The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-03

| anu 10 pdoth uu StOlcRic.
trade relations. The Introductory part.
by DIR. Charles Willard Hayes. geologist.
discusses briefly the distribution. develop
ment. production. and markets of the coal
fields of the Uni-ed States.
The total areas foot up some 2sO.397
| square miles, exclusive of Alaska, and
exclusive also of vast areas of Ignite coal
not strictly comparable with the higher
grade anthracite and bituminous Goals. OF
this total area approximately 80 per cent
is probably productive. The rank of
States in production differs greatly from
their rank in coal area
| Pennsylvania in Lead.
| Thus Pennsylvania, ranking seventh in
| coal area. was easily first in production in
1900, with little over 132.OOo.OOo short
tons out OF total production OF about
241 100000 tons. The same thing is true
of the northern Appalachian field as a
whole, which, third in area ranks first
in tonnage and value of product, result
due to proximity to market. suitability
Of coal to fuel requirements. and rela-
| tive quantity of workable coal per square
mile Of productive area.
The anthracite field consists of several
| long, narrow basins in eastern Penpsyl-
vania. Several small basins of Trassic
rocks in the Piedmont region of Vir-
ginia and North Carolina containing an
aggregate of about ], 900 square miles. are
coal bearing.
The Appalachian field. subdivided into
northern and southern. extends from
northern Pennsylvania $50 miles TO CEN
trail Alabama bra linz Of
States. and containing approximately. TO-
SEQ square miles, of which about 10 per
cent contains workable coal
The northern interior field lies wholly
within the State of Michigan. with an
area OF approximately II 900 square miles.
The eastern interior field lying in Indi-
ana. Illinois. and Kentucky has an area
of $4,000 square miles.
Over Half Produces.
1t is estimated that about 50 per cent
Of this area is productive. The western
interior and southwestern fields form a
practically continuous belt of coal meas |
ure rocks, extending from northern Iowa |
southwestward $50 miles to central Texas |
and embracing an area of 1906 square
miles.
The Rocky Mountain fields extend from |
the Canadian border southeastward some I
100 miles. with maximum breadth OF |
500 miles. and aggregate 1850 square |
miles. the San Carlos field. FL Paso |
County. Texas, and the Eagle Pass field. !
extending from Uvalde County, Texas. |
seventy-five miles to the Rio Grande and !
across into Mexico properly belonging TO |
the Rocky Mountain field. The Pacific |
Coast fields have a total area of about |
l.009 square miles, with the most import
ant deposit in Washington. few deposits ,
in extreme western Oregon, and in cen
trail and southern California.
The Ignite coal deposits, which are not
treated of in this series of papers, en-
brace about Sc .0a0 square miles in Mon
tana. the Dakotas. and Wyoming. and
then, in an area OF about equal extent.
they run in a narrow belt from the
Georgia Alabama line nearly to the
Mississippi, and then west OF the Missis-
sippi in a broader belt. from Little Rock
southwestward through Arkansas, Louisi-
ana and Texas.
Well-marked Types.
The Appalachian field presents certain
well-marked types OF coal which, for par
ticular purposes, are regarded as standard
The coal OF the Connellsville district of
the Pittsburg bed is the standard for cox
ing coal, as the Pocahontas coal of West |
Virginia is the standard for steam coal.
The northern interior field of Michi-
gan. contains only luminous coal. a fair
steaming fuel IN the eastern interior
field the largest part is a soft bituminous
fairly good steam coal; then there is the
block coal in Indiana. and also numerous
small areas of camel coal. valuable for gas
making and for domestic purposes In Ken
lucky.
The coal OF the western interior fields
is fairly uniform in composition. and
makes a fair steaming fuel. In the south
western interior field the coal varies from
a soft bituminous in northern Texas TO
semi anthracite in Arkansas. In the
Rocky Mountain and Pacific fields the coal
varies from Ignite to anthracite.
Controls Coal Trade.
Owing TO location and character of coal
the northern Appalachian field controls
the coal trade OF the Eastern States.
sending it's coal to the seaboard by the
trunk line railroads. II completes with
the interior coal fields to the West by
way of the Great Lakes and the trunk
line railroads. and to the south by way
OF the Ohio River. The Southern Appa-
lachian field supplies the South Atlantic
and Gulf States as far west as the Mis- |
sissippi. and DR.. Hayes thinks this field
will in time support large export trade
to Central and South American ports |
and after the isthmian canal is built,
TO Pacific coast ports also
The markets for the coal of the north
ern and eastern Interior fields are chiefly
within their own limits and they are in
more or less competition with the
coal and with the natural
gas of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
The western interior coal field supplies
its own markets. and those toward the
north and west. where it must Compete
with the Rocky Mountain fields. The
interior field has but little |
except from fuel oil in a
large territory toward the south and west.
Comes From North.
Practically all the coal fuel used by
the Southern transcontinental railroads.
as well as the Texas roads, CONES from
the north Texas and Indian Territory
ields. Considering the entire region be-
ween the Appalachian coal field and the
Rocky Mountain fields, there is observed ,
A general movement of the coal west
ward, a tendency due chiefly to the higher
grade of the Eastern Goals, but also in [
part TO the generally lower westward }
abroad freights, and TO the case OF west r
ward water transportation. The region :
west of the -hundredth meridian, ,
bout half the area OF the United States, !
Alaska excepted, contains less than 20 !
Der cent of the coal fields. Tes. Develop .
nent of the Coal resources u Alaska is t
IS yet In the experlmsntaJ stage. S
Practically al the ipiormatlsP Ct Pres
oa fS oids IS s S1sSSeS Bfosfs
n HIS paper. which should forh an 10. v
aid In future bfospectine and | n
DEVELOPMENT IN