The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1904-07-28

newal. While bituminous coal Il
widely diffused, and large deposits arr
known to exist in widely separated re
giops that have scarcely been exploited
all the anthracite on the continent Il
confined TO small district in Penn
svlvania. When that has been mined
there will be no more to be had
This is a simple geological fact. /
must be possible also for biologists u
calculate approximately the amount o.
anthracite remaining unmined bu
their calculations vary. There is TO be
considered not only the gross amoun
under ground, but the cost OF bring
ing il TO the surface That is, The
problem is not merely how long the
anthracite will last but how long tht
mining of it will be commercially
possible. Mr. Parker, Of the United
States Geological Survey limits the
practicable use Of anthracite as fuel tt
half a century. Few operators are ye'
ready to put the limit 50 low as that
though they generally agree that the
production has already passed the maxi
mum.
II is fact that the average OF the
last three years has been less than
SO. 600 600 to -, 900, coo tons, against a
former average Of from 90 600, 600 to
- 600 900 tons In these same three
wears the production of soft coal mas
risen from 1ll00O, 600 to $50 600 600
tons. II is not an unreasonable dednc-
ton that anthracite is already assuming
the character of luxury and rs the cost
Of its production necessarily increases
with the increasing depth OF the mines
it is at disadvantage in competition
with the cheaper fuel The great al
vantage Of anthracite on the other
hand, is in those uses in which soft coal
cannot compete with il and in which II
il likely to hold its supremacy ~ long a'
there is any Of it obtainable, 1t may
cost more. but the domestic consumer
will find 1t worth more, if the price can
be kept anywhere within his reach.
The lugubrious predictions of the geolo
fists thus need not be taken too serl
ouslv except ~ a precaution to the an
thracite companies La Crosse Morning
Chronicle,
The ultimate exhaustion oil the supply
Of hard coal is indeed a contingency, II
not certainty So is that OF the supply
Of soft coal, although it is absolutely
| certain that the deposits Of the latter
will not be exhausted for some thou
sands Of years TO come. The ultimate
exhaustion Of the supply Of copper, sill
yer, gold lead ore, iron ore aud petro.
leum is also contingency if not a
certainty, although some Of these i'm
portant ores aud mineral products are
constantly in process Of formation. The
ultimate exhaustion Of the timber sup
Div Of this country. while not n Ger
tainty, is II contingency In view OF
all these possible contingencies there i
no occasion for alarm ut the particular
contingency of the exhaustion OF an
thracite coal min ~ While it is u Ger
tainty that the supply Of bitumluou
coal and Of iron ore will hold out io'
some thousands of years to come, 1t can
not, ~ yet, be Approximately computed
how much hard coal still remains in TN,
crust Of the earth TO do this a fal
more thorough complete, and scientific
geological survey il demanded than ha.
hitherto been undertaken by many Of
the states or by the United States geo
logical survey for the country at Iarge
While it il generally conceded that
the measures Of anthracite are confined
to comparatively small region III
Pennsylvania, no geoogist il prepared
to say that hard coal does not exist
elsewhere in this country Indeed thu
geological history Of the Appalachian
region il such that it is not at all alb
surd to look for future discoveries OF
vast additional stretches Of anthracite
coal treasures in those parts Of the r."
gion in question Whose formations ant
geological peculiarities ARE identica
with that Of the anthracite region il
Pennsylvania.
The fact that it * generally conceded
that the production Of hard coal hm
already passed the maximum and tn,
further fact that rs the mine get TO b,
deeper. the cost of production will ne
ccssarily increase can certainly mo-
operate to place anthracite at n disad
vantage in competition with the
cheaper coal for ~ the demand Ior
anthracite must inevitably continue, il
the supply should decrease OF course
within certain limit it would be- a
an advantage, no matter how low th'
price Of soft coal might he
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