The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-19
A BOOM IN SOFT COAL LANDS.
Unprecedented Activity in Pennsyl-
Yania,s Hituminoua ReGlon.

| Unprecedented Activity in Pennsyl.
| vania,s BitumlnOus Region.
ALTOONA. Pa.. Nov. 1s.-An industrial
boom Unprecedented in the history Of this
section Of the State Is In progress
| throughout the soft coal mining region.
! Recent purchases Of coal lands and OPP
| lions over the central field will aggregate
something over a million. The output OF
collieries in operation. which was de-
creased during the recent campaign, Is
! exceeding all previous records.
The seats Of war between rival capital
| lists have been Indiana and Jefferson coun-
ties. where virgin coal land has been on
the market. Options for thousands Of
acres went begging month ago. but not
single acre in this section Is on the
market today. This last section Of IN
developed land has been snapped up by
corporations which are seemingly willing
to pay big prices for unencumbered titles.
Possibly the most important of the recent
deals was consummated by Attorney A. H.
Levy, of Hamilton, Canada, who repre-
sents John Hamilton. a Canadian capital
list. Levy appeared in the field few days
after the election and secured options on
sixty tracts. He has filed bond for the
purchase money, over half million, to
be paid after the titles are approved.
The New York Central Railroad. con-
fdent of boom in the central field, is
running line for a new feeding spur
into the undeveloped section. A thirty
mile spur will be run from Hillsdaie to
Indiana. tapping rich field. The Penn
sylvania, alive to the Importance OF the
traffic possibilities, is running a new line
through the Black Lick section, where a
fo1 Of Ri 10
ment.
The Buffalo. Rochester and PittSburg
Railroad, a feeder for the New York Cen
trail. has arranged to open hitherto unde-
veloped territory in the Dubois region.
Nearly 100000 acres in that field are to
be opened within six months. The big
operating company in this field is the
Rochester and Pittsburg Company. con-
Germ which has been active in large pur-
chases within the last two weeks. The
new holdings Of this company alone. Sc
cured in two weeks, are estimated to COM
prise a little less than $780, eco.
Small purchases Of coal and timber lands
are innumerable. Farmers are disposing
of pasture fields hitherto rated at dol |
lar an acre in value. for hundreds per !
acre. Mining experts are swarming owe. !
the field discovering coal where 1t was |
not even suspected to exist. Jabez Fair. !
q pun SdmDi SOuuty ldIultF, was pau
$1,000 last week for tract of mountain
land he accepted last year in payment of |
a bad claim of 800. Mrs Amelia Sutton.
Of Yellow Creek, who had small dugout |
mine ON her land for home consumption, |
was astounded few days ago when an
agent for New York concern offered her
$500 for her property. which she bad
been trying to sell for $500.
Several coal men are looking at 5000
acre tract near Cherry Hill. Indiana
County. A bid Of 5000, 900 has been made
or the holdings.
The recent anthracite coal strike proved
l blessing to a number of the big coal
concerns in this field. The boycott de-
Jared on bituminous shipments to anthra-
lite markets was imperative from the
start. In defiance of the miners ultima
UNI the big coal concerns sent train leads
II bituminous coal into the anthracite
ield. opening up an unexpected market
or soft coal. Many manufacturing and
commercial concerns found the soft coal
uited their purpose better than the an
hracite, which they had been using for
ears.
The fact that the bituminous commodity
osts about half what they had been pay |
ng for anthracite COAL clinched its in
as a permanent rival to hard I
GAL. These facts account in part for the i
phenomenal activity in the soft coal field.
owns are springing up which were not I
N the map when the census of 1900 was 9
AIKEN IL