The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-07

on the west coast of France 1t would
go on clear across that ocean to Bos-
ton and there would be hundreds OF
| billions of tons yet TO spare.
But the Chinese wall was a useless
attempt at defense TO shut out the
Tartars This Is great industrial
wall, which means the keeping our
factories busy and our houses warm for
three or four thousand years of ages
TO come
THIS estimate Of how long our coal
viii last Is not DR.. Smiths. tried
TO get him TO tell but he hedged Sale
he: .-
AS reported by Mr. Parker, the sur
vey coal statisticlan. the total pro
auction of coal In the United States up
TO date has been over eight billion
IONS. which. with the waste involved
In mining. represents an exhaustion of
about twelve billion tons This is less
IMAM onc-half OF per cent. OF the
coal now known TO exist and 1t leaves
| us more than 90 per cent. of our work
able coal in the ground. The amount.
as have said. is about two thousand
| billion tons, which means four thousand
| times the amount we arc now using
| each year. plus 90 per cent, added as
waste"
\ Million aud Half Tons Daily.
How much coal do we use every
year?"
| Our highest production was that Of
| 1921, when we used S0,0oG,O0O short
tons. That was about a million and n
half tons every day we are now using
q httle less. but 1t would take more
| IMAM $4,000 trains OF thirty carg each
TO carry the coal that we are annually
mining, and The combined length OF
those trains would be between eighty
Ind ninety thousand miles. They would
kn n
/! two and one half times around the
globe at the equator"
nut Mr. Director" said T. "if we use
less than 500 millions tons year,
| Would not those 1000 billions last us
| 1000 years."
| II don't want to talk about years.
| said the head of the Geological Survey,
nut II any one wants to prophesy he
| can use those figures as q basis keepine
In mind the fact that the Increase IN
consumption Of our coal hae been re-
narkable. and that In each decade the
amount used has exceeded the total
previous consumption since we began
| 10 mine coal. I mean to say. that the
! consumption for the ten years end
| the total consumption during the last
| century If such ratio of increase
I should continue, which is impossible,
1! me life of our coalfclds would be
comparatively short"
Where tile Conf Lfes.
I Tan you tell me. just where our great
coaihelds arc. Mr.i Director?" said /.
They arc to be found in all but
fourteen States OF the Union. They
| extend from northern Pennsylvania TO
| Oregon and from Canada to south
/ crnmost TeXas You can get the best
idea of them from n map made for
The survey by DR.. Campbell couple
or years or so ago"
Here the director sent for a map
OF our coal lands about four times as
large as page OF this newspaper. and
spread 1t out on his desk. As we look
cd at IT, he said:
That great patch at the east Is the
Appalachian coalHeld. and those spots
70 the right Of 1t. at its northern end
are the anthracite beds OF Eastern
fennsylTaniu. IT is from there that
comes the chief anthracite OF the coun-
Try Those beds originally contained
over nineteen billion tons OF anthrn-
cite and at tho close OF the year 1908
mere wero estimated to bo over fifteen
Diliion tona still In the ground. The