The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-11-01
AMERICAS GOAL FIELDS
History of Industry Since Dis
covery of Anthracite.
PENNSYLVANIA OUTPUT
This Country Mines One-Third of
Entire Coal Used in the World
Miners Mostly all Foreigners
Value of Production for 1904 Ex-
ceeded That from All Copper.


area of 1880 square miles, and are
divided into two great regions-the
anthracite and bituminous, the an
thracite in the eastern central part of
the State, containing 500 square
miles, and the bituminous in the west
part, containing $1,000 square miles.
The discovery of bituminous ante
dates that of anthracite. and the de-
velOpment and first attempts to in
troduce them as articles of COM
merce are replete with interest. BIZ
luminous was discovered early in the
eighteenth century, when the Penns,
who still retained their proprietary
interest in the State, including the
Manor of Pittsburg, surveyed the
town of Pittsburg and at the same
time sold the privilege of mining
coal for home purposes near the
town at the rate of $50 for each
mining lot. The first shipment of BIZ
luminous of any consequence was to
southern points on the Ohio River
and to Columbia, Penn, in 1904, and
consisted of 400 tons carried on a
raft.
Anthracite coal was discovered by
white people in ITO on Sharp
Mountain, then in Northampton
County, near where the town of
Summit Hill, Carbon County, is now
situated, but many years before that
the Indians knew of it's existence.
The records of Northampton Court
verify the discovery by showing that
patents were issued in 1880 with a
claim that Sharp Mountain contained
valuable coal deposits. The discovery
also at this date is shown by Sculls
map of Pennsylvania of 1771, which
marks the place in Northampton
County where the coal was found.
The value Of coal and it's allied
products is astonishing. Towns and
cities are springing into existence in
Pennsylvania, and grow with a ra-
pidity that causes the most conserva-
tive to marvel. Her cities contain
more solid wealth in proportion to
their population than any other cities
In the country.
The total number of industries in
the State that use coal is 52,170, and
the value of the output in 1905 was
$1,72O,1O8,25O
The total amount of anthracite
mined in 1904 was 62,595,644 tons,
while the amount sold was $685.
ATT tons. Almost 100000 tons per
year are used about the mines and
towns for generating steam and do
nestle purposes. The average num-
Der Of persons employed In 1904
was 100, 579. The sum of the wages
was $26,065,400. The average year
ly earnings for 1904 were s574.2S,
an individual increase over 1903 of
$82.85, or 1913 per cent This aver
age increase in the earnings of en-
pioyees included 24,134 persons who
worked in and about the breakers,
mostly boys.
The total number Of tons of btu
mino1s mined and sold in 1904 was
81, 490,708, the average price of
which was $1.01. The persons en-
ployed numbered 146,330, and they
earned $16,134,195. Coke to the
value of $56,000,000 was also manu-
featured in 1904.
1t is of interest to note that the value
of the output of anthracite alone in
the State for 1904 exceeded all the
copper and silver mines in the United
output amounted to $S8,134,770,
gold $74,525, 400, and silver $780,
52O,668, or a total of $195,38O,79S,
while the total output of coal at the
mines amounted to about $20O,0O0,-
600 and at seaboard, $500, 100000.
The Capitalization of mining in
terests is being brought about by the
merging of the different railroad
companies, and it is asserted that be-
fore long one gigantic syndicate will
control both the anthracite and btu
luminous output, and with it the des-
TIMES of 325, 447 men and boys who
are employed in both fields.
Of this vast army of mine work
ers, including men and boys, more
than 10000 are immigrants from
Continental Europe. Those employed
from the inception of mining until
within a few years were natives of
Wales, Cornwall, Germany, Ireland,
and Scotland. Now these nationali-
ties and their descendants are being
replaced by Poles, Lithuanians, Syr-
ians, Greeks, Galicians and Hungar-
ians, not only as miners, but in COM
mercial pursuits also. Owing to the
great physical endurance these i'm
migrants possess they are we'll
adapted to the arduous labor of coal
mining, and they have proved that
they make good American citizens
by the vast amount of real estate
they own and the successful battle
they make in the stress of modern
competition.
The United States mines one
third of the entire coal product of
the world, and of this amount Penn
sylvania has the distinction of turn
ing out about one-half.