Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-11
PRlTCHARD, OF N. c.
ua Hasn't So Much to Say as Formerly
About Mckinley.
THE. PRODUCTION OF COAL
fHcts and Figures nv Regards Vir-
ginia-GcoIOgicaI survey Report
Diamond shoaI Light-IiSusc-Other
Washington Notes of Interest.

WASHINGTON Notes of Interest.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. July lo.-(spe-
.ial)-Senator Pritchard OF North Caro-
Ina, is here. but is very quiet on the
,ubject of politics. He doesn't have as
much to say as formerly about Governor
Mckinley for President, though he sun
insists that he believes in the high pro-
iectlve tariff principle. and this may be
construed 20 mean that he still clings
to the Ohio man. although most OF the
North Carolina Republicans are positive
that the Governor will get very few, If
any, delegates from the State.
II Senator Pritchard cares very much
,or good committee assignments when the
Senate IS reorganlzed, provided the Re
publlcans can make a combination TO that
end next winter. he Is not playing the
right sort Of policy in talking up Nc
kinney. Senator Allison. a popular Re-
publican. and a man of long service
and great influence, will have much to
BAY about the assignments. lie is can
sidate for the presidency. and Will he
pressed by the Iowa people for the nomi-
nation.
Advance proofs have been secured Of
the annual report Of the Geological sur
ycy on coal production in the United
States for the year 1894, the latest hgures
n the possession Of the government. The
facts and figures for Virginia are as fol-
lows:
Total product in 1894, !, 22s.O S3 short tons;
ypOt value, S@3.0ib.
THE VIRGINIA COAL FIELDS.
The bltuminous coal fields Of Virginia
may be divided into two prominent ar as,
he Richmond basin and the PocahOntas
field.
/. The Richmond basin embraces the
rounties Of Henrco. Chesterfield. Goocn-
iand. Powhatan. and Amelia, with traces
Of coal IN Hanover and Dinwiddie. inns
coal occurs in the Triassic formation and
Is OF the same geologic age as the Deep-'
River field OF North Carolina. The trst
yystcmatic coal mining I'm the United
States was carried on in this field. In ls22
nearly 5000 tons were produced here,
.welVe times the amount Of coal shipped
out OF the Pennsylvania anthracite region
n that year The maximum production
u the field was in 1898. when li2 1Si tons
II coal were shipped. At tn time the ear
Her volumes of Mineral Resources were
published mining in this field had gradu-
ally declined and no extensive op ratlons
were being carried on. In the past TWO
or three years, however. considerable at
tention has been given to these properties,
and operations on quite an extensive scale
are being prosecuted. Mines at Clayton
I'm Henrico county. and Midlothian, in
Chesterfield county, are working almost
continuously. The coal from the field
ranges from a bright black bituminous to
/ semi-anthracite and seems quite p0pu-
ar for domestic fuel in the city Of Ricn-
mond. the principal market. Some eX-
perimental coke has been made. and the
operators are now investigating the dilier-
tnt makes Of coke ovens with the idea OF
making coke 'on commercial scale ana
waving tn by-prOducts.
@ The Pocahontas field underlain by
the lower productive coal measures, eX-
tends over parts OF farewell. Russell,
buchanan, Dickinson, Wise. Scott, and
Lee counties The largest operations are
IN TaZewel county. and until 1872 pract-
rally all Of the product was from this
county. In 1882, however. the WISE
county deposits were opened up by the
extension through them OF the Ciinch-
River Division of the Norfolk and West
orn railroad. About 200 tons were mined
there during 1892 In the progress OF de-
Velopmcnt. The following year OS) Wise
rounty produced 1926 tons of coal, and
In 1884 over 100000 tons. The Pocahontas
field reaped a rich harvest in 1891 from
the strike In other regions, this one BE-
Ing exempted from the general order call
Ing out the miners. As a result, the
output from the neld increased from 1899
short tons 10 49, short tons. gain
Of nearly - per cent.
In addition to these fields there are
several outlying areas from the Appa-
lachian system, hut occurring i'm the
lowest Of the carboniferOus formations.
In Rockingham and Augusta counties
c0al-bcds have been known to exist for
many years. They are. however. not suf-
hclently persistent To be mined prOhtaby.
A triangular area running northeast and
southwest occurs along the Brush and
Price mountains, in Montgomery county.
and some coal is taken out here for local
consumption The coal is bltuminOus;
but on account OF the pressure to which
some Of 1t has been subjected II has
in places been hardened TO an appearance
of anthracite. but the motamOrphlsm has
not been complete enough TO authorize the
use OF the name of anthracite for 1t.
In Pulaski county occurs another isolated
area which is worked by the Bertha
Zinc and Mineral Company for its zinc
reduction works. Another long. narrow
field extends northwest and southwest
along the Holston Valley, In Washington,
Smyth. and Wythe counties. These are
not uiitIdltu AT lltStHt.
PRODUCTION.
As previously stated. the first coal
mined Systematically in the United States
was from the Richmond basin, In VIZ
ginia. As early as 1S22 the amount of coal
mined here was 4S.2l4 long tons. In 1872
li2,5SI long tons of coal were produced.
From 1873 10 1859 there is "A blank In the
records. In the latter year the product
was 6lN@ long tons, or 6s,2i9 snort tons.
The Tenth United States Census reported
an output Of 1903 short tons for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1880. All of the
above figures represent the output Of the
State obtained from the Richmond basin.
The output during 1852, 1881. and lsS? was
estimated at 10000 long tons, or ll2WJ
ehort tons, in each year, but this is an
estimate" merely. The development in
the Pocahontas Flat-Top coal-feld be
gan In the fan Of 1881, but owing to the
wet season OF 1882 and the lack OF trans
portation facilities until the New-Riyer
Division OF the Norfolk and Western rail
road was completed in 1883. the first car
load OF coal was not shipped until the
latter year. From 1855 the production of
this field has grown to enormous proper
lions. the output in 1894 INCLUDING Nc
pOweli and Mercer counties. w. Va, and
Tazewell and Wise counties, Na) reach
ing 1889. 156 short tons. Four fifths OF
this product, however was from TIE dis
tricts north Of the Bluestone river, in
West Virginia; but the output OF Nir-
ginia alone In this region in 1894 was
1l5S 49, short tons. This was an in
crease of nearly $4,000 tons over 1898, and
was due 10 this region being unaffected
by the strike. which paraiyzed the indus
try in competing fields. Notwthstand-
d., THE gp,,aaSst activity. due tn causes