Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-01-26
wAsH1NeToN's COAL TONNAGE.
United States Geological Survey Report
Shows Kittitas County to Be
Again in the Lead.


The United States geological survey
has issued a statement on coal produc-
ton in the state of Washington in
1909, which follows:
Washington is the only state west
of the Rocky mountains that rises to
any notable Importance as a coal pro-
Queer. In 1909. the coal output of the
state, according to statistics collected
by the United States geological sur
vey in cooperation with the bureau
of the census, amounted to 3,576,356
short tons-an increase of ISL Alb short
tons, or IS per cent, over 1908, and but
104,176 tons less than the maximum
record of 1907. The value of the out
put in 1909, however, showed a phe-
nomenal gain of SO per cent over 1908
(from $6,69O,412 to $9,Os5,941, an. in
crease of $685., 529), and exceeded by
more than 81, 100000 the value of the
value of the slightly larger tonnage
produced in 1907.
Kittitas County Leads.
The greater part of this apparently
disproportionate increase in value was
reported from Kittitas county, the most
important oal-producing county in the
state. More than S5 per cent of the
coal produced in this county is de-
rived from the mines affiliated with and
controlled by the Northern Pacific rail
way, and all of the production is taken
by the railway, none going on the open
market. The unusual increase in value
in 1909 therefore cannot be attributed
to any marked improvement in trade
conditions. 1t is to be noted, however,
that in King county, which is next to
Kittitas county in quantity produced,
contributing 80 per cent of the state IS
total, the average price per ton ad-
vanced from 1921 to 1924, and most
of the production of this county was
commercial local In Pierce county.
the third in rank, there was a slight
decline in price, from an average of
$2.49 ton in 1908 to $2.46 in 1909.
Until 1908 the use of machines for
underwriting coal had shown little
progress in the mines of Washington.
attempts to produce coal mechanically
having met with Indifferent success.
In 1908, however, four pick machines
were reported as having been used in
the production of 10000 short tons of
coal; in 1909 there were 1s machines
in use, Is pick and chain, and the
machine-mined coal amounted to 4s,69O
short tons. Twelve of the machines
in use in 1909 were post-punching
machines adapted to steeply dipping
beds.
Washeries.
Notwithstanding the increased pro-
duction in 1909, the quantity of coal
washed was less than in 1908, being
1,O4S,177 short tons, which yielded
77S,03S tons of cleaned coal and 27O.-
139 tons of refuse, against 1,O9s, s79
short tons of coal washed in 1905.
yielding s59,942 tons of cleaned coal
and 23S,937 tons of refuse.
Accidents.
In a period of Is years the total
number of deaths in the coal mines
of Washington has been only 449 and
the injuries 1859. Of the fatal acct
dents, about 80 per cent were due to
explosions, most of which were ex-
plosions of gas. Some of the mines
IN Washington are highly gaseous, and
the percentage of deaths from gas ex-
plosions is higher than in most of the
other states producing bituminous coal
and is considerably above the average
when taken for period of years. On
the other hand, the percentage of
deaths from falls of roof or coal is
smaller in Washington than in other
states-22.27 per cent as compared
with an average of 1893 in the United
States. d. G. Botting, state mine in
spector, reports that there were 80
fatal and 1876 non-fatal accidents in
1909, as compared with 25 fatal and
70 non fatal in 1908. Of the fatal
accidents, IA were due to gas explo-
slons. The quantity of coal mined for
each life lost was 91,7O1 tons and the
death rate per thousand 6S1, as COM
pared with 133,s59 tons mined for each
fatality and death rate of 4.56 in
1908.
Beginnings of Production.
The United States census report for
1860 contains the first record of coal
production In Washington. This coal