Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-02-21

a corresponding growth In the produe.
ton OF the best coke. and the Appala-
chan field alone supplies this. The
Bessemer ore comes nearly all from the
Lake Superior fields, which accounts
for the large percentage OF iron made ID
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois, whlch
are near enough to get the ore ana tne
fuel together, but which are so Jar
away as to shut out Southern cokes.
Very persistent efforts for the last ten
years throughout the United states
have failed TO discover any notable de-
posit OF Bessemer ore elsewhere. II Is
therefore improbable that any very i'm
portant iron Industry will be developed
in the South, owing to the lack Of
Bessemer ore, unless foreign ores are
admitted free. West Virginia, Virginia,
Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia would
all be materially benefited bY cheap
foreign ores to stimulate the production
Of Bessemer products on the coast, and
to mix with the native ores and increase
the value of their iron, which would
mean wider market for their iron and
greater demand for their fuels.
with the duty of, Spanish ores,
from the Bilboa district, where England
purchases most Of the ores used in her
great iron Industries, could be delivered
on our Atlantic coast at figures which
would induce the investment Of capital
in iron furnaces. According to a gov
eminent report there were 421, 712 tons
OF foreign ore imported to Baltimore
during the year ending June 30, 1892,
and used for the manufacture Of steel
rails. It was valued at S2.S0a ton. AS
suming that this was so per cent. me-
tallic iron, the two tons of ore required
TO make a ton OF iron would cost So. CO.
Coke from West Virginia, Virginia,
Tennessee, or Georgia, could be deliv-
cred anywhere on the coast at from
50 90 TO $500 a ton, and could be taken
from Alabama TO gulf points'at the same
price. BesSemer iron could therefore
be produced at many points on the Az
iantic coast at figures under $1,000 per
ton, which is less than Bessemer iron
has sold for in the largest producing
districts for the last three or four years.
al will welcome free coal as In no
wise injuring the coal trade OF the
United States, and as a possible means
of widening our coal markets, and am
most heartily in favor Of free iron ore as
Offering the most practical means OF
building up the South, establishing new
industries there, and providing much
wider markets for oUr'coals and cokes.
ANOTHER OPERATOR.
Capt w. n. Page, a member OF the
West Virginia Coal Exchange, and gem
ersl manager of the Gauley Mountain
Coal Co., at Ansted, Fayette county, is
outspOKen against the attitude Of many
OF the operators. That he knows his
business is evidenced by the fact that
his company is the only one on the New
or kanaWha river, with possibly one
exception, which has continued opera
tiOns steadily throughout the winter.
The output from this compauy's mines
for a single day last week was more
than 1000 tons.
Free coal" says he, can have no
possible effect upon our markets, aud
the tight against it is all brought about
by political and railroad influences. As
a matter OF policy, Ii might be we'll for
the Democrats TO leave small duty on
cOal-nOt that it would In the slightest
degree affect the producer or the prices
of cOal-but because, unless this IS
done, the ignorance OF many miners
may be taken advantage OF by Repu6li-
cans and they be persuaded TO believe
that the Democratic party is hostile 10
their interests. That, so far as / can
see, is the only danger we nave to fear
from free coal. And so far as the rail-
road influences are concerned, | believe
they are on the wrong track. Railroad
interests would not be affected in the
least by free coal, nor would there be
any changes in freight rates on account
OF it. The Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road and the operators along its lIue
have not half 10 fear from Nova Scotia
coal that they have from the Norfolk
and Western coal men. Nor is the n. q
w. ia as much danger FROM Nova Scotia
coal as it is from that along the c. d o.
Reports from the United States
Consul at Halifax show that the cost Of
Nova Scotia lump coal at the mine
averages about s.. 30 a ton. l wish we
could get half OF that for ours! Freight
rates for the last five years have
averaged Sl9O a ton 30 Boston. Run
OF mine coal costs S1.30 at the mine
or S.. 20 in Boston without any tariff.
We have been selling coal as cheap as
this for the last FIVE years and even
cheaper. But the Nova Scotia coal can
not be shipped to advantage because it
fires so easily, and there is constant
danger of spontaneous combustion when
any quantity OF il is shipped at one
tune. 1t will be readily seen that
West Virginia can undersell the Nova
Scotia coal even In New England and
with the duty OIL. However, 1t is not
necessary to undersell the Nova Scotia
coal 90 retain the New England mar
kets. In the most Of New England
the Nova Scotia coal would not be
used at any price. Nine-tenths OF the
soft coal which goes TO New England
goes for use on railroads, and the Nova
Scotia coal makes so much smoke and
dirt they would not use it at ALL"
Mr.. Page related to the REGISTER rep
resentative an incident la his own OK
perlence showing that car load OF a
certain kind OF coal which was shipped
by mistake with cleaner coal TO a New
England railroad company was ALSO
lutely rejected, and would not be ac-
cepted by the company at any price.
Nova Scotia coal" continued Capt.
Page, sis very much like the coal below
Richmond, some fifteen miles from the
sea coast Before the war 1t was mined
In largo quantities, but as soon as the
better Goals west of the mountains be-
came available, the sea0Oard mines
we're closed and have never been
operated siace. The coal was very high
in ash and was quite similar to Nova
Scotia coal
The present low prices of coal, "
.nid Can't para care not dine 10 The