The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-03-21


The U. s. Geological Survey in
its current report, summarizes the
coal interests of this field as follows
"By way of summary, the Goals of
the Eastern Interior field have not
proved to be satisfactory for the
manufacture Of gas, except where
they have great advantages in
freights over Pennsylvania Goals
the same is true Of coke in Indiana
and Illinois. The coke from west
ern Kentucky coal is OF excellent
quality, and is finding an ever.in-
creasing market. For steam pro-
duction the Goals of this field d,
fall far behind the best eastern
Goals, and they are probably as good
or b tier than most of the coal from
fields farther west.
The history Of coal in this region
takes us back to the picturesque,
not to say romancing figure OF Fa-
|; ther Hennepin near Fort Creve
Coeur, on the Illinois River, in
1898. His is also the first mention
of coal found in America. In 1863
coal was noticed on the Wabash
; River by Colonel Croghan. In
1911 coal was dug al Fulton, Perry
county, Indiana, and taken aboard
the steamboat Orleans by Robert
Fulton, on his return trip down the
Ohio River. 1910 1850, consider
able coal shipped down the Ohio
from Kentucky, and from points
along the Wabash, White and Oaio
rivers in Indiana 1S50-1S60, ex-
tensive coal mining in Illinois.
1879, Illinois third, Indiana fifth,
Kentucky ninth in rank as coal pro-
ducers in the United States. In
1900 Illinois was second, Indiana
sixth, Kentucky seventh in rank.
La all three states tho room and pill
lar method of mining predominates,
aud in all three also machines are
largely used in mining the coal. In
Illinois anu Indiana the large ma
jority OF miners are white, the COL
ored miners having in the main
been brought in to take the place Of
strikers. In Kentucky large pro-
portion of miners are negroes. OF
the white miners in Indiana and
Kentucky, the figures indicate that
about one-half are foreigners, and
that this proportion is on the in
crease. The Eastern Interior field
supplies entirely or in part the fuel
market for all Of Indiana west and
south Of the Indiana gas field, all of
Illinois, western Kentucky, western
Tennessee, northwestern Alabama,
Mississippi, points in Louisiana and
Arkansas on the Mississippi River,
and its tributaries, eastern Missouri,
eastern Iowa, and portions of east
ern Nebraska, Minnesota, the Da-
kotas, and Wisconsin. Its coal
comes in competition over the whole
OF this area with both anthracite
and bituminous coal from the Apa-
lachian field both by rail and by
water. The production Of this field
in 1900 was, in round numbers,
35, 100000 short tons, valued at
$36, ,200,0 900, Of which Illinois pro-
duced 25,750,OO0 tons, Indiana
$500, 900 tons, and Kentucky
5000, 900 tons; and Of this product
over 81 per cent. was consumed as
railroad fuel, 5 per cent. as steam
boat fuel, about "a per cent. as
manufacturing fuel, over 81 per
cent. as domestic fuel, and lessthan
one half of one per cent. in making
coke. Only one mine seems to be
exporting coal the Wheatcraft
mine, Webster Co., KY, is ship
ing 10 Mexico via New Orleans.
Nearly the whole product Of this
field is shipped by rail. In Illinois
33 roads transport the coal product,
Of which Is carry over 500, 200 tons
each; in Indiana 10 railroads, and
in Kentucky 3 roads carry most OF
the coal.
In 1900, 81 counties had 799
commercial mines which actually
produced over 80, 100000 short
tons, and whose estimated pro-
ductive capacity is over IS, 900, 900
tons. Over 60 per cent. of these
mines report prospective increase in
production. From these reports it
is evident that the prospects for en-
largement all over the field are ex-
cellent."