Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-07-15
COAL PRODUCTION
Of West Virginia Shows a Big
Increase.


Interesting Statistics Relating to the
Industry Issued By u. y. Gorern.
ment Bat one Set Back In Twenty
Years and This was due to Lung
Strike in Poeahonins District
The complete report of the coal pro.
duetion in West Virginia In 1900 has
just been prepared by Edward W
Parker, stausticiau OF the geological
survey. The total product IN 1900
was %, CAT, 20I short tons Of the spot
value Of SIS, ZIG, ST. Compared with
1899 the coal productions OF West
Virginia in 1900 shows an increase Of
339, 212 short tons, or 176 per cent.
The value increased Sc, 362, 0la or so
per cent. The report says.
"The development OF West Virginia
as a coal producing State has been
one Of the most remarkable features
OF the coal mining industry In the
last twenty years. During this entire
period there was only one year in
which the coal production Of West
Virginia showed decrease as COM
pared with the preceding year This
was In 1895, and was due TO a general
strike which prevailed la the Poea-
hontas region, and which caused a loss
OF about 1,l50,000 tons IN the TIVE
counties, Mcdowell and Mercer which
constitute West Virginia's portion OF
that region. The increase In the pro-
duction OF the other counties OF the
State was not sufficient to Offset the
decrease in the output in the pocahon
tas district. Had IL not been for this
strike the production Of West Virginia
would have shown an uninterrupted
annual increase for twenty years. As
1t IS the increase has amounted to an
average OF more than 000. $50 tons
per year during the last twenty years.
Thls state hos eeen gradually APP
pfoaching the second place as \ coal
producing state. 1t surpassed Ohio
as third coal producing State IN 1895,
and has 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 distrbu-
ted over almost the entire State. there
being only i've out OF the twenty one
counties in which the production in
1900 was less than that OF 1890.
These counties We're all comparatively
unimportant producers and the total
decrease In those 1--we counties was
less han $50, 900 tons. The largest
Increase in production In 1900 was in
Fagette county, which also is the
most important coal producing county
IN the State. Marion county. the
third In production, was fourth in the
amount OF increase. The largest per-
centage Of increase was made by Ran
delPh county, whose 1900 product was
3. . times that of 1899 Barbour coun-
ty was second in the percentage Of in
crease, the product in 1900 being
nearly twenty seven times that Of the
preceding year.
The Hse OF mining machines show
ed substantial increase In West Vir-
ginia ia 1900, The number OF firms
using machines increased from 80 in
1899 to 55 in 1900. The number Of
machines in use was more than doub-
led, from l54 To 327, and the machine
turned product increased from |, 49,
125 to 3, 4ls,377 tonsr
"The coal mining industry OF West
Virginia was comparatively undis-
turbed by labor troubles during 1900
Out of the 266 coal mining plants in
the State strikes occurred In but IL
and most Of these were Of short dura.
ton. The total number OF men made
idle by the strikers was 1888; the
total number of working days lost by
them being 44,3lS, an average OF 23.5
days per man. The total amount OF
time lost IN the State on account If
strikes in 1900 was less than two
thirds OF one per cent ~ the total
time made.