The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-12-01
coAL.TAR PRODUCTION in
THE UNITED STATES.

Valuable Material Not Fully Utilized.
Coal tar, as the raw material from
which are obtained croesotfng oils.
aniline dyes, and innumerable organic
chemical compounds and medicinal
preparations, is of much more eco
nomic Importance in some European
countries than in the United States.
In a report Just published by the
United States Geological Survey as an
advance chapter from Mineral Re.
sources of the United States, Calendar
Year 1907" e. W. Parker, the chief
statistician of the Survey, says:
This country is considerably in
the rear, particularly when compared
WITH Germany in the development Of
chemical Industries based on coal tar,
the products of which are imported
into the United states to the value Of
several million dollars every year. At
the present time coal-tar manufacture
in the United states is confined prfnct.
: pally to the production Of creosote ami
OF tars and tar pitches suitable fer
roofing papers, paving materials, anil
like products. With the continued de.
veloDment Of the retort-oven coking in
dustry, however, and an assured sup.
ply of coal tar, there is every reason
to believe that chemical Industries de.
pendent on tar as a raw material will
be established. The lack of such a use
for one ST the principal by.products of
retort-oyen coke manufacture is one
reason why the construction of by.
product oven plants mas not been more
energetIcally pushed in this country
Production and Prices.
The total production Of coal tar in
1907, as reported to the Geological
Survey by 4SS companiesc. was 1OS..
557,768 gallons, valued at $2,65t.527. as
against a production of SO.O22.O gal.
Ions, valued at $%2,17C,944. reported IN
1905 by SCI companies. from which 1t
appears that While the production OF
coal tar Increased 2S, 555,717 gall.ns. OF
- per cent, the value Increased only
$474,5SS, or % per cent. The price for
tar has shown a steadily declining
tendency since 1908. wnen the average
price reported to the SHrevy was 3.49t
cents per gallon. 1t dropped to 3.O4
cents in 1904. to 2.72 cents in 1905.
and to &c cents in 1907. The yield Of
tar per ton of coal consumed in 1907
ranged from 6.34 gallons in Pennsyl.
vania to 1853 gallons in Missouri, tie
average for the entire United States
being 9O4 gallons. The price ranged
from 2 cents in Illinois to 1913 cents In
Oregon.
Rank of the States.
A production OF more than a million
gallons o: coal tar was reported from
ID States in both 1905 and 1907.
and in both years Pennsylvania st2od
first and Indiana fourteenth. The
relative positions of the other lei
States, however, varied considerably
in the two years. In 1905 Massachu.
sets was second in point of produc.
ton, Ohio was third, and New York
fourth; in 1907 New York reached sec.
ond place, Massachusetts fell II third,
and Ohio was fourth. Michigan was
fifth in both years. The rank of the
other States in 1905 was. Alabama
Co., District of Columbia and Mary
land "a, Wisconsin Isl, New Jersey
@), Missouri uW, Illinois (11). Min.
nesota 12), West Virginia dS}; fnt
1907 the order was, Illinois (G,. Ala.
bama %. Wisconsin Isl. Delaware.
District of Columbia, and Marvland
/ (9). New Jersey C1N. Missouri an.
Virginia and West Virginia u2). and
Minnesota (13).
Mr.. Parker's reHsrt. copies of which
may be obtained by applying to The
Director of the Geological Survey,
Washington, D, c., contains also sta.
%tistics of production of gas, coke, and
ammonia at gas works and in r%etort
coke ovens. and of gas and tar at
water-gas works in 1907.
PATTY:
Gold Medal Flour Is verv h,ehs,, !