Newport daily independent., 1905-04-14
PENNSYLVANIA. ANTHRACITE
Top mage of Last Year Exceeded by Six Million Tons That of Any
 Previous Year.

of the product at prices which brought 8 fair return to all con- cerned in the industry Some signid. cant figures in conHection with the production of Pennsylvania anthrap cite during 1903 have been collected by MT. William w. Ruley, special agent of the United States geological survey. ana will be included in MT. E. w. Parker's report on the produce ton of coal in 1903, which is regular feature of the surveys annual volume on the mineral resources of the United States.
 At the commencement of 1903 there was practically no anthracite in stock. as the amount which had been mined after the strike of 1902 had gone directly into consumption. All thas could be mined during the first three months of 1903 was in immediate de- mand.
 With the opening of navigation and . reduction in price on April 1, dealers at all points endeavored to lay in an ample supply of coal to meet their fall and winter requirements. This made . brisk demand for the product dur ing the spring and summer months. with the resultant accumulation ol stocks in dealers hands. The early arrival of cold weather, however. and the prolonged severity of the winter created an unusually brisk demand for coal.
 In connection with the large pro. duction, it Is interesting to note tho increase in the shipments of the small sizes of coal during 1903 over those ol previous years. This is especially noteworthy on account of the opinion generally expressed at tho close of thu anthracite strike. that bituminoua coal had largely supplanted anthro cite for steam purposes, and would continue to hold this trade to tn exclusion of the small sizes of the lat ter product. On the contrary, how. ever, the consumption of these smaller sizes of coal increased 2,46S.ss4 tons is 1903 over 1901. It would seem thai the only cause which would seriously affect the prosperity of the anthracite business is the general condition o tho entire country. As long as thu people at large are able to buy antAED. cite, 1t will not want . market
 It Is also of interest to note e increase of 16 cents in the average value per ton for coal at the mines The total production was es.3S1. I'll tons. valued at $152. .o3e.44S. The aver age price per ton was @2.s0; ths mum. bsr of men employed was 150. 0.4e3s aAl the average number of days that each man worked was 20e.
 Tables are given in the report which shows the production by counties fos the years 1902 and 1908; also the ship. msnts of anthraciN and the propor' ton of sizes shipped. A tabular ar. rangement of the various sections q the anthracite fields Is given. with [ list of ten railroads that enter the tor Sitory.
 The anthracite fields comprise aA area of somewhat over AS0 sQuazs niles, aud are located in the eastsrA- middle part of the state. in the coun, lies of Carboa, Columbia, LackS wanna, LussrAe. Northumberland. Ochxylktll and 0usqushanna ThR arc chased under thrse general divi. stons. namely. the Wyoming. LshigA and Schuyikill regions. Geologically tAsy arc divided into fields or basins. which arc again subdividsd into dis tricts.
 The Bernics nelA, In Sullivan eoua- @, is not included iA any of thess re- etons. The classification of the prod Uct of this field is matter of some contention. The fracture Of the cuni and soure of its charsctsrtsees arc more like those of some bl$umiAsus or semianthrAcite coals than stdo. anthracite, but on account of it1 high percentage of fixed carbon cd low percentage of moistuYs 1t Is classsd aa anthracite by the second Pennsyl- vHnia geological survey, and the product is so included in this report