El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-20
NEW MEXICO Has A
RECORD COAL YEAR
Gains 337, $40 Tons in Guam
tity and $250.594 in
Value in Year.

Washington. d. c., Dec. 20-The Unit
ed States geological survey reports tha'
the total production of coal in New
Mexico in 1903 was 2,s05,747 short tons
having a spot value Of s3,619,34i, as
compared with 1853 short tons, val,
ned at s336S753 in 190S-a gain OF
337.slO tons, or 1917 percent in quantl-
ty, and Of s250,594, or IA percent IN
value. New Mexico, like Montana, eN-
hibited the effects of the revival IN the
metal mining industry in 1909 by a rec
ord breaking production of coal, put.
unlike tnat of Montana, the product OF
New Mexico increased less in value than
in quality.
The increases in output were pade IN
Colfax and Mckinley counties. in wnlch
are located, respectively, the Ration ana
Gallup fields. The production In All the
other counties decreased, except in LIN
coin county, which made small gam;
The average price per ton dechneo
from 81 81 in 1908 to S1-2e in 1903, the
decline having been due to the lower
value of the product Of ColfaX county.
About % percent of the coal produced
in This county is made into coke, most
of which is shipped to manufacturers
whose interests are allied with those Oh
the coal and coke producers.
The value placed on the coal charged
into the ovens is wholly arbitrary ana
the decline in price may be more ap-
parent than real
TRANSPORTATION, Labor and Accidents
In 1909. as in 1908. there was an ann
pie supply of cars, there was no inter
ruption of business by labor troubles,
and the supply of labor was adequate.
More satisfactory than these, however.
was the fewer number of accidents, not
withstanding the increased production.
The United States coal mining law
which governs mining operations IN
New Mexico, does not require the re-
porting of non-fatal accidents, and the
statistics of accidents as compiled by
10 E. Sheridan, territorial mine IN
spector include only those that are at
tended with fatal results. Mr.. Sheridan
reports that in 1903 there were IL fatal
accidents decrease of 10 as compar-
ed with 1908 Of these f13 fatal acct
dents nine were due to falls of roof or
coal
The quantity of coal mined for each
life lost in 1909 was 215,S27 short tons,
more than double that of the preceding
year. During the Is years that statis-
tics of accidents have been compiled for
the territory the fatal accidents have
reached a total of 223. In this period
there have only been four years. 1895,
1899. 1901 and 1907, in which there were
any deaths due to explosions of either
gas or dust
The total number Of deaths from ex-
blossoms in the four years was 43, and
"a of them occurred in 1895, so that in
the last IA years only 10 deaths have
been due to this cause, while 10S have
been due to falls of roof and coal.
Total Production.
The first record of coal production in
New Mexico is contained in the initial
issue of the geological surveys 2ual
volume. Mineral Resources of the init
ed States" which covered the calendar
year 1882 In that year the reported
output was 157, 1892 tons. or about per-
cent of what it was in 1909, indicating
that in % years the coal production OF
New Mexico has increased about sixteen
fold.
The total production from 1882 to the
close of 1909 amounted. to 27,599,116
short tons, which, including mining and
other losses. represents a total exhaus-
ton of about 41,4O0, 900 tons.
Quantity of Coal Minable-
According 10 the estimate of Nj. X.
Campbell of the United States geologi-
cal survey, the original coal supply Of
New Mexico was 163, 7SO, GOO. 600 tons, SO
the exhaustion to the end Of 1909 rep
resents approximately 0.02 percent or
the original supply.