The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-09

The question of coal supply is forcing
itself upon the peoples of Europe. Large
navies are being built, manufactures are
growing, railway engines are being in
creased in size and number, and mer-
chant steam fleets are being added to.
Meanwhile European coal outputs are de-
creasing, and the exhaustion of some of
the mines is almost within sight. That
it is believed 10 be possible TO cal
culate to within an approximation of
when the coal mines of Europe will
be empty has recently been shown in
very pointed manner by the advance in
prices and the reluctance of coal owners
to enter into contracts for large sup
plies except at pretty stiff figures. In
England, indeed there has been some
agitation looking to the curtailment of
foreign shipments of coal The argu-
ment being that by supplying fuel for
power to her manufacturing and naval
rivals. and al the same time depicting
her own store of coal. England is weak
ening herself in a manner that may be
seriously felt az day not SO very far
distant.
The coal question. however, does not
affect England more than, and possibly
not quite so much as, the rest of Europe,
Russia excepted. Russia alone has large
coal fields yet to be developed. Mean
time the commercial nations of Europe
are beginning to feel the pinch of the coal
scarcity, and many businesses are being
affected.
II Europe cannot supply itself with
coal, where will 1t turn for it's needs?
Manifestly to the United States. Indeed
the turning to this country has already
begun. Baltimore, Newport News and
Norfolk are already making large ship
ments to the Continent. and the Balti-
more and Ohio Railway is constructing
an immense pier and coal depot at Curtis
bay on the Chesapeake, for the accom-
mediation of a great export business in
steam coal. Our coal production is al
ready enormous. but it is believed that it
will be vastly increased within the next
few years. In 1899 it was 54,OOO,OCO tons
larger than ID was in 1897. AT the Paris
Exposition there are charts illustrating
the coal production of the United States,
one of which sets forth that the produc-
ton of the twenty principal coal states
equals a paralleloplped of 5,56S, 900 900 cubic
feet. The Eifel tower, compared with
such a huge figure, would be mere
plaything.
AS to our resources. our ability TO con-
tinue to produce large quantities of coal
for domestic consumption and export the
editor of the Coal Trade Journal. writing
in the New York Tribune, says that in
the mountain country lying between
Pennsylvania and Northern Georgia and
Alabama there is twenty times the coal
that Great Britain originally possessed,
and lying in such way that X can be
brought to the surface with from one
fourth to one-half of the expenditure of
energy required in Great Britain. Paral-
Icing the coal field for some 100 miles
there is an incalculable quantity of iron
ores of all kinds, from the Clinton ores
which lie under and along the coal TO
the brown ores and high grade mag
netites. And this represents but one part
of our coal reserve. We could supply
the whole world for many years 90 come
without making serious inroads into our
stock.
II is apparent, therefore, chat the
United States occupy a commanding po-
sition with respect to that prime essential
for both war and commerce. coal. The
world must have coal and we shall short
ly be about the only country in a posi-
ton 60 furnish it,