Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-19
MONTANA BREAKS RECORD
IN PRODUCTION OF COAL
Report from Geological Survey
Shows Total of 2,553,940
Tons in 1909

statistics compiled Dy tne Unlleu
States geological survey In co-opera-
tion with the bureau of the census
show that the total production of coal
in Montana IN 1909 vas 2,553,940 short
tons, having a spot value of $5,029,225
In this production the state sur
passed all previous records. exceeding
the earlier highest output 2,016,S57 short
tons, made in 1907. by 537.0S3 short tons,
or 266 per cent. Compared with 1908
when the output was 1,920,19U short
tons, the production in 1909 showed an
increase of 633, $50 short tons, or 80 per
cent, and the value increased in slight
ly greater proportion, from $3,f1l,24S
to 81, ,029, ,225, a gain of 81 ,257,977 or SO 1-3
per cent. The average price per ton
was $1.97 in 1909, against $1.96 in 1908.
The increase in production was general
throughout the state, but the most i'm
portant factor was the effect of deVel-
opments in the Bull mountain field,
near Billings, in Yellowstone county
Prior to 1909 no commercial production
had been reported from that county
The development of the Bull mountain
field began in 1908, following the ad-
vent of the Chicago, Milwaukee "
Puget Sound railroad, and in 1909 the
field produced nearly 100000 tons.
LARGE INCREASE IN PRODUCTION
The older coal producing districts
show large increases in production
Carbon county, in which the Red
Lodge field is worked, increased its
output 121,552 short tons. The Cotton
wood Belt district, in Cascade county,
gained 143,412 tons, but did not pro-
duce the amount mined in either 1906
or 1907 Fergus county, where the Ju-
dith basin field is worked, showed the
largest percentage of gain of the older
counties, having increased it's produc-
tion from 90.S1S short tons in 1905 to
221 1868 tons in 1904 gain OF 131,345
tons, or nearly $50 per cent. Park
county increased its production more
than 30 per cent-from 106,942 tons to
1S9, AGA tons.
Montana's notable increase in coal
production was due principally to the
revival of the metal mining indus
try and to bountiful crops, which
brought generally prosperous condi-
tions throughout the state. Mining
operations were not interfered with by
strikes suspensions or lockouts, the
only labor disaffection being one strike
of ten days duration. and although
there was some shortage of cars
among the fruit and grain shippers, the
coal mines seemed to have sufficient
supply for their needs.
USE OF MINING MACHINES
In 1909 there were eighty-one mining
machines used in the coal mines of
Montana, and the machine-mined prod
uct amounted to 740,6S6 short tons. or
90 per cent of the total output of the
state These were Increases, as COM
pared with 1908, of twenty-three in the
number of machines, and Of 24,469
short tons in the quantity of coal un-
dercut with them. In 1907, 9S4, 1868 tons,
or so per cent of the total, were ma
chine mined. OF the eighty-one ma
chimes in use in 1909 seventy-one were
pick machines, eight were OF the chaln-
breast type, one was continuous
CUTTER or short-wall machine, and
one was a pick shearing machine. Two
of the machines were used in develop
ment work and did not add materially
to the machine-mined tonnage.
According to j. B. McDermott, state
mine inspector. there have been fifty
six fatal and 200 nominal accidents in
the coal mines of Montana during the
last four years. Among these there
we're no fatal accidents due to explo-
sions, though fifteen were injured in
such accidents. Nearly half of both the
fatal and the non-fatal accidents were
due to falls of roof and coal.
FEWER ACCIDENTS REPORTED
It is gratifying to note that al
though the production of coal in Mon
tana in 1909 increased about 80 per
cent over that in 1908, the number of
fatal accidents decreased from twenty
to eleven and the non-fatal accidents
from fifty-eight to forty-four Mr.. Nc
Dermoh reports the production in 1909
at 2,541, $40 short tons, indicating that
for each life lost 2S1,062 tons were
mined. The death rate per thousand
employees was 2.S5 In 1908 the death
rate was $40 per thousand and the
quantity mined for each life lost was
96010 tons.
The slight difference (about 1000
tons) between the tonnage reported by
Mr.. McDermott and that reported to
the geological survey and the census
bureau is probably due to the inclusion
by the latter of the production from
small local mines which do not come
within the purview of the mine inspec-
ton laws.