The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-09-02
COAL PRODUCTION IN
STATE OF INDIANA
GEOLOGICAL REPORT

|UIULUUIUNl I'LL VNl
SPECIAL TO TnE NAIL.
Washington, Sept. 1.-The total
production Of coal in Indiana in
1908. according to e. w. Parker, OF
the United States geological survey,
was 12,S14,89O short tons, having q
spot value of $1S,0S4.297. Com
pared. with 1907, when the coal pro-
duction amounted to 13,9S5,719
short tons, valued at $15,114,30O,
this was decrease of 1876 per cent
In quantity and Of 1916 per cent In
value. Operators have estimated
that about IS per cent of the total
decrease was attributable to the I'm.
settled financial condition and about
Is per cent to the suspension Of OPP
erations In April and May pending
an adjustment of the wage scale.
After the suspension mining opera
tions were resumed under new
agreement for both Illinois and In
diana coveringa period of two years,
or until April /, 1910. The summer
and fall seasons were exceptionally
dry, but this is reported to have had
no appreciable effect on the output
|
tricts operators were compelled to
thaul water for their boilers In tank
cars for distances of 10 to 100 miles
Had the demand for coal been ap-
pro imately normal, the effect of the
drought would probably have been
more seriously felt. Owing, no doubt,
to the general slack demand for la
Dor during 1908 the response to the
| call for the suspension Of mining
| operations, on April I, was not as
| widespread as in 1906, when entire
| ly different conditions prevailed.
! The total number of men quitting
work during 1908 was 7,076, for an
average Of 20 days each; in 1906
when a similar demand was made
1875 out of a total of 20,970 quit
work and were idle for an average
| of 63 days each. The total time lost
In 1908 was less than per cent Of
the total time made. .....
Operating Conditions.
The total number of men en-
ployed In the coal mines Of Indiana
in 1908 was 1880 and they worked
an average of 174 days each, as
compared with 21,O22 men for an
average Of 1877 days in 1907. The
average production per man per day
in 1908 was 1856 short tons, as
against 1888 tons in 1907, 3.3 tons
in 1906, and 81 tons in 1905; the
average annual output per man was
| 469.1 tons in 1905, 576.7 tons IN
| 1905, 665 tons in 1907. and 60 tons
In 1908. 1t is probable that a part
of this increased productive eapac-
| ity per man was due to an increased
per centage in the proportion of coal
mined by the use Of machinery. In
| 1907 the machine mined product
amounted to 37.97 per cent Of the
total output Of the state; in 1908
the per centage Of machine mined
product to the total increased to
| 1929.
| Practically all the important coal
mines Of the state are operated on
| an eight-hour basis.
| Mine Accidents.
| According to James EpDeTSon,
| state mine Inspector, the number Of
men killed in the coal mines of In
diana during 1908 was As, a de-
crease Of 8 from 1907. There were
$50 men injured, Of the accidents
resulting in permanent disability;
375 more were of a serious charac-
| ten and ASP were minor. OF the As
men killed, 20 met death by falls Of
rock or coal in rooms and gang
ways, while 212 were injured from
the same cause; S deaths and 297
injuries were caused by mine cars
! men were killed and 20 injured by
windy shots, or so-called smoke eX-
plosions;" shaft accidents killed 8
and injured 2; gas explosions killed
1 and injured 13; powder explosions
injured 3; and IL deaths and 283
injuries were attributed to miscel-
laneous causes.
Growth OF the Coal Industry.
The United States census for 1910
reported a production Of 1852 tons
Of coal in Indiana for that year. In
1850 the census reported a produc-
ton Of 101 ,280 short tons, In 1880
the production had grown to / 49,
1927 short tons, and in 1890 1T
amounted to 3,3O5,737 short tons
In the closing year Of the last cen
fury the production had nearly
doubled again, amounting to 6,484,-
086 short tons, and this output was
once more nearly doubled by the
tonnage Of 1908.
Indianas Goal Reserve.
NJ r. Campbell, Of the United
States geological survey, estimates
: the original supply Of coal In the
fields Of Indiana at 44,169, 100000
short tons. The aggregate produc
ton to the close Of 1908 amounted
= to ,755,280 short tons, or which
12,314,S90 tons, or about per cent
was produced in 1908. The exhaus
; ton represented by this production
is about 258,OO0,000 tons, or O.5$
per cent Of the estimated origina