The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-13
OHIO'S SOFT COAL BEDS
EXTENT OF THE FIELD AND CLASS
Es OF THE FUEL MINED.
Twelve Thousand square Miles i'm
Estimated at 22,sOO,OOO Tons.
Of the Indianapolis Journal.

lachian coal field, with its area of 20 006 |
square miles. is. taken as a whole by far
the most important OF the btuminous coal
fields OF the United States in its extent IN
the quality of its COAL I'm the number and
thickness OF its workable beds, in its state
OF development and in the Importance and
the accessibility OF its markets. The north
ern part OF this great field lies in the States
OF Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West
Virginia.
The Ohio coal field, discussed by Robert
NJ. Easeltine in Part Of the twenty-second
annual report of the United States geolog-
zeal survey. now in press. has been esti-
mated at 1900 square miles. and IL occu-
pies In whole or in part the thirty counties
forming the southeastern part Of the State
OF the sixteen coal beds within the State
six arc important and have been largely
developed. and ten afford mines OF small
production OF are operated merely for local
trade. The productive beds are: The block
coal. No. 1: the wellston. No. 81 the lower
Kttanning, No. 5; the middle Kittanning,
No. 6; the upper Freeport, No. 7, and the
Pittsburs. No. s. The Goals OF these sew
eral beds differ somewhat widely in char
acter and IN adaptibility to the varied re-
quirements Of the fuel markets. Block coal
Il
eastern part of the State. comes from the
mine In large blocks and is remarkable for
its strength and fiber. 1t is good nom
coking steam COAL a very desirable domestic
fuel. and its chief usefulness is In making
pig iron. for, owing to its purity. it can
be used In the blast furnace In its raw
state. 1t was this coal that supplanted
charcoal in the early established blast fur
naces OF the State. The field was developed
early. In 1928 a consignment was sent from
Tallmadge. Summit county. to Cleveland.
and in 1871 the late Governor Tod sent
canal boat load from his Brier hill mines
at Youngstown to Cleveland for use on the
lakes About this same date its use began
I'm the blast furnaces at Lowellsville. and
for more than twenty-five years the fur
mace men OF the region used II exclusively.
The coal was mined by hand labor. machine
mining having proved unsatisfactory.
Within its known areas this coal is largely
exhausted. It is found in Trumbun. Ma
honing Summit. Stark, Portage and Tus-
caravans counties.
The welston jackson county,. or No.
bed, known also as the Rider Vein,'
from two to four feet thick, began to be
developed about 1872. and reached its max
imum output OF over 100000 tons in 1893.
The mines on this vein will henceforth
gradually decrease In output. 1t is
open burning, noncohing coal, and Is used
in its raw stats in local blast furnaces.
Tt finds a ready market In Ohio. Indiana,
Michigan and at the lake ports as railroad,
manufacturing and domestic fuel its popu-
larity as a domestic coal being unequaled
in the Ohio markets by any other COM
peting coal.
The Lower Kittanning, or No. bed.
from three to five feet thick. a successful
coking coal, and also a good blast furnace
and steam coal, is mined in almost every
county in the the Ohio coal field, from
southern Mahoning on the north to the
Hanging Rock region, Lawrence county,
on the south. The coal is mined by the
pick. machine mining being impracticable.
Hence no large developments are expected
on this bed in the near future. The Middle
Kittanning. OF No. bed. having from
less than a foot to about ten feet of work.
able coal. is likewise widely distributed,
and Is known also as the Hooking Valley
coal. 1t is an open-burning coal. good for
steam fuel, popular for domestic uses, and
not surpassed as a furnace coal by any
I'm the State. The bed is mined from Column
biana county on the north, through Holmes,
Coshocton, Muskingum, Perry, Hooking,
Athens. Vinton and Sedalia to Lawrence
in the south. 1t mines In large blocks, and
withstands the rough usage Of the lake
trade to which it is mostly diverted. For
the past fifteen years the Hooking valley
has furnished from 80 to IS per cent. of
the States coal product. 1t is doubtful
II the field will ever exceed the output of
7.423 796 tons in 1900.
The Upper Freeport, or No. 7 bed, rated
as second In Importance OF the coal beds
of the State, and attaining thickness of
nearly seven feet. has been largely de-
veIoped at Salineville. Columbiana county;
at Sherodsville, Carroll county; at Cam
bridge. Guernsey county; in Muskingum
county, near Caldwell; in Noble county;
I'm portions OF Perry. and in the Waterloo
field in Gallia and Lawrence counties. 1t
is one OF the best steam Goals of the State,
the product being consumed chiefly by
railroads. though used also in rolling mills
and manufactures. The slack makes a
fairly good coke. Pick mining was usual
until machine mining began in 1893 in the
Trail Run mine Of Guernsey county. At
the close OF 1900 there were forty-five ma
chimes in use in sixteen mines on this
bed.
The Pittsburg or No. bed, is probably
the most important coal within the State
and occupies in part or in whole the coun-
ties OF Jefferson, Harrison. Belmont, Guern-
sey. Athens and Meigs. The merchantable
part or the seam is generally from four
90 six feet thick. Several attempts have
been made TO get coke from this bed, but
without success. This bed must be relied
upon 10 furnish the major part of the
States cCal product during the present
century as the other beds have been great
~ depleted.
All coal was pick-mined until 1871 when
q breast machine of the rotary type, de-
signed by +. NJ. Leichner. was installed in
mine at New Straitsville. in the Hooking
valley. This machine was the nucleus of
the great jeffrey Manufacturing Company.
In 1881 machine Of the reciprocating pat
tern was introduced into the w. b. Brooks
mine, near Jacksonville. In 1899 the ma
chimes were confined 10 thirteen mines i'm
seven counties, and the production of ma
chine-mined coal 100000 tons Electric
power was applied in this year. and at the
close of 1900, 35S mining machines in nine
ty-four mines in fifteen counties produced
over 10000 tons OF coal. or about 81 per
cent of the States output. Before the
introduction OF machine mining the work
was done chiefly by skilled miners from
England, Wales. Scotland and Germany.
The old miners have gradually been sup
planted by less skilled labOrers from Hun
gary. Slayonia Poland. Italy and southern
European countries.
The reports indicate that 30 per cent Of
the mines Will Increase their product and
that 45 per cent. have reached their maxi
mum capacity; and p per cent are not re-