Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-17
COAL PRODUCTION In IOWA
Output of Hawkeye Mines Nearly
Eight Million Tons Last Year.
GAS ENGINES ON wARsH1p
Suggestions for New Motive Power
for Fighting Machines that VIII
he Cheaper and Render Them
Less Conspicuous.
CFrom a staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON. Aug. 16.--(Special)- 1.-The
total production of coal in Iowa in 1907
amounted to 7.574S22 short tons, having a
spot value OF $l2, ,25s,012 according to e
w. Parker OF the United States geological
survey. These figures compared with
those for 1906 show an increase in the
later year of SO6O9s short tons. or 424 per
cent in quantity, and of S6SS,557, or 55 per
cent in value
The coal production OF the state for the
fiscal year which ended June 30, 1907, as
reported by Edward Sweeney. the inspector
of the third mining district of Iowa. was
,525 short tons. which was slightly less
than the production reported to the United
States geological survey for the calendar
year. but shows a gain of 279.301 short
tons over the production reported in 1906
indicating that most of the increase in
1907 took place during the first ak months
OF the year.
The monetary disturbances in the latter
part of 1907 had a comparatively insig-
nificant effect on the coal mining industry
in Iowa, chiefly because the output of
the mines goes principally to domestic
consumers and. outside OF the very con-
siderable quantities used by the railroads
traversng the state, is not largely con-
sumed by industrial operations.
The number of men employed in the
coal mines of Iowa in 1867 was 1885, who
worked an average OF go DAYS, as against
$3.50 men working for an average of 22I
days in 1906 and 1918 men for 200 DAYS
in 1905. The average production per man
in the last three years has been As.s tons
in 1905. 1852 in 1905 and 4s6 in 1907 The
average tonnage per day for each man in
the three years, was, respectively, 2l5,
215 and all A part OF the decreased daily
production in 1907 was probably due to the
falling off in the quantity of coal mined
by machinery. Thirty-four machines were
reported in use in 1905. with a total of
1ss 6666 tons OF machine mined coal; in
1907 there were thirty-three machines re-
ported in use and the machine-mined
product decreased to IOS,022 tons. As in
the other coal mining states In which
operations are carried on under agreement
with the mine workers union, most OF
the mines OF Iowa are worked on the basis
of the eight-hour day, the mines reportins
any other length OF working day being
comparatively unimportant
! According to John Werner. r. T. Rhys
and Edward Sweeney, inspectors for tho
|
| fields Of the state are divided, forty-ons
men were killed and sixty-eight injured
as the result of accidents in mines in 1907
One Of the deaths was due to the ex
ploson OF dust or gas; three were due tc
explosions Of powder or misplaced shot
twenty-nine were due to falls Of roof OF
coal; two men were killed by being caught
I by cars or motors; four were killed ir
shaft accidents, and two deaths were
ascribed to miscellaneous causes TIL,
death rate per 1000 employees was 2.s3.
| Gas Engines on Warships.
The war vessel Of the future will be I
swift, smokeless, noiseless craft, lying Low
In the water, with every vulnerable par
/ below the water line. the entire deck bein,
| given over to the work OF the guns. Their
will be no smoke. because there will be n,
smokestHcks. In the night time ther,
will be nothing TO betray the presence o.
this invincible fighting demon to tn,
! enemy.
This prediction was made today by Rob
ert Haywood Fernald. mechanical engineer
who has for several years been connected