The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-08-28
THE COAL
OUTPUT !
Interesting Figures Compiled by the
State Bureau of Mines.
STATISTICS FOR SIXTH DISTRICT
over III 900, 900 Tons Taken From Penn.
sylvania Galleries in 1898 Nearly
SO 100000 Tons Of Which
Was Anthracite.

The annual report Of the Bureau Of Mines
of Pennsylvania, has just been received at
this office, and shows that SO, sO2 59B net tons
Of anthracite coal were produced in the state
last year and 8l,2i7 $50 tons Of bituminous,
making an aggregate Of ll7,0j0,22l net tons,
an increase as compared with that Of the
previous year of 9, 79i 923 tons.
In 1897 Pennsylvanias output Of authra-
cite and bituminous coal represented more
than So per cent Of the entire production of
coal in the United States, and last year some
thing was added to this percentage. The
production Of the world in 1897 was about
500, 600, 600 tons, of which the United States
supplied 1880 600, making our production
nearly one-third as much as that Of the rest
of the globe.
The chief Of the Bureau of Mines says
Coal has become one of the essential ele-
ments of modern civilization-in fact, the
progress of the civilization of a country is
now recorded by the amount of coal obtain
able and employed by the inhabitants in
given time. 1t is pleasing to note he adds.
'the great increase in the production for the
last decade and encouraging to contemplate
the possibility of a still greater production in
the future of Pennsylvania coal. Increased
production uecessitates deeper and more ex-
pensive mines, requiring better and more in
telligent supervision than ever before. and
this is one step in mining progress which,
being neither sudden nor conspicuous es-
eapes general notice. but which is traught
with important results"
The number of persons employed in the
anthracite mines last year was 1l2, i2O, 7,l37
less than the previous year. In the bitumin-
GUS mines there were employed last year
81. sO2 persons, an increase of 1919 During
the year 2,232 accidents occurred, of which
500 were fatal "FOrty-one per cent of the
fatal accidents are attributable to carelessness
or violations Of the mine laws by the victims, "
the chief of the bureau states. Forty-three
per cent. of the non-fatal accidents is charged
TO the same cause. In addition to the en-
forcement of the present mining laws he
suggests that the carrying Of lucifer matches
playing with signals, riding on cars, with
drawing missire charges, opening boxes Of
explosives in proximity to a lamp or pipe,
and the shortening of fuse or its saturation
with oil, should subject the guilty person to
punishment, whether or not the act is fol-
lowed by an accident. Failure to properly
a..
Certainly" " says the chief Of the bureau of
mines 'the class of legislation proposed is
no more of an invasion of private rights
than was the original law an invasion of
property rights" He finds fault because
many of the mines are not managed as well
as they ought to be. This, he says, is due to
an utter disregard of the laws and the lack
of mining knowledge in those who own and
| eup no ri M laI
wise and pound foolish system that invariably
leads to bad development, with all its ac-
companying evils, insufficient ventilation,
dirty roads, poor drainage inability to pro-
cure the greatest possible percentage of coal,
and failure to furnish at the proper time
sufficient supplies for use in the mines, to
which the cause of many accidents may be
attributed. The mine boss and the superin.
tendent, says the chief of the bureau of mines,
should be held responsible for the detection
and punishment of mine violations.
The only counties producing anthracite
coal are Luzerne. schuylkill, Lackawanna,
Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Northumber-
land, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wayne,
Luzerne, Schuylkill and Lackawanna supply
about fve-sixths of the output. Bituminous
is produced in Allegheny, Armstrong, BeaYer,
Bedford, Blair Butler, Cambria, Centre,
Clarion. Clearfeld, Clinton, Elk, Fayette,
Huntington, Indiana. Jefferson, Lawrence,
Lycoming, Mexican, Mercer, Somerset, Tioga,
Washington and Westmoreland Fayette
supplied last year 13, ,09O, 756, Westmoreland
1l,475, ,s9l, Allegheny 9,O78 1O4, Jefferson
6, ,646, $50. Cambria 1854, ,959, Clearfeld 4, ,ss5
7s0 and Washington 4, 661, $50 of the GA, 247, q
6S5 tons produced in the entire bituminous
region.
The snnual report of the bureau of mines
says that since the Welsh coal strike Penn.
! sylvania has gained a foOthOld In foreign
markets, which will never be lost if the de-
mand can be supplied when wanted. The
prosperity in the coal trade, judging from
the production, applies wholly to bituminous
coal. The market for anthracite coal has
apparently reached its limit. When it is
considered that 14s.4 was the average number
| of days the mines IN the anthracite region
worked it can readily be seen that there are
more mines in operation and more men en-
ployed than are needed to supply the demand
for anthracite coal" The average number of
days worked in the bituminous mines was
2OsI.
Mine Inspector Stein, of this district in his
report to the state department furnishes some
valuable information. His report shows a
gratifying decrease of nineteen fatal and one
non-iatal accident during the year, as com
pared with 1897. 1t also shows decrease in
the number of employees to be sos, and an in
crease in the production of coal of 81, PCS tons,
and decrease in the railroad shipments OF
is, 179 tons Of coal. The total number of per.
sons employed in Inspector STEMS district is
20, 1859, and of this number II ,27l are employed
inside The total number of fatal accidents
"a, and of this number 20 were Polish and Il
Irish, the Americans, Welsh and Germans
had each. There were ~ non-fatal acci
dents-Polish "a, Americans 16, Irish 10
Italians 5, Welsh and Hungarian each, Eng
lish and Germans, each.
The total production of coal in the Sixth
district last year was g. 5l3, 1856 TONS used fol
steam and heat purposes, sl5, $50 tons; sold t,
local trade and employees, 90 296 tons; shipped
by railroad, 1907 500 produced from wash
cries 147, ,SlS tons The total production O
coal in 1897 was 6 475, $50.
The average number of days worked il
this district last year was 1855. There are 2;
widows and so fatherless children as a resul
of the fatal accidents during the year.