Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-17
The Coal NIining.Industry.

Interesting facts relating to the
labor in coal mines of the country
are presented in a report just made
by the geological survey. From 1898
to 1901, inclusive. the statistics of
coal production were as follows: In
1898 the average number of men EN-
ployed was 4O1 ,221, and they averaged
100 working days during the year,
producing 219,974, 667 short tors OF
coal, valued at sos, 000,S50. 3
In 1899. 41O.365 men. working 214
days. produced 253, 739,992 short tons,
valued at S256.O77, 434. In 1900, 44S.-
5S1 men, working PIP days. produced
269 ,6S2, 1927 short tons, valued at $780,
671.364. In 1901, 1855 men, working
216 days. produced 293,29s,516 short
tons. valued at $34S, 91O,4 69.
In 1898 the average price of coal
per ton was 95 cents; in 1899 it was
$1.O1: in 1900 it was $1.14; in 1901 IL
was $1.19.
According to the two great divisions
of the coal industry, the bituminous
and the anthracite, the statistics are
as follows: In the bituminous coal
industry in 1890, 49,, 2O4 men. working
900 days. produced III, 3O2 1922 shorr
tons, valued at $11O,42O,s sol. an aver
age of ESQ tons per man per day, and
of SO tons per man per year. In
1895, 239,962 men, working 1874 days.
produced 1876, 11S,912 short tons, and
of 563 tons per man per year.
In 1900, 3O4,375 men. in Pa days.
produced 212,314.912 short tons, val
ued at $22O.913.513, or POS tons per
n nd
In 1901. 34O,23j men. in 225 days, pro-
duced 225.s26,s49 short tons. valued AT
$236, 406. 449. or 2.94 tons per man per
day, and ga tons per man per year.
The average price of bituminous
coal per short ton in 1890 was 90
cents: in 1895, So cents; in 1900. S1.O4:
in 1901. Sl.O5.
In the anthracite mines in 1890 the
number of miners was 10000, who in
200 days produced 46. 46S.641 short
tons. valued at SOC. 1893. 772. the average
production being 1.S5 tons per man
per day and 500 tons per man per
year. In 1895. 1897 men produced
in 196 days 57,999.33 short tons. val
ued at SS2,0l5,272, an average of 2.01
short tons per man per day and OF
400 tons per man per year.
The average price per short ton of
anthracite coal in 1890 was S1.43; in
1895 it was S1.41; in 1900 it was Sl.49.
and in 1901 it was S1.67
In the last u years the number of
workers in the anthracite mines in
creased from 10000 in 1890 to a.. 900
in 1901, or over Is per cent. During
the same period the number of men
L..
from 49,. 2O4 to 34O,235, or a little over
a. per cent.
Statistics of accidents in the mines
in the calendar year 1901 show that
1 .467 men were killed, 3.463 were in
jured. and that 1sS.66S tons of coal
were mined for each life lost. In the
bituminous mines of the country 954
men were killed and 2.4OO were in
jured in a total of 34O.23j men at
work. In the anthracite mines 513
men were killed and 1924 were in
jured in a total of 145,3OO at work.
The statistics for PENNSYLVANIA
alone show 3O1 men killed, ESQ men in.
jured. and an average of 273,2sS short
tons of coal mined for each life lost
in the bituminous mipes; and 513 men
killed, 1.243 men injured, and an aver
age of 1884 short tons of coal min
ed for each life lost in the anthra-
cite mines.
1t is interesting to note that in
Pennsylvania the number of short
tons of bituminOus coal mined per
life lost was a little more than dou-
bic the number of short tons of coal
mined per life lost in the anthra cite
mines.