The Anaconda standard., 1899-05-11
Mr.. Parker Delivers a Lecture on
It's Increasing Use.
THE SAVING EFFECTED
Montana Led All Her Sister Mining
States In Machine Production-Many
Interesting Facts and Figures
Quoted BY the Lecturer.
Washin ston Bureau of the Standard,
No, 1145 G. Street N. w.

the United States geological survey. who
is one of the best known of the officials
of that bureau, 1ectured this week upon
chinery." He said: 1.-The steady decline
in the prices of bituminous coal has been
one of the most marked features of the
coal mining INDUSTRY during the past de-
cade. The mining rates have not shown
a proportionate falling off and we must
look for some other compensating influ-
ence, for it is not to be supposed that
operators can successfully combat such
conditions without in some manner les
sening the cost of production. At no time
during the last quarter of century have
mining wages been so high as to enable
the average miner to lay by a little store
for old age or "a rainy day." He lives
at best a hand mouth existence. is usu-
ally in debt to the company or the store
at the end of the month. and reduction
of few cents in the mining rate the
miner being almost universally paid by
the ton or miners carr deprives him of
some of his scant comforts. if not of some
of life's necessities. Operators have ac-
cordingly been forced to other means OF
economy in production in order to meet
this steady, persistent decline in values.
One of the most interesting developments
in connection with these conditions has
been one that is to be noticed in the ma
jority of industrial enterprises. the substi-
tuition of mechanical methods for hand
labor.
'This may in the case of coal mining,
be divided into two classes, first, devices
for underwriting or shearing or the actual
mining of the coal. and, second, its trans
portation from the rooms or working
faces to the pit mouth or shaft. as the
case may be- 1t is not my intention to
discuss the second branch of the SUBJ
ject for while electric and compressed air
underground haulage has freed de mule
in many of the large coal mines,. particu-
larly in Ohio and Pennsylvania. l have no
statistical information as to the number of
motors in use nor to the saving, if any,
which has been effected through their in
stallation.
"It may be question whether the in
PRODUCTION of mining machines has been
due to the lower prices of coal rather
than that the lower prices have resulted
from the use of the machines. Both con-
ditions have obtained in different locali-
ties. In a great many instances where
machines have been installed for the pur-
| pose of meeting competition and existing
| shown in a still further depression of
| values, and much of the benefit that might
| have been derived from the use of ma
chimes has been sacrificed through in
| creased output thrown upon an already
| glutted market.
1.-The year 1897 showed notable advance
| in the use of mining machinery. The
| number of firms having mines equipped
| with machines increased TO- as against an
| increase of IS from 1891 to 1896. The num-
ber of machines in use increased from l,446
in 1896 to 1883, showing a gain of 542, or
| 37.5 per cent, whereas the average yearly
| gain from 1891 to 1896 was about % per
I cent. The tonnage won by machines in
1897 was over 6,2OO,0 900 tons greater than in
| 1886 and equivalent to 60 per cent of the
increase in 1896 over 1891 Six states We're
| added to the number having mines
equipped with cutting machines. but two
| mines. one each in Utah and Washington.
| which used machines in 1896, did not ope-
| rate them in 1897, and as these were the
only machines in those states, there was
| a net gain of four in the number of states,
making a total of 20. The total tonnage
won by machines in 20 states in 1897 was
%, GAG, ,220 short tons
Mr.. Parker also gives in his lecture the
| following statistics of bituminous coal
| production by machines in the Rocky
| mountain states: Colorado's percentage of
total pfOQuct mlneQ Dy macnlne was, IN
| 1891, $40; 1896, 1922: 1897. 10.4S. Utah showed
no report in 1897 but the later years give
the fraction of 0.1S per cent. Wyoming
| increased her percentage from 1921 in 1891
to 21.3S in 1897. Montana led all her sisters
in machine production. the percentage ris-
ing from nothing in 1891 to 43.77 in 1897.
There is one point, Mr.. Parker says, on
which it is not possible to obtain accurate
| information, and that is as to the exact
| in he nf affa ntaI
by the use of machines. There are two
reasons for this. In the first place, ar
operator who has invested a considerable
amount of money in an expensive plant
for utilizing electricity or compressed all
is not going to give a competitor the bene,
fit of his experience. Coal operators are
much like other men, and not sufficiently
philanthropic to give rival any such de.
sirable information. In the second place
he does not care to sacrifice al
of the profits of his Investment
by furnishing the miners unions
with data for a "revsion Of the
tariff The economies effected vary con
siderably, according to local conditions
and no one instance, nor the average of
dozen could be taken a standard. There
are conditions. such as too great an in
elination of the vein. where the use Of
machines is impractical and there arr
others where the ease of mining and the
cheapness of hand labor would not war
rant the investment. "I have statemen
from one of the large operators in Ohio tt
the effect that since the introduction o
machines 144 men have done the sans
work previously performed by 14S, and {
net saving of 10 cents per ton Is made ol
the run of mine coal mined by machine
as compared with pick mined coal. Th
may be an exceptional case. Some ope
rators report that the average efficiency
per miner has been increased 100 per cent.
while some put is as low as 20 per cent
1t is not possible to obtain more accurate
information on this point
In conclusion the lecturer stated tina
the first patent issued in the United State
on a mining machine was taken out b,
Elisha Simkins of Allegheny, Pa, in 1858
since which time no less than 46S patents
have been issued, not all, however, oil
cCal cutting machines. 1t was not unit
1876 that the first practical coal mining
machine was brought out and this wa
one of those machines that spent most 0
thR time in he Sbnp what wa