Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-09-09
RlcH IN coat.
This State Now Holds Third Place
IND disputed.

The Government report On Ne,s WI
Gina eoaI has lust been issued. The re-
,,ort owes the state such a splendid send
pl4 thar II should be given full publicity.
The following IS the report compete.
minus the tables
Total product in 1898. 1920. 800 short
inns. SPOT value, SIod3l,2o4.
Wesr VIRGINIA now holds I'm disputed II
tie to third place among ine coai PiouuO-
ing states, distinction attained "a io9o
and held for three years. Ia Tue yeai
mentioned WestVirglnias product exceed
"a that Of Ohio by the small margin OF
-, short tons. The next year, owing
~ he injury upon the Ohio coal trade by
~ ~ miners strike, the lead was increased
:, more than 1000, 900 tons, which was
r,a,ntained and somewhat exceeded IN
I8o8. although Ohio's product last year
was ,. 3Io.o2s tons more than IN 1897 and
over 26S,ooo tons larger than West VIZ
qinia's output the year before. West Vir-
9inia's product in 1898 was, however,
2,452,84o tons more than IN 1897, ana
about $4,000 tons more than the increase
in Ohios product.
West Virginia has had an unrivaled
record in the history of coal inning IN the
United States. The records OF the years
nrior TO 1878 are incomplete and unrelia-
bic. but. beginning with an output OF
100 900 tons in that year, production
has increased each year with but one ex-
ception. until in 1895, twenty years later
.he product exceeded 10, 500 900 tons, nj
teen times what it was in 1878, and indi-
eating an average annual increase OF $780,
900 tons. The increase OF nearly $780,
900 tons in 1898, and decrease OF APP
proximately 100000 tons IN the proauc-
ton OF Illinois, put West Virginia WITHIN
]. DOC, 900 tons, or about ten per cent OF
that State, and if the ratios OF increase III
the two states in the past be taken as a
guide for the future, Illinois VIII nave
dropped to third place at the close OF the
centurv-December 81, 1899. Taxing
the record of the two states tor the last
fifteen years, and dividing the time INTO
periods Of five years each, as the best
method of showing the average increase
in business, we find that for Illinois the
average yearly production IN the i've years
1884 to 1883 inclusive, was, IN rouno num-
bers, IL 400, 900 tons. In the next hve
years, from 1850 to 1898 inclusive. the aV-
erage yearly output was Io,553,ooo tohs'
an increase of 1876 per cent. In the nVe
wears ending in 1898 the average produc-
ton was I8,65oooo tons, an increase OF
I2r per cent over the second period ana
of 20 per cent over the first. Dividing
West Virginias product in the same way
it is Shown that the average output II the
first FIVE years was 4,223,ooo snort TONS.
In the second period 1t was o,o59,ooo
short tons. an increase OF over 100 per
cent and in the final FIVE years the aver
age product was IL, sos, 900 short tons, 54
per cent more than in the second term
and So times the average for the hrst fve
years. The figures, taken IN connection
with the statistics of the last three years,
show that the production IN eiicn Oh these
states in 1000. if not interfered with Dy
strikes or other untoward conditions, Will
approximate I'll 900, 900 short tons.
In the subsequent tables the produc-
ton is shown primarily by counties, put
in comparing the production IN 1890 Win
that of previous years and studying tne
wonderful development OF the coal-pro-
ducing regions, it will be OF interest 10
consider the records of some OF the I'M
portant fields, Of these there are Jour
the Fairmont or upper Monongahela and
the Elk Garden or upper POTOMAC
in the northern portion OF the state, ana
the Pocahontas or Flat Top and the New
and Kanawha river fields in the southern
portion. The most important OF these
four regions is the New and kanawha
counties, which should really be divided
into two, as most of Fayette county is
taken from what is classed by Prof. |. Z.
White, State geologist, as the New klNer
coal areas, while the Kanawha county
product and that of few mines IN the
western part of Fayette county are drawn
from the Allegheny or Kanawha coal areas
These are separate and distinct coal areas,
but as they are drained by the same wa
tiers (the New and Gauey rivers uniting
to form the Kanawha), and the principal
part of the product OF both is sent TO
market over the Chesapeake < Ohio rail-
road, whose main line peneuates them,
they might as we'll be considered together
in a statistical report. In 1886 the out
put from New and Kanawha river held
was 2,2oo, sos short tons. Two years
later 1t had increased to 2,84o,o3o tons.
In five years more 1893 it had increased
over 40 per cent, to 4,ooo,II2 tons, while
in sos it amounted to 5,o47,272 tons. an
increase of nearly 50 per cent. in the last
flve years.
The 70 ,ahontas or Flat Top field en-
braces Mcdowell and Mercer counties In
West Virginia and Tazewell county, Va.
Probably more than half of the product
of Tazewel 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 either OF the
Others, and since 1898 has produced more
each year than the other two. In 1888
Mercer and Tazewell counties produced
I,7Io,7oI short tons of coal. In 1898 the
product of the district was 5,SI5,28o
tons, and in 1898 it was 5,52I,Io tons.
The Falrmont or Upper Monongahela
ar,ohraCtnor and Marion