Delaware gazette and state journal., 1897-06-03
Goal Supply Said to be Threat
ened With Extinction.
NO IMMEDIATE CAUSE FOR ALARM
Anthracite Trade Win Cease In
NextN25 Years.
a Vast Flood of Energy That Comes with
the sunlight Going TO Waste--The Power
of the Tides TO be used When the Con-
tents Of tho Mines Have Been Consumed.

tluNo uGCEDltu us lDT6CuSE us MERELY "a
Jest. Yet according TO certain scientific
predictions, that have been made re-
Gently there is more than a probability
that,the grim Jest will some day he
come,a sober reality SAYS the phiadel.
phia Inquirer. The basis of the pre-.
diction is the fact that the worlds sun.
ply Of coal is being rapidly exhausted,
il being declared on high engineering
authority that with the exhaustion
OF its coal not only will the power and
Influence of nation decline but even
it's existence will be imperied. ="
Coal, it is urged, is the foundation
stone, SO to speak, of modern civiiza
tim. Eliminate coal from the world
to-day and what would become OF our
civilization morrow? Nearly all our
factories would cease to work; our
ships would lie helpless on the seas
our railwaysystam would become mere
avenues for the creeping traffic of horse
cars Ina word chaos would superyene
in our iprasent social structure. But
what Of electricity, what of compressed
air, what Of gas as fuel, you say. All
these. as at present utilized, are but
products OF the consumption OF coal,
and aa the case stands to-day il needs
no practical reservation that the work
of mankind is done by the energy
which is stored in coal ami which is
liberated and made available when coal
is burned.
The great civilizations have grown
up exclusively in regions where coal is
found or can readily be TRANSPORTED by
stoan engines operated by the burning
of coal; and the wheels Of that ciyiliza
tion must stop il this supply of coal
were suddenly shut off from human use.
All this requires only to be pointed
out to be self.evideutly recognized as
true. But is it also true that the sup
ply OF coal in the world ie threatened
with early exhaustion? AS to this an
exact categorical answer is not 80 easy.
roy al commission In Great Britain
wrestled with the problem a few years
ago, instigated thereto by the fears of
Mr.. Gladstone and other statesmen, and
they reached the conclusion that if the
increase of CONSUMPTION of coal that
has marked the past century we're to
continue unabated the coal supply of
Geat Britain would he utterly exhausted
10 about 100 years. But subsequent
estimates have shown that this alarm
ing forecast must be modified, for the
sudden increase of consumption Of coal
has been largely due to Watts' dereIop-
ment OF the steam engine toward the
close OF the last century and the manu-.
featuring growth that naturally re.
suited, and this industrial growth has
its limlts. Hence the increase in con-
sumption OF coal will not continue at
the rate of the mast century, and the
time when the supply of British coal
VIII be exhausted must be extended
much beyond century, even if no di.
rect effort be made to conserve it.
AH dangers that lie more than a CEN
tury In the future do not appeal to us
with very personal force. most people
appear to have dismissed the thought
OF possible national decay from this
source and of late we have heard very
little general comment on the possible
exhaustion of coal. But a report re-
Gently issued relative to coal beds that
lie nearer home than Great Britain may
serve to arouse renewed interest in the
subject here in America. This report
has to do with the supply of anthracite
coal stored in the Pennsylvania region.
Nearly every one is aware that this
region has by lar the largest store of
anthracite coal located at any one place
hitherto geologicaliv explored on the
glohe. When Our forbears first recog.
nized its value in the early days of the
century tfor at first they thought an
thrscite coal worthless because it
seemed too hard to burn readily they
may well have thought the supply in
exhaustible, for the area of these beds |
covers almost 500 square miles. The
best estimates calculate thar the |
amount of coal in these beds century
ago was about $1,000, 600. 600 tons. Yet |
SO enormous have been the drafts upon |
1T that, 1t is believed, in % years from
now a full half of it will have been |
mined and from that time on the quan-
Iity tnat can be mined there annually |
must steadily decline.
From that time on. in the words of |
the report quoted, anthracite will |
cease to be the controlling factor in
tho industrial life of the eastern part
81 the United States, and the glory of |
the anthrGcite trade will have dc.
parted. What tnis implies in the
minds of tho ereinHera who make this
estimate will best bo made clsar by an.
other quotation, which declares that |
the anthracite fields of Fonnsylvania
"have, given birth and prosperity to
countless industries throughout the
country and created wealth beside
which the total value of the coal FRO
duGed has been as nothing. No orber
industry in this broad land, OF in all
time. has ever created such magnificent
results in the material prosperity OF
nation rs has the anthracite trade of
Pennsylvania. And this trade, he IT
is threatened with aanility
and teeay-when? Not centuries hence,
but within the next % years. ~
All this is very dreadful; bus even
ths most pessimistic reader cannot fail
TO note that the foregoing paragraph
contains a reservation. These things
are what might como to pass If the con
sumption Of coal were TO 90 on at the
present increasing ratio and if no new
resources were discovered. But these
suggested alternatives reveal a possjble
avenue OF escape Nsud the cunsump.
tion OF coal 60 on at the present rate?
And are tne:e NOT other sources of
energy that can be advanIaaeously utii.
lzed! These are vastly important ques-
lions. Fortunately they havs received
at least tentative answers.
AR TO the need of consuming coal Mt
The present rate the claims made by the
engineers who have given the matter
attention are really startling Tho esti,
mates show that there is prodIgality
,f waste in the existing method of
handling coal which is hardly credible,
Nature set the example, to begin with,
'or it appears that the existing beds of
,oal, vast as they are, represent but
mere pittanee of what they were in an
,nrIy pnDlpulppl npa fpha u,, .,,n,1a |