The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-11
PRODUCTION 0F
GOAL IN IN VIRGINIA I ! NJ !
State Gives Way to Indian Ter
ritory Which Takes Eff
teenth Place ii, List.
TOTAL 3,451 ,3o7 SHORT TONS.
ssiirst Production Of Semi B1t,1-
ininous Coal Was From
Richmond Basin.
IRON our Regular Consequently

$s ti-Fnu,{ Our Regular Consequently
,vAsHlN GToN, d. c., December To-
The geological survey has issued n report
& on ti,e production of coal In this country
Is "a 1905 which contains some interesting
figures regarding the number OF tons ana
Y the valiie OF the coal product OF VirEiniL
ior that period
'rhe total production of coal in VIZ
5 sinia for tho fiscal year 1903, was :4ol,-
.:.p7 short tons. OF the sport value OF
sE SSsus lio or the coal mined. 26571o9 tons
were bitunnous, 1896 3semi-bituminous
and 2s,5B Atons of semi-anthracte. In
1859 Virginia held fifteenth place among
AZ The coal producing States Of the Union,
8 hut in 1853, she moved down one peg, ana
Indian Territory took fifteenth place,
swapping places with Virginia.
Began Here First.
4.rhe report says that SO far as history
( records the earlist production OF semi
f l,ituminous coal in the. United States Wa
i from the Richmond basin in Virginia, III
which inning blgan III the carry I'm.
s8 OF the last century. One authority states
y thai 81 600 tons were produced from this
amounted to 670i0 tons; that in
1876 it amounted o SS.72O tons, and III 1S2S
!ssa ID $50 tons In each of these years
~ me output exceeded that or Pennsylvania
i anthrac cite. The production continued 10
8s increase until 1Ss22 when 1t began to de-
It cline and by 1850 it had almost ceased
The statistics OF earlier years Of produce
II In Virginia are seemingly unreliable.
The census of 1s.g reporiss. the production
n for the State at isiSai tons. NO nroduc-
ton was reported by the census OF 1885,
s while that Of 1860 credits the State with
Il, on t1,ut OF $3.50 tons Tho census OF
ls7A the State OF West Virginia having
in the meantime been separated from
AL a.irs1nia credits the State OF Virginia
wit 81 n OUTPUT Of q. Sr5 tons, and reports
n Ne prcduciion % West Virginia al COS
3 S.s tons. 8l
The census o. l3s1 reports the produc-
4 tian of Ass.Gfa soTls. It was shortly after
this. in ISSs, that the construction of the
3 = S,fe,lk and western Railroad opened up
h srhat Is Known as the famous Pocahontas
District which includes TazeWeli county
VI, Virginia. ana Mcdowell and Mercer
xssu-asle n IVES. Virginia. The standing
OF Virginia as a coal mining State may
~ ne 4sfassss To have re-besun with this de-
81 n IsIy1 s.,a Ten years later. with the
csl,struc,ioa OF the Clinch Valley Edivisi on
5aof The Norfolk and Western tho coal
fields OF Wise county were developed,
since which time the coal production
89of the state has increased with notapta
rapidly. The production in 1905 was more
than five times that ,of 1892, and more
s%,lliln l,s,,r times that OF 1873 Conl2areos
# with 100. the production Of the State
lin 1905 shows an increase Of 26S,3l4 short
$tons, or 5. 1 per cent. in quantity while
he value o. the ,,roduct increased $15S, SOL
q or 29S Der cent. The average price per
ton advanced from 50 cents III 1902 TO
7. Sc cents in 1908. ali 81; l5c5f
Receipts of Coal.
& Tho report gives figures showing the
receipt OF coal at the piers t lAnlbe IT S
Pom. for the twelve. years ending with
the has It fiscal year The figures were tul- |
i8ished by Colonel William Lamb, OF Nor
Il folk WHO for years has been the repre-
Sentfttvr5at the port of Norfolk OF the /
5:tirm or castner and ,Cnrrln, the forward
ing agents for tho Pocahontas coal
tl545 Colonel Lamb places the total receipts {
Of coal III Norfolk In 1903 q .aas,5 BOB long
81 tons. ss compared with 2"S5,S34 long tons
sSitl 1862 Slowing Il decrease in,areccipts !
v at this port Of ~ .29a long tons In 1903. OF
Abe total reccapls in. 1903, l,52?,li5 long
AIMS were from" the I'ocahontas. region,
willie G49,4ll tons We're made UP OF Ship
q ments from 4he Clinch Valley district
III Virginia and the Thacker field, in
West Virginia, Tho receipts of Iocahon-
tps coa exhibit, II decrease in 1903. as
compared With The preceding year, Of
nearly .Gi,G0 long tons,
rhc falling of in the iidewater local
and foreign business OF the Pocahontas
e coal was due to the Pennsylvania Rail-
Z road interest, which dominated the man
.rgemeni Of tho Norfolk and Western,
and neglected tie Eastern fmurket for the
moro remuncrativc field In The West The
imposition Of i charge of y per ton for
4 bunkers drove away many customers of
j american coal TO foreign coaing stations
r The exports We're 10 Nest Indies. Cuba,
Y Me%co, Philippine Islands, Central and
81 South Amere,t, Italy, Japan, China and