Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-07-13
OUR COAL PRODUCTION
Report Taken From the Geological
Survey
FOR THE YEAR OF 1900.
interesting and Valuable Extracts from the
Official Documeut-22, 4l6,87i Short
Tons Mined.

OHLi11 OUSuliCHt [EfTtSfCtt ShNlA
Tons Mined.
Washington, July 9--The complete
report of the coal production in West
Virginia in 1900 has just been prepar-
ed by Edward w. Parker. statistican
of the geological survey. The total
product in 1900 was 22,647, 207 short
tons, of the spot value of SIS 4l6. sri.
Compared with 1899 the coal pro-
duction of West Virginia in 1900
shows an increase of 3,39l2, IL short
tons, or 1G.6 per cent The value in
creased s6. 1862, o19, or 80 per cent. The
report says:
The developing of West Virginia as
coal producing state has been one of
the most remarkable fea ures of the
coal mining industry in the last TWEEN
ty years. During this entire period
there was only one year in which the
coal production of West Virginia
showed decrease compared with the
preceding year. This was in 1895,
and was due to general strike,
which prevailed IN the Pocahontas
region, and which caused a loss of
about /, $50, coo tons in the two conn
ties, Mcdowell and Mercer, which
constitute West Virginias portion of
that region. The increase III the pro-
ductlons of the other counties of the
e+ata pr-au not on fri oiant m otfcat tha
decrease in the output in the Pocahon-
tas district. Had 1T not been for the
strike. Tile production of West Vir
ginia would have shown an uninter-
rupted annual increase for twenty
years AS it is, the increase has
amounted to an average of more than
10000, 90 tons per year during the
last twenty years. This state has
been gradually approaching the sec
ond place as a coal producing state.
1t passed Ohio as third coal producing
state in 1895, and had continued in
the third place since that date although
in point of value Ohio continues to
lead West Virginia. The increased
production of West Virginia in 1900
was distributed over almost the entire
state, there being only five out of the
twenty one counties in with the pro-
duction in 1900 was less than that of
1899. These counties were all compar
atively unimportant producers and
the total decrease in those five coun
ties was less than $50, 600 tons. The
largest increas in production in 1900
was in Fayette county, which also is
the most important coal producing
county in in the state. The next larg
est increase was i'll Mcdowell county,
which is the second in producing inn
portance. Kauawha county, the
fourth in rank, was the third i'll in
creased production, and Marion coun-
ty, the third in production, was
fourth in the amount of increase.
These four counties altogether contri
buted 2, 1893, 760 tons out of the 1894,
2l2 tons or the total increase for the
state. The largest percentage of in
crease was made by Randolph county,
whose 1900 product was 3.S times that
of 1899. Barbour county was second
in the percentage of increase, the pro-
duct in 1900 being nearly twenty
seven times that of the preceding
year.
THE use of mining machines show
cd an increase in West Virginia in
900. The number of firms using ma
chimes increased from 5S In 1899 TO %
in 1900. The number of machines in
use was more than doubled, from
1854 to 327. and the machine-turned
product increased from |, ISL, l25 to
3,4lS, 377 tons.
"1lhe coal mining industry of West
Virginia was comparatively undis-
turhed by labor tronbles during 1900
Out Of the PCS coal mining plants in
the state strikes occnrred in about II.
The most of these were of short
duration. The total humber of men
made idle by tho strikes was l,SS3
the total number of working days lost
by them being Abs, an average of
23. days per man. The total amount
of time lost in the state on account OF
strikes in 1900 was less than two
thirds OF one per cent. of the total
time made. F"
The average price per ton for the
state was Is cents. The average num-
Der of employees was 80, 1853. and the
average number of days worked 23l.