The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-08-18
RICE COAL AND PEA COAL.
in the Dirt Heaps of the Penn
syIvania Coal Regions

Quite large quantity of rice coal
is now going to market. 1t costs at
the mines 25 cents a ton. 1t is the
cheapest fuel in the world of its kind.
but the railroad companies charge
$1.35 a ton to haul it so or 100 miles.
Rice coal is the product of the dirt
banks. Mountains of coal dirt OBJ
struct the anthracite regions near the
collieries, and men have set up big
washeries where the water supply is
adequate, and wash out and screen out
the fine particles of coal until the
pure fuel, as small as rice, clean and
FURNISHED, comes to the surface on big
platforms, and is dried for the mar
ket. The washers can produce this
rice coal at about IS cents a ton, and
their profit is ten cents ton. The
washers are satisfied with the profit
but they are hampered with high
freight rates.
Rice coal is a modern size entirely.
So is buckwheat, the next size to rice.
These two sizes were not known in
the commercial market until men be-
gan to wash out the mountains of
coal dirt, supposed to be so much dead
waste. Commercial sizes of coal are:
/ Rice, buclwheat, pea, chestnut, stove,
broken, steamboat and lump. The uses
of lump and steamboat coal, large
sizes for ships, are well understood.
Stove and egg, or broken, are used for
cellar heaters and chestnut for kitch-
en- ranges. Many people do not under
stand the uses of pea coal, and at this
time when winter buying is thought
of the study of pea coal is interesting.
A few years ago very little pea was
sold. People said it was dirt. Now
they have small pea and large pea.
Both sizes have sprung into a very
large demand and the sales are in
creasing as the subject is understood.
There are hundreds of families in this
section who burn pea coal in their Gel
lar heaters. Some who understand
firing heater use pea coal exclusive
~. Others mix pea and stove
or egg together and use it in
that way. Frequently pea coal
is spread out on top of the large
coal to keep the combustion well con-
fined and to preserve the heat where
it belongs-in the house Very few
families within a radius of IS miles
from the anthracite coal regions burn
the old-time chestnut coal in their
kitchen ranges. They save two dollars
ton and buy pea coal, which goes
further than chestnut. because pea
packs more compactly and does not
burn away so fast. There are coal
dealers who say this is not so, but sue
cessful and experienced housewives
say it is a fact. Pea coal for keeping
fire all night in the kitchen is Just
the thing.
Bituminous coal is not used for do
nestle purposes generally, but the
people are turning attention to it..
right in the anthracite coal country
here, because soft coal can be bought
at two dollars a ton delivered, and
there is more heat in ton of soft coal
than in two tons of buckwheat. or ~
tons of good pea, which costs $3.50 a
ton. We're it not for the smoke nui-
sance housekeepers would surely fol-
low the manufacturers, stop using
hard coal entirely and take up soft
coal for the kitchen range and cellar
heater. Those manufacturers who
are using rice and buckwheat mix it
with bituminouS coal.-N. Y. Sun.