The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-09-20
WE WILL Be SECOND.
What the Geological Survey OF
this State Shows

As to Production Of Goal In West yir
ginia in 1900-Largest Ratio Of In
crease In the faiI mont District
Shipments Outside Of State Fifteen
Seyenteenths Of Total Production
Some Wonderful Developments in
state at Large.
The following summary Of the Uni
ted States Geological Survey is from
the American Manufacturer Of last
week:
The report of the Geological Survey
for 1898 shows that West Virginia
maintained the advantage secured oy-
er Ohio in 1896, and still ranks third
among the coal producing states.
| The output for the entire country in
1913 amounted to 219, 974, 667 short
tons, worth at the mines $208, 900, $50.
West Virginia's portion was l6, 100,
900 short tones, with value at the
mines Of $40, 13l, 264. The young
state exceeded Ohio's production by
more than 1000, 900 tons, and Ohiois
output in 1898 was 1919, 925 tons
more than in 1897. West Virginia's
production Of coal began in 1878 with
,120, 900 tons, and the report for
| S9S shows, for the twenty years, an
average annual increase OF $50, 900
tons The increase of nearly 2,50G,
600 tons in 1898 and decrease of APP
proximately 1900, 900 tons in the
production of Illinois puts West Vir-
GINA within 1000, 900 tons, or about
| 10 per cent Of that state, and if the
rates of increase in the two states be
taken as guide for the future, Hin
dis will have dropped to third place
at the close of the century-December
81, 1900.
| COMPARED CONDITIONS.
The report continues: Comparing
the production Of 1898 with that of
previous years, and studying the won
derful development of the coal produc-
| ing regions, 1t will be OF interest to
consider the records OF some of the
important fields. OF these there are
four-the Fairmont or Upper Monon-
gahela and the Elk Garden OF Upper
Potomac, in the northern portion OF
the state: and the Pocahontas or Fiat
| Top and the New and Kanawha river
| fields in the southern portion. The
most important OF these four regions
is the New and Kanawha river fields.
embracing Fayette and Kanawha
counties. In 1886 the output from
the New and Kanawha river field was
2, 300, 563 short tons. Two years later
it had increased to 2, $50, $50 tons. In
five years more it had increased over
40 per cent to 4,099, ZIP tons, while
in 1898 it amounted to 5, 947, PIP tons,
an increase of nearly 80 per cent in
the last five years.
1.-THE Pocahontas or Flat Top field
embraces Mcdowell and Mercer coun-
ties, in West Virginia, and Tazewell
county, Va. PROBABLY more than
half the product of Tazewell county,
though credited to Virginia, is taken
from the West Virginia side of the
line, but as the opening is in Virginia
and no accurate separation can be
made, the entire product is given to
Virginia. The mines of Mcdowell
county did not begin shipping until
1889. In 1891 it produced more than
has produced more each year than the
other two together. In 1888 Mercer
and Tazewell counties produced L.
I7l0,791 short tons of coal. In 1898
the product of the district was 3,S15,-
$50 tons, and in 1898 it was 1921, 100
tons,
| FAIRMoNT FIELD.
1.-THE Fairmont or Upper Mononga-
hela region, embracing Harrison and
Marion counties, has shown the larg-
est ratio of increase in the last ten
years Of all the coal producing regions
of West Virginia, Marion county TAX
ing the lead. In 1888 this district
produced less than 500, 900 tons. Five
years later it produced over 1880, 900
tons and this was more than doubled
in the next five years, the product in
1898 amounting to 1925, 294 short
tons.
"The Upper Potomac region, which
is the southern extension of the Cum
berland field of Maryland, had pro-
duct in 1888 of 518,8 78 short tons, Of
which 80 per cent was from Mineral
county. Five years later the product
was l 1919, 397 tons, of which Mineral
county produced somewhat less than
so per cent, while in 1898 the product
increased to 1881, 1862 short tons, of
which Mineral county produced less
than 40 per cent and Tucker county
produced over go per cent.
1.-THE enterprise of the four rail-
roads hauling the product to market,
the Baltimore & Ohio, the West Vir-
ginia Central and Pittsburg, the Ches-
apeake & Ohio, and the Norfolk &
Western, is brought into sharp con-
trast with the manufacturing enter
prise of the people of the state, for
with the exception of comparatively
small amount used at the iron works
in and around Wheeling, and at the
salt works at Mason county, together
with the ordinary domestic consump-
tion and that of the transportation
interests, practically all Of West Vir-
ginia's coal is shipped out of the state.
or the Is, 701, 900 tons produced in
West Virginia in 1898, probably 49,
100000 tons were consumed outside
its borders.n
Vary Dramisiuu