The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-25
LARGE NUMBER
ARE EMPLOYED
More Than Five Thousand
Among Black Diamonds for
Daily Brcad-The Glcat
Growth OF States Coal
Mining Industry in
Few Decades.
ny WALTER EDWARD HARns.

.
Virginia coal production for the year
ending December 81, 1906, was 4.c54,-
$40 short tons, of the value of s4.1S3,-
!a1 at the mines. Virginia was the
only State of Importance In coal pro-
duction east Of the Mississippi whose
production was less last year than
in 1905. The decrease, however, was
,,nimportant, amounting to 20,392 short
ions only.
The price received for coal during
the year was entirely satisfactory to
the operators. as the price advanced
from IS cents per ton in 1905 to 9S
cents in 1906, and the total value show
cd gain of s4O6,6G6, or los per cent,
notwithstanding the decrease in pro-
duction.
OF the two important coal-producing |
counties Tazewell and Wise, the pro-
tluction Of the former decreased nearly
$4,000 tons but that Of Wise increased
by nearly that amount There was n
decrease in the production of other
counties and of small mines, amount
ing to 20,l77 short tons. which was
within Els tons OF the total decrease
Of the State.
The number of men employed in 1906
was 5.131, against $3.50 in 1905. The
average number Of working days In
creased from 241 to $50 days in 1906.
The average production per man in
creased from 1851 tons In 1906 to
S.a2 tons In 1906 while the average
daily production per man increased
from $40 tons to 3.S2 tons.
Men Unorgunizcd.
The larger number of miners in Nir-
Einia are unorganzed, and the coal
mining operations are conducted on a
basis of ten-hour day. In 1906. 80
mines. employing 4.294 men, worked
ten hours; 5 mines, employing 727
men. worked nine hours, and COM
paratiyely small operations, employ
ing total Of but los men, worked
eight hours a day.
Two moro mining machines were inl
use in the Virginia mines in 1906. but
only 81 were in use at the end of the
year. The machine-mined product in
creased from 3?9.929 short tons In 1906
TO 424, S4S in 1906-a little over per
cent.
No strikes or other labor troubles
were reported during the year. nor
have there been any in the past three
years.
Virginia was a comparatively i'm
portant coal-producing state when the
census of 1910 was taken, the Piedmon.
region having been developed cotcm-
poraneously with the Maryland region
q few years before With the scpara-
ton Of West Virginia from the Mother
State, Virginia lost the greater porr
tion OF her coal-producing area, though
its enormous wealth was not at that
time realized. The production of coal
fell off from 445,12A short tons in 1852.
10 10000 tons in 1862 and there was
not much increase over this output un-
til 1882, when the Norfolk and Western
Railway penetrated The Pocahontas-
Flat Top region. In the early part of
the following decade TIL. Clinch Valley
extension of the Norfolk and Western
was completed, and the Wiso county
field was opened up.
The output of the State has shown
an increase every year but two since
) that time. The maximum production
was reached In 1906. when 4,275,2T1
short tons were mined.
First Coal Mine Opened.
The first. bituminous coal mined in
the United States was taken from what
Is usually termed the Richmond basin,
small area near Richmond. Gooch-
land, Henrico, Powhatan and Chester-
field counties are partially embraced In
the district.
The occurrence of coal In this dis
31ict was known as early rs 1900 and
w. j. Nicolls. In his STORY of Ameri-
can Goals states that mines We're
opened and worked on the James River,
near Richmond, in 1850. This ante
Hates by nineteen years the first re-
liable record of the use of anthracite
In Pennsylvania, but unfortunately
Eicolls does not give his authority for
dis statement.
But in 1888 shipments of coal We're
made to some Of the Northern States
but there is no record of the amount
of coal produced in this district until
1922. when, according to Mr., r. e.
Taylor, in his Statistics OF Coal
$4,000 short ions were mined During
the latter part of the nineteenth cen.
fury extensive, but unsuccessful efforts
were made to reestablsh the industry
in the Richmond field. The coal coulf
not be forced upon the market in com
petition with the higher grade Goa
with other fields. and the small guam
tity now mined is consumed locally.
TWO semi-Anthrncitc Fields.
Virginia contains two small outlyin;
basins from the Appalachian fields
one in Frederick county, and the otho
IN Pulaski and Montgomery counties
In both fields the coal is semi -antira
cite, but the only commercial develop
ments have been made in tie Mont
Eomery-Pulaski fields.
Major J. Hoge Tyler owns, OF owne
Hntil recently, a valuable mine on hi
t'StiSiio'HptoH ttIili III t-uldSKl.
w. j. Payne. of Richmond. was a
the head of the company which bull
railroad from Christiansburg t
Blacksburg in 1905. tapping the COT
beds. This road as l have had oc
casion to mention aforetime, is tn
only one in the world, 1t is believed
which Is ballasted with coal
1T is probable that the Montgomer
mines may become important produ,
rrs.
1 But the field which offers most a
fractions Is believed to be the a,
posts surrounding Richmond. III
goals wil make as good gas as tho,
of the West virginia mines, ana II
development OF the gas engine wou
seem TO offer market close at har
Hor the product OF the mines. The
may be future for tha RIch1noi
basin mines.