The age-herald., 1901-02-03
COAL INDUSTRY
 AND ITS GROWTH One of Leading Products of the United States-One Years
 Increase 25 Per Cent.

The development of the coal industry in the United States in recent years has been one of the remarkable features of this ex- banding country. The value of the coal product at the mines in 1899 was about $254, ,000 OO0 and for 1900 it is likely to be at least 26 per cent. greater for values have much increased during the past year, says the Coal Trade Journal of New York. The United States is now first in point of production, having forged ahead of its old rival Great Britain during the past year or two, and having achieved first place. 1t is not at all liely that there will be any retrograde movement; we now supply about one- third of the total coal production of the world and are likely to increase our exports materially and that will keep us in the front rank. While the large production of Anthracite from very small portion of Pennsylvania has some interest, 1t is the bituminous coal of the country which furnishes the great supply, mainly from the Appalachian fields, which extepd from the Southern line of the State of New York to the State of Alabama on the South, hav- ing a length Northeast and Southwest of over 900 miles, and width ranging from thirty to 1sO miles, While there are other districts known as the Central, the Vest ern and the Rocky mountains none of these equal in point of area or production that referred to, for the district includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Tennes- see and Alabama, and the total product for last year is set down as something like 140 900, 900 net tons out of a total of about 200 900, 900 tons of bituminous coals of all grades.
 The following table shows the importance of the several coal districts according to their product in recent years:
 Tons, Per Tons Per
 Field. 1S98 Cent. 1899. Cent. Appalachian ..114. .23s,l56 6s.6 129,s12,25s e7 2 Central. .. ... 25,s16,s74 15.b SS,1S1,47 172 Western. ..... 13, ,436 S.4 15,32O,393 so Rocky Mt... .. 1O.042,759 so 11,949.443 62 Pacific Coast .. 2,103,043 1.26 2,277,741 1.1S
 One of the most interesting features in the history of coal production In the United States Is that the operators are prepared to meet the demands made upon them by the period of prosperity through which the country has beep and is now passing, and whenever possible, every available method for cheapening the cost of produc- ton has been introduced this would in- clude the introduction of machinery for the cutting and hauling of coal, until now, 1t Is said that upwards of 50, 900, 900 net tons of coal were cut by machinery during the year. To understand what this tonnage means it Is only necessary to state that twelve years previous the total production in the Appalachian coal field did not great ly exceed this quantity, In spite of the in- troduction of machinery the number of employees is increasing, so that the total number is now put at 410.00O. and it Is claimed that they are able to find employ ment for about 200 days during the year, taking the work at good mines and bad, of both hard and soft coal, to make up the average. To show the growth of the bi- luminous coal trade of this country one need but refer to the statistics of the tenth census, which showed that the total output during the year 1880 was 42,S31, 900 net tons, se~that in less than twenty years we have grown nearly five times In the quan- tity of bituminous coal produced, and the increase has been uninterrupted save for three years, those of 's5, S9 and '94.