The age-herald., 1901-01-27
Illinois Output of Coal in 1eoo.

The annual report of the State bureau of labor statistics on the coal industry in Illi- nois shows the total output of all mines for the fiscal year ending July 1, 1899, to be 3,153,929 net tons, which is nearly 2,000,0U0 tons in excess of any former year. There are fifty-two counties in the State produc- ing coal from 920 mines and openings. One hundred and thirty-eight new mines were opened and Tor closed as abandoned since the last report. There are 323 shipping mines and 597 local mines. The output of the shipping mines was A,056,996 tons and that of the local mines 1,096933
 The aggregate home value of the total product was $22, 5l0360. The total number of employees was 39 1884, of whom 35,2OS were employed underground. The average price paid for hand mining was 54.45 cents per ton and for machine mining 35.7S cents Machines to the number of 430 were used in 51 mines, and the total number of tons un- dercut by machines was 55S3, 594.
 During the year 95 men were accidentally killed, leaving 5 widows and 136 children fatherless: 6l5 men were injured as to lose a week or more of time The number of tons mined to each life lost was 264, 776 and the number mined to each man injured was 40,901. One man out of every 415 was killed and one out of every 64 injured. A Telephone Line Across the Ocean.
 Professor Pupins discovery by which tel ephonic communication can be held over a line stretching across the Atlantic ocean will likely prove one of the greatest inven- tions of the age. That it has merit is evil denced by the purchase of the patents by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, though to what particular use it will be put is at present merely conjec- tural. The price paid for a monopoly of the discoveries indicates that his invention will be turned to practical account with the least possible delay.
 Interest in the matter gets renewed impe- tus from the fact that the invention, de- scribed exclusively as a submarine system, also is available for long distance land use, and that it's introduction will make com munication possible over the longest land lines, say, a transcontinental line.
 This would seem to make a direct issue with the two large telegraph companies A transcontinental telephone system is a thing Bell interests have bten working on for years the accomplishment of which hitherto has been involved in the control of various systems forming a New York-San Francisco chain of companies.
 The Pupin invention 1t is claimed, will make feasible a direct land line of any length, and thus the American Telephone and Telegraph Company eventually will be in a position to dictate terms to the tele- graph companies if the new system devel- ops according to expectations.
 Another feature of the matter now att tracting considerable attention is the prob- ability that the American Telephone and Telegraph Company will introduce the sub marine telephone between Florida and the Gulf coast and Cuba, Central America and other parts not too far removed by water from this country.
 Such experiments would establish the adaptability of the system, and the trans ocean service logically would follow.
 The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is making rapid progress in bring ing its forces into line, particularly in the Erie Company, which recently was return ed to Bell control