The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-08
. COAL STATISTICS.

Tho Output OF tho United States for 1897,
An increase Of Over ] per Cent OF the
s tonnage of tho Previous Year-West
Virginia Third State In Production.
WASHINGToN,April From pre-
shminary statement complied by E, W.
Parker. statlsticiar OF the United States
geological survey. it Is shown that the
total output OF coal in the United States
In 1887 amounted approximately to 1885,
10000 short tons, with an aggregate
value OF s19s. 100000, fraction less than
81 per ton. Compared with 1896, this
shows an increase In tonnage OF $40, 900
tons. or, abou, 3.3 per cent. The increas.
IN the value OF the product was only
sLIoo0Go. little less than o of per
cent. The amount OF coal produced In
s1sSl was the largest on record. The
average value per ton was the lowest
\ ever known. continuing the declining
tendency which has been shown, without
any reaction for the past six years. The
increase In production and the decline
S1ntvalue was confined to the output of
oltumlnors coal. The anthracite pro-
sduction in Pennsylvania decreased
: nearly two and one-quarter million tons
; from 81. 3i6.0Sl short tons OF 1000 pounds
to s., ~, 40S short tons In 1891, while the
average price received at the mines per
short ton was 81 Go per shors ton Isl IS
{ per long toni in both years. This is not
an increase, butt Is much better than n
{ loss. one cent per ton meaning total
fot more than half 4 million OF dollars.
S1u obtaining this average price for an
,thracite coal per ton II must be remem-
+ bered that only marketable sizes are
4 considered, and the item OF "colliery
y consumption" usually consisting OF
! cllm, or waste. and an otherwise value
less product is not included. Including
this factor the marketable product or
anthracite coal In Pennsylvania during
:51S9I was AZ, 37,SGi long tons, agains. A.
4 1ss,460 long tons In 1896.
y The fact that the bitumlnous produc-
y tion should have shown an increase OF
e 3, 100000 tons In spite OF the prolonged
strike in the competitive fields OF Penn
y sylvania. Ohio. West Virginia, Indiana
and Illinois (four OF them being the
\ larges. coal producing states, nggre.
I eating nearly 100000, goo tons, or more
than two-shirds OF the entire output
may be taken as an evidence OF the won.
Z dertrl capacity OF our developed btu
\ mlnous mines. or the twenty-nine btu
: rninous-coal-produclng states there we're
Z only six in which the production In 1897
was less than In the preceding year.
These six were Georgia, Indian Terri.
tory. Kaneas. Nebraska, Ohio and Ore.
: ,gpn. In fifteen OF them the output was
IN the largest ever obtained. OF. the I've
Y competitive states previously mention
y ed. only one (Ohio) had decreased pro-
= dnct!on In 1897. In twenty out Of tho
7 twenty-nine. states producing hltumlnous
n coal the average price per ton In 1897
4 was less than It was In 1886. the genern!
4 average for the United States being SO
cents In 1896 and Sl.6 In 1897. The de-
u cline of Ia cents on a total product In
Z 1897 OF 1fG,00o.000 tons represents de-
crease OF something over $1,000 600 from
: what would have been the value II the
4 price had been the same rs It was IN 1896.
Considering the Industry by states,
Pennsylvania holds her usual position.
Il The combined product OF anthracite and
y bitrminous Goals from the Keystone
state amounted to 10G,000.oc0 short tons
4 nearly 81 per cent OF tho total output.
Il Pennsylvania's percentage Of the total
B biturinous output was 81. her output oil
"a soft coal being 81, 00o. 900 tons. Illinois
I. rcUains In second place. with n total oil
"a little over e, 100000 ahort tons. West
Virginia comes third, having increased