River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-11-03
ANTHRACITE COAL.
Does Appearance Affect its Value.
Science and Development Have
Changed Opinions.

The position held in regard to the
commercial value of that anthracite
coal taken from veins that uniformly
give a bright and snowy coal, and the
coal taken from seams that for wears
were left alone because the product
appeared to be dull and dirty after
being prepared for market, is very
much changed when compared with
the period of fifteen years ago. for
there has been a gradual but sure
change in the method of mining and
preparing the millions of tons of an
thracite annually shipped from the
Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys.
1t is but few years since nothing
could be mined and sold except the
bright and lustrous Goals of square,
sharp fracture, and the value of coal
as shown by tests, indicating coal of
high fixed carbon or volatile matter.
and low in ash was not for moment
entertained The simple commercial
feature of a beautiful, slightly coal of
nearly perfect preparation was allowed
to overshadow It's heat giving features,
methods and proper land values in the
entire coal fields. Thus, in the very
distressing period following the CEN
tennial year, absolutely nothing was
mined and prepared for market except
the very cream OF the best seams of
anthracite. This grand fuel was sold
at scant cost. the average compensa-
n hA To-
being 35 per cent less than now re-
ceived by the wage workers. The IA
vorite veins were then the Baltimore,
with it's grand deposit eighteen feet
thi ok, the Pittston seam with fourteen
feet of lustrous coal, and the Clark
vein, the latter deposit being distinct
lively Lackawanna coal, showing about
nine feet'of grade almost on par with
the peerless Baltimore.
1880 may be called year of new
IDEAS in the trade, for not until then
did the great companies seem to awake
to a realizing sense of greatly mistaken
methods both above and below ground
Then the secondary seams which were
| hitherto judged to be of sonly remote
value, were attacked all along the line,
the managers seeming to realize that
they were rapidly reaching the highest
point of production of the bright an
thracite, and that the future must be
provided for. The new openings rap
idly multiplied and with them came
the blending or infusion of the bright
er and lustrous Goals with the darker
grades of anthracite from the newly de-
veloped seams. This has been going
on steadily with the greatest apparent
satisfaction, the ratio of the latter to
to the former increasing with each
year.
When the geological reports were
submitted in 1885 and 1886, which were
shown to include elaborate tests, it
was found that the heavy darker Goals
of the fat fracture were more than able
to hold their own with the light,
bright, friable and clinkering Goals
hitherto so highly rated by the ignorant
or unthinking consumer. In one no.
ticable instance, cited by the survey,
the refuse going to the waste banks
was found to contain more carbon and
estimatble properties than the Goals
put in cars ready for shipment. (See
page 317 Annual Report Pennsylvania
Geological Survey, 1850 The amount
of it all was that results indicated the
true worth of the off color, or ragged
fracture Goals; the worth of the other
grade being thoroughly established.
The problem has since been to furnish
a blend of merchantable satisfaction,
commercial needs for the time demand
ing it. Mining the celebrated seams
above referred to, to the exclusion of
the other, is no longer INDUCED in, the
value of the darker coal Is now fully
understood and its relation to the
blended coal of the future properly ra-
ted. On every hand new colleries have
been established to work these darker
the very best investments, as they are
the most satisfactory producers; al
though much smaller veins than the
celebrated Seams are worked, and
thereby the modern methods of mining
are thoroughly endorsed, and the com
mercial value and estimation of the
heavy and dark grades of anthracite
are demonstrated, Mining properties
are now really developed with reference
TO whole or unified value, and the in
discriminate and wasteful mining of a
part of the anthracite is no longer
tolerated, while the outside admins
tration utilities every mechanical de-
wee to perfect its thorough prepare
ton for market and reduce theJwaste
to a minimum The outcome for the
future promises graded quality Of
anthracite, not SO slightly as that
known to the trade in the past, but of
true worth and value as heat giving
fuel THE Coal Trade Journal.