The Washington herald., 1907-09-23

clear il away from the neighborhood OF
the forts where it afforded Indian pro-
lection. was all he had TO think ABOUT
He piled great logs in a wide-mouthed
chimney. and sat In the rudy glow 10
plan for the future Of his children Pill
ing on more logs as those burned OUT
and never bothering his head TO ques-
ton II the supply might. some day ne
come depleted The twentieth century
citizen is the one who must solve the
problem. II is a question with many
phases, and he has set himself TO
study ont with scientific eXacutude The
quantity Of natural fuel within his reach'
the quickest manner In which II can De
transported, its convenience in delivery
and its compactness in storage. Accord
ing TO the location Of his home, he has
the choice Of wood. anthracite, bitumi-
nous COAL ignite, coke, gas, oil, electrl-
city. and briquettes manufactured from
various materials, while hay boxes and
hreless cookers have recently proved
their worth as fuel savers in the hands
Of his economical wife.
Wood. once the general American fuel
and still the standby Of the householder
in remote rural communities, has so
much greater value for other uses that
the question Of teaching forest owners
how to cut and use their timber JUDI
ciously Is becoming Il momentous one.
1t is almost impossible to get exact
information as 10 how much wood Is
used each year as fuel, as so many
householders cut from their own lands.
The Forest Service. In connection with the
Census Bureau, expects. however. to take
a census of the stumpage in the United
States at the general census Of 1910. II
not earlier Ii Is roughly estimated that
100000 cords Of hrewOOd are burned
in this country every year at value
Of S35O, O00,000. the price varying from )
or s. a cord, on owners lands in the
densely fOrested southern Appalachian
States, to 50 or SO in the once heavily
timbered regions of the Middle North
west r. S. Kellogg, chief OF the Office
Of wood utilization, Forest Service
in an address before the Box Man
ufacturers' Association at Kaaters-
q
that the present amount Of wood con-
sumed per capita is now only about IL
cords. against 8 cords in 1850
Beginning January J. 1908. the Forest
Service. in cooperation with the Geolog-
icaI Survey, Will begin an important Sc
ries of tests 10 determine the relative fuel
value Of woods found in the national for
ests. Experts will compare the fuel value
Of wood with that of minerals, taking q
portable outfit with q % TO sc horsepower
steam boiler to places where wood is the
chief fuel. and get by experiments the
amount Of steam developed by different
methods Of burning wood. In the labora-
tories of the Geological Survey tests will
be made 10 determine whether frew1od
composed Of knOtty tops and limbs OF
saw timber has not as great, If not
greater. fuel value than the trunks. This
would be a sensible. saving step in for
eStry, utilizing waste products that are
usually left TO decay by ignOrant or indlt-
ferent lumbeTeTs. This test should Il
bring the desired results will mean the
saving Of many millions Of dollars 10 the
country each year. and bring into eConOm-
zeal use every portion of the telled tree.
During the Louisiana Purchase Expo
sition at St Louis the Geological Survey
set up a fucl-testing plant. by which
every natural and artificial fuel available
was tried. So helpful were the results
that the work was continued there after
the fair. and the plant was moved TO Nor
folk this summer. where experiments de-
voted especially to Southern and Eastern
Goals are being made daily. These tests
have already demonstrated 10 the public
that a saving Of 10 per cent Of the COun-
try's coal bin can be made each year
through increased efficiency and greater
intelligence in the burning Of COal-a saw
ing Of $3.50. 000G00 While the coal supply
seems practically inexhaustible in the
United States-this country producing an
nUally IS per cent Of the whole world 5
output-the government still wishes 20
teach its economical use. and the plant AZ
the jamestown fair viii demonstrate this
feature as well as others. The United
States spent something Ike 100000 last
year on imported coal, while exporting
100000 worth Wise heads are busy
devising means whereby that 81. 100000 may
be diverted from foreign to home pockets,
by devising better facilities for shipping
or by inyenting bTiquettes that will take
the place of wood or coal The imported
coal comes 70 the Pacific Coast and to
Boston.
The first recorded mining Of anthracite
coal was In Pennsylvania in 1914. when
twenty-five tons were taken out. Since
then that State has contributed 10000 0l0
tons to the homes. factories. and furnaces
of this country and Canada. The anthTa-
cite field Of that State contains 4S5 square
miles, represents an investment Of $780,
CO. 900, and brings IN an annual profit Of
$50 600 10 Sl00, 900 COO Families in a IA
dius Of $50 miles Of the mines get anthra-
cite at about S6.75 q ton. and the average
family uses from fifteen to twenty tons q
year. To New York and IT'S suburbs over
900 long tons go annually. to Phila-
delphia 100000, and to Baltimore 1000 900.
Anthracite has also been found in Gunni-
son County. Colo, and Santa Fe County,
n. Mex. The largest coal mining shaft in
America is in Wilkesbarre. Pa, being
1850 feet deep and u by 50 feet in diane
ter.
The earliest known production Of btu
minous coal was in the Richmond basin
OF Virginia in 1922 The Middle States
opened their first mines in 1S4O and the
present State OF Washington in 1852. The
bituminous area Of this country now COW
ers So. 900 square miles Thirty-one States
and Territories are now producing coal
IN great or small quantities, and the con-
sumption per capita has increased from
twenty-seven hundredths Of a ton in 1855
10 four tons and seventy-ive hundredths
in 1906 In the coal fields there are en-
ployed over $4,000 men and boys. and the
retail value of the mineral is estimated
at g. 600, 600 00O.
fsrroy o~ae first oarra into 74go