Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-18
The Life of Our Coal Supply.

yania. discussed the general question o
the life of the coal supply of the un'tee
States in very interesting manner
The views he expressed upon that oc
casion have attracted very widespread
attention, and seem worthy OF seriod:
consideration. Quoting in genera
terms from an authority ON the sub
iect~ Mr.. Thompson showed that the
coal fields OF the country were distribu'
ted as follows:
First-The Appalachian area II
which is found the big vein of from
to 9 feet in thickness, extending from
Northern Pennsylvania to Alabama
running through part of West Virginia
Kentucky and Tennessee and touching
Eastern Ohio.
Second--The Michigan coal field oi
limited extent
Third-The Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
and Missouri field, Of larger extent In
area but of recent development
Fourth-Scattered areas in Nebraska
Kansas, Colorado. Montana and North
Dakota, whose viens are but slightly
known or mined
The Southwest Pennsylvania and
West Virginia fields supply the East
the Central West and the Northwest
where the demand for such fuel has
been the greatest in the past 20 years
| Mr.. Thompson gave some striking
figures on the increase in coal con-
sumption when he made the following
comparisons:
| In 1857 the coal production was H.
100000 tons; in 1907 the production was
i3I, 00G, 000 tons. or 3,540 per cent. IN
crease The increase was not gradual
| OF uniform. 1t was much greater IN
| the past 10 years than in any previous
decade IN 1870 we mined 33.O0O,0O0 tons
| in 1850 we mined 100000 tons, in 1890
We mined 157,OG0,0O0 tops, in 1900 we
| mined 269, ,0U0, 900 tons and in 1907 we
mined 435, 900. 900 tons which exceeds
| 1906 by an amount greater than the to-
ta! mined in the world in 1876. We can
| better comprehend the vastness of this
by reducing it to acres.
'The acreage represented by these
tonnage figures sprang by leaps at ten
year periods from 4,400 acres in 1870,
| to 9.46o acres i'll 1880, to 20,9S3 acres in
| 1890, to 34,5S3 acres in 1900 and to the
| magnitict mt total of $4,000 acres in 1907
This means a principality in area and
values gone forever. used in one short
year of 300 working days. This con-
| sumption was not scattered over the
| United States generally, but prevailed
| in three or four states principally;
from PENNSYLVANIA So per cent. from
| Illinois and adjoining states 10 per
| cent, from West Virginia 10 per cent,
from Ohio per cent, and from all the
rest OF the United States 20 per cent.
Upon the basis OF this increase of
| consumption Mr.. Thompson figures
that the exhaustion of coal in the
Fittsburg district will come in about
| IS years, and for the whole country in
a hundred years.
These estimates, as the Pittsburg
| Dispatch points out, refer only to the
large veins now, drawn on by CONNER
cial mining, and takes no account of
| the thinner veins which cannot be pro-
fitably worked until the richer veins
are exhausted. Also other inveStiga-
tors of this subject give longer life
| to the stock of unnined coal than Mr..
Thompson does. But, however, that
may be, the lesson drawn by Mr..
Thompson is of the utmost moment for
the coming generations.
1t is evident that, from the stand
point of present conditions the outlook
for a continued coal supply is far from
reassuring. Still the fact remains that
no man can successfully foretell the
future.
The earth and sky have yet many
| secrets to unfold. Perhaps electrical
the place now filled by coal; perhaps
some practical way will be found ia
| concentrate and utilize the suns rays;
perhaps some practical way win be
found to extract heat producing gases
from the atmosphere; and there still
| remains for practical utilization the
vast amount of fuel that now annually
goes to waste in our forests.
| Many gloomy predictions have been
made in the past of the direful calam-
| tiles that were in store for the human
race; but modern progress has safely
passed them all. and so we believe ii
will be with coal. BY the time it is
exhausted some substitute will be
found for il, that will better meet the
requirements of civilization At the
| same time it will be the part of wisdom
to carefully and intelligently conserve
all the natural resources that nature
has placed at our command
The Cornell athletic council announced
at its last meeting the election of 1!