The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-01

: member nat The largest fleet toSt sAfis
I the Pacific is the coal feet. Most OF she
I coat from that region comes from Aus
traIia and Janan Much Australian coal
/ g brought ~ San Francisco. During my
/ travels in Iapan / VESTED one coal mine
which had fifty miles Of tunnels unaer
the sea. and learned that the japanese
were making great deal % money our
of their coal
They were shipping IL 70 China not
withssandinS the fac; that biologists say
that China has some Of the largest coal
fields in the world. | doubt the extent II
the Chinese fields. The people are thrifty.
ana IL is curious that they do not use the
coal Il they have il. They are among the
most economical of people. and in the dit
fere1t Chinese cities coal is SO valuable
that il IS ground 10 dust and then mixed
with dirt. being sold In halls about the
size Of a biscuit. II is interesting 10 know
the coal fields Of the world as estimated
by the biologists. Here they are:
China. 10000 square miles United
States east az the Rockies. lsa go square
miles Canada. $500 square miles: India,
$500 square miles; New South Wales "a
Go square miles; Russia, aeO square
miles; United Kingdom. 1850 square
miles: Spain, $40 square miles; Japan.
5000 square miles; France ESQ square
miles; Austria Hungary. I.7O square
miles: Germany. Ito square miles: Bel
GUM so square miles
Englaad's Coal Playing out.
From the above table il will be seen
that the English coal AREA Is small. stu
England has for years been the center of
the coal production OF the world. and for
years IL mined more than half the total
amount used in the world. The United
States is now probably ahead OF 1t. and
we are increasing our product every year.
The English coal veins are thin The
miners have 10 lie on their sides to work
many of them. They have dug out the
surface coal and they are now working
at great depths. One English vein. four
teen and a half inches wide, is already
down over loo feet. Such vein wonid
not be worked to any great depth in
America. The Newcastle coal field. which
is the richest In England, has veins from
three 10 six feet thick. while the Wales
coal veins are less than three feet n
thickness. Some of our Pennsylvania an
thracite veins run from thirty feet 10
sixty feet IN thickness. while the Pitts
burg bitumsnous coal veins are from eight
TO sixteen feet thick. AT the present rate
of mining IL is estimated that all the En-
giish coal will be exhausted in PIP years
II IL is worked down 10 4,00o feet, and this
will be 1l3 feet deeper than any of the
English mines now worked. Notwith-
standing the enormous amounts of coal
which have been taken out Of our an
thraclte region ii is estimated that We
could so on at the present rate for Gle
years.
AS England goes farther down her coal
mining Will become more expensive, and
hsr days as a manufacturing nation are.
consequently. numbered. Already we sur
pass her great deal in manufacturing.
and there is no doubt that We. with our
vast supplies Of coal and iron, are to he
the chief manufacturing nation OF the flu
ture.
Our Wealth In Black Diamonds.
Our Appalachian coal fields alone could
supply the world with fuel for centuries.
They are the largest and richest known,
and they are so situated that the coal can
be shipped from them long distances by
water. From Pittsburg coal can be car
ried for 1890 miles on navigabie streams.
and the CRATE fires of the South blaze
with the rays from the black diamonds
from Pennsylvania. The Ohio river Ia tho
great coal chute for the Mississippi val
ley. The coal is carried down ii In great
harges pushed by little steamers and so
fastened together that single steamer
Will push acres Of coal. Loads OF % $50
tons are taken. A vast amount of coal
Is carried on the canals and the great
lakes form one Of the chief highways OF
the coal traffic.
The Coal Miners Of Our Country and
Europe.
One would think that there would be a
lot Of money in coal for the miners. There
is not and IL Is a question whether the
present strike will materially better mat
tiers. AS far as strikes have gone in the
past. they have been against the working
men. Some years ago Carroll u. Wright,
the United States commissioner of labor
figured up the profit and loss of ten years
Of striking in all branches of labor. He es-
timated that the employees during this
time lost $50 nno 600 an average OF $40 to
each striker involved. while the employ
ers lost little more than half the amount
or $50 90 600.
The coal miners live as poorly as any
other class of workmen in the country
For the most part they are In dirty VIII
lagos. with narrow streets their houses
hlackened by coal smoke In many min
ing districts the houses belong To the COM
pany owning the mines and the miners
pay rent for them. SO that when a strike
occurs and they are out Of money they
are given orders 10 leave Many of the
homes have nothing more than two rooms
and a kitchen. and in some places the
only stores az which the miners can trade
are the company's stores With all this
the American miners are far better of
than The miners Of other countries The
coal miners of Japan receive only few
cents day Both women and men work
In the mines and the foreign ships when
get coal AZ Japan are always loaded By
women, who pass the coal up the sides
OF the ship in baskets
Women and Children In Mines
Women are still used In the coal mine.
of Belgium They dress IN trousers, Just
like the men. and they do much the same
work They help load the coal. and in
some OF the mines they drag the cars
from the tunnels 20 the bottom of the
shaft l.. Smonln. Frenchman describes
the horrors OF their life in the mines For
q long time women We're used IN this way
IN England and Scotland. and Il was not
until about twenty-five years ago that
parliament passed an act keeping them
out
Children are employed In the Belgium
mines today. The English and Scotch
used them for years, They were taken
age. and were kept there until they grew
up. The English coal veins are very thin
and the tunnels were not more than n
yard high. These children were used "A
beasts Of burden. They were harnessed IN
little carts filled with coal, and had IN
crawl along nn all fours with belts ahou,
their waists and chains between ,he;r
legs dragging the coal carts 20 the sur-
face. Women became deforrned by fhts
work They were dressed In trousers ana
shirts like men. They learned n eebt
and swear Ike the men and became had
characters Al The age pf 80 they wara
usually worn out. In Scotland Young va
men were employed 20 carry the coal -,
their backs cut Of II mines They ar,g
ged the coal 70 the %oot Of the iasder.
and then loaded IL on their backs bota
Ing e there by q strap around the foye-
head while they climbed up the ladders