The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-02

AS COMPARED TO WASHINGTON
every inhabitant of the United States,
if the figures of the eleventh census,
which gives the total population of the
country at 90, 622, 800 souls, be en-
plOyed for basis of calculation. Sup
pose we make a little computation Of
the size of a bin that would be required
to hold this enormous mass of coal On
an average one ton of coal occupies one
cubic yard, or ~ cubic feet, the product
of some mines being q little heavier than
that standard and some a little lighter.
On this basis the total consumption
of coal would amount to more than
1900, 900, 900 of cubic feet, or, to be
definite, 3, 373, 100, ST. 1t would take
bin 100 feet wide, 10 feet deep and al
most GAO miles long to hold it, Such
bin would extend from New York,
across the marshes and hills of New
Jersey, over the Delaware river into
Pennsy lvania, up the sides Of the Allie
ghany mountains and down into the
valleys to the Ohio line and on and on
over the broken country of the southern
part Of the state to Cincinnati. IF, in
stead of beginning the construction Of
the bin at New York, Chicago were
taken as the starting point, it would
reach across parts of Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky and Tennessee and away into
Georgia, the southern terminus being in
the neighborhood of Atlanta The cal
cuIations have been made on the basis
Of airline distances
If the coal, instead Of being piled in
an enormous bin as imagined, were
mined in one solid block and Set down
Oh plot half a mile square-two sec
tions'' OF Iand-it would be over 46S
feet high, within less than a hundred
I,1c no rs
ment. Set down in the city Of Washing
ton near the capitol, this big lump Of
ebon fuel would cover a very large por-
ton Of the business section of the fed
eral city and would tower far above the
famous rotunda.
Consum ption by States.
Nearly two-thirds of this enormous
block, or over so, 600, 600 of tons, would
be soft coal, the remainder, rising Of
Al, 600, 600, being anthracite Pennsyl-
vania consumes rather more than one
sixth of the whole annually, or more
than %, 500, 900 of tons. The Keystone
States production is Of course largely
in excess Of that amount. being almost
two-thirds of the whole, or over 81, OOO,
600 tons Illinois comes next in produc-
ton, her output being more than H.,
600, 600 tons, but New York ranks Hi
nois in consumption, the figures for the
western state being a shade under 13,
600, 600 tons-a little more than her
prOduction-While those for the Empire
State mount up to more than 16, 500,
600. New York is one Of the few states
that do not produce coal, the states and
territories that buy all they burn being
Arizona, Connecticut Delaware, Flor
ida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana Maine,
Massachusetts. Minnesota, Mississippi,
South Carolina, Vermont and Wiscon-
sin. Rhode Island is the only New Eng
land state that mines coal, and her out
put is insignificant. being only 2. 900
tons a year 1t viii surprise many read
ers to learn that she mines any
1t is often asked how long, at the
present enormous rate of consumption,
the coal mines OF the United States will
hold ont. The query viii be a serious
one-some time, but not soon The total
amount mined annually IS IA, 299, 513
tons. about I6, 600. 900 more than are
consumed within our boundaries, the
remainder of course, being exported
I have not at hand the figures wise men
have made representing the total amount
Of coal, both bituminous and anthracite,
That is stored away under the surface of
this country, but they say that, as near
~ as it can be figured. there We're IS,
900, 900, 600 tons of anthracite in 1920,
when it came into use Its consumption
was at first very slow, Of course.
Future Prospects.
During the first 10 years it amounted
TO no more than $50, 600 tons During
the next decade 1000, 600 tons went
When 80 years had rolled away, it is
estimated that fully %, GOO 600 tons had
been mined and burned. When the war
broke out IN 1860, about so, 600, 600 tons
had been consumed, and so far but a
mere start had been made on the re-
serve. With the war. however anthra-