Company
might relieve US by reducing freight 2u
cents ton, but that is the only thing
that can save us, for the West Virginia
miner can make as much money mining
coal there at 80 cents ton, or even
less-he really gets but cent bushel
as the Pittsburg miner can at 10 cents
a ton, and II the latter be squeezed
| down to a lower rate OF compensation
the former will also be reduced to cor
respond"