Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-01
VlR GINA YiEtDS OVER
FOUR MILLIONS IN coal
Five Thousand Men Rork in Fields
and Few Belong to
UniSss.


WASHINGTON. Nov. ao.-Figuros
were made public. by tho United
States geological suffey Just ended
ms Chat during the year just cnded
Virginia produced ce&f raining up to
tho large sum of s!.issasl.
The most notable feature in con.
nection with tho coUi mining indus.
try In 1906 was tbs suspension OF
mining operations which followed the
Termination. on AIorch 81, OF tho
wage'scale agreements In the hltumi-
nous fields and of The wards of tho
strike commission ina tho anthracite
fields of Pennsylvania. Tho cessa.
ton of work was general in tho nm.
thracitc region and also In those bi-
luminous Districts where the mine
workers are well organized and on
crate under agreements with the mine
ownos. ~,
From the standpoint OF value the
mining Of coal in Virginia was on
'irciy satisfactory to the operators.
ms the price advanced 10 cents per
ton. from IS cents I'M 1905 to oS cents
III 1906, and tho toihi value showcd
gain Of saOG,06e, az los per cent.
Notwithstanding n small decrease In
producing counties eTayeweli aud
Wise--tllc former had a dacreaaed
production of more Than $1,000 tons,
while Wise county increased almost
exactly the same amohnt.. There wls
decrease in the pr9ductfon In other
counties and of smais mines 81 20.17
short tons which wal; gsshin ei5 tons
of The total decrease Sof the State,
The number OF men5s hplosed In Tho
mines of Virginia fiurssis tho Seav was
5.l3l, against $3.50 IN 1906. The iarg
er number OF miners in Virginia are
| unorGanized, and the coaimining Oh
erations were carried on on tile basis
OF ten-hour day. In 1906 thirty.
one mines, employing 727 men, work.
cd nine hours. and six comparative
~ small operations. employing n TO
tai OF 100 men. worked eight hours.
No strikes or other labor troubles
have been reported in the mines of
virginia during the last three years.
The first bituminous coal In the
United States wac taken from what
Is usually termed the Richmond ba.
sls. small area in the southeastern
portion OF the State, near the city OF
Richmond. Tho bnsin Is situated on
the eastern margin OF the Piedmont
plateau. thirteen miles above tide. on
the Jnmos river II lies in Gooch.
land. Heurico. Powhatan and Chester.
field counties.
The occurrence OF coal In this dis
trict was known as early as 100,
and II was used In tho latter Quarter
OF the eighteenth century.
TWO small outlying basins from the
APPALACHIAN fields are found In the
State-onc In Frederick county. AZ
the north. and the other In PULASKI;
and montgomery counties, nj the
sonth. IN both the coal is OF n semi.
anthracite character. but the only dc.
veiopments On n practical scale have
been made in the Pulaski. Montgom.
cry basin. During 1904 and 1905 n
large amount of work In Opening nm
was done In Montgomery county nv
inc Virginia Anthracite Coal Com.
many. and 1t appears probable thnt
the county Will become one of the
important producers.
Previous to 1904 the coal mined
was iron, comparatively small mines.
the product being consumed in tho
'''ih-ts. htCtIllIy the Elk
horn district OF Kentucky has been
opened up by branch of the Chesa.
peake and Ohio railroad, and a new
road is being graded from the break
of Sandy southeastward toward the
SHaboad along the line OF tho old "3
Cs' road. This VIII. IL built. open
valuable territory on the headwaters
OF Russell fork OF Sandy river.
AS has been mentioned, the first
coal mined in the United States was
from tho Richmond basin. At the
taking Of the census of 1910 Virginia
was even then comparatively i'm.
por,ant coal-producing State. tho
Piedmont region having been deyol.
oped eontcmporaneously with the
Maryland fields u few years before
With the separation of Virginia from
West Virginia. In 1868; the mother
State was deprived of nearly nil Of
her coal'bearing territory, though the
enormous wealth contained therein
was not known at that time.
The production OF coal In Virginia
has Increased in every year bur two
since 1882. the second exception be-
Ing noted in 1906. The maxip,um
production was in 1905, when 4.275..
III short tons We're produced.
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