The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-22
ANTHRACITE COAL
FOUND IN 1871
Was Discovered by Philip Gin
ther, a Hunter
MADE WONDERFUL FIRE
Output of e1,41o,2oo Tons in 1905 and
Strike Is Greatly .Feared-Be-
ginning of RItuminous
Coal Mining.
MADE WONDERFUL FIRE
From the Boston Globe.

From the Boston Globe.
While millions of people are watching
the contest between the miners and opera
tors the history of the wonderful discov-
cry and development of anthracite coal
makes timely reading This particular
fuel, which has cost consumers so much
extra money in strike periods, is now SO
plentiful in the mines that it ought to be
obtainable at reasonable prices at all
times
According to an article published half
century ago, anthracite coal was dis
covered in 1871 around the Lehigh river
in Pennsylvania On the eastern side of
the river in a log cabin, lived a hunter
named Philip Ginther, with his wife and
child. The life of hunter has ever been
precarious one and Ginther's was no
exception to the rule. After a poor break
fast in the year named he left his family
IN the cabin and sought to replensh his
little store of food from the forest His
quest continued all day. As the shades
Of evening fell he found himself near the
top Of Sharp mountain and many miles
from home. A storm came on and as he
FASTENED on his way he stumbled over a
fallen tree and large black stone.
BE had heard of "stone coal existing
in the mountains and concluded this stone
must be specimen He took a piece
with him and later gave it to a Col. Jacob
Weiss who then resided near the site of
the present Mauch Chunk The latter
sent the specimen for examination to
Philadelphia, where it was passed upon
by many alleged scientists
1t remained for Charles Cist a printer,
TO declare that the specimen was anthra-
cite coal He asked Colonel Weiss to re-
ward Ginther and at the same time to Sc
cure as much land in the vicinity of the
find as possible.
Discovered by Accident.
After the navigation OF the Lehigh
river had been improved by order of the
legislature, coal was brought down to
some nail works al Paramount Even then
it was only by accident it was discovered
how to burn this hard coal. Such a fire
as 1t made had never been seen before
The newspapers told the story and the
character of the coal was established for
| all time
The Sharp mountain mine was an open
| quarry and enormous quantities of an
| thracite were taken from it, The veins
| of coal and slate were said to be 10 feet
in thickness and from 1t there were
| mined S50,000 tons. The Schuykill region
was opened in 1922, and soon proper CRATES
| were produced and the hard coal trade
| became established.
An era OF speculation followed. VII
lagos sprung up like mushrooms, and adj
venturers flocked from all parts to Potts
vile.
The bituminous coal mining commenced
in Virginia, where the output as early as
1920 was about $4,000 gross tons The rest
of the country is estimated to have added
| to this 5000 tons of bituminous coal AT
that time we were sixth in the list Of
coal producers. In 1910 our output had
reached nearly 100000 tons.
U. S. Near the Top.
In 1850. with an output of about 100000
tons. we had already passed Belgium
France and Germany. Great Britain was
then producing about 54,0OOO0O tons. or
more than seven times as much as the
United States, but we have since gained
rapidly upon her and must be near the
top as a coal producing country
At the depth of 2000 feet some of the
mines are the most fiery or gaseous in
the world, and have called for mine
ventilation probably unequaled in any
of the older countries. 1t is not uncom-
mon to find a Pennsylvania anthracite
mine circulating 25000O cubic feet of air
per minute through single fan Half II
century ago there was scarcely any sys-
tematc ventilation.
While there is no trouble now over the
supply of bitumnous coal, the discomfort
and distress that can be caused by pro-
longed strike in the anthracite fields Is
regarded with dismay by millions of
householders, merchanics and manufae-
turers. AS there was an output of 61.-
40 200 tons of anthracite i'm 1905 the ex-
tensive use of this coal is apparent