The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1911-10-11
OUTPUT
OF Virginia Coal Has Steadily
Increased During Past
Decade.

4 areas lnciilSclNcS tlat realize
Z how the output of coal in Vir
ginia has steadily increased
during the past dscade from
\ 1888, 75i tons in 1900 10 G,50I,-
gg7 tons in 1910. Since 1900.
lacking n sew thousand tons,
it had practically doubled and
in the last year of the decade
400, as shown by the statis-
tics gathered by the Virginia
and Federal Surveys, there was
an unusual increase; in fact. it
was a great deal larger than
the usual annual increment. In
other words. the production in
1903 was 5,752,2l7 short tons,
exceeding all previous records,
hut this was beaten in 1910 by
the unprecedented increase of
l,755,7SO tons, nearly % per
cent The value increased 81
G20l3O ar 3S per cent. or from
sl9gl 900 to s., s77,4sG. Like
wise there has been Il cores
ponding increase in the value
Of the coal lands which have
doubled, treblcd and quadruplea
in thc same period, the price
per acre varying according to
proximity to transportation and
the intrinsic worth based on
number, thickness and quality
Of the occurring coal beds
Further, the statistics show
that the Virginia miner is as
efficient as found anywhere.
The per capita production aver
aged 500 tons for the year,
while the output per each man
was 3 ~ tons. Both of these
averages are better than shown
in the majority of the coal pro
ducing states. The majority of
thc Virginia miners work ten
hours per day, the range being
from . to 10 hours, with the ex-
ception of one mine where the
$ hour day obtains. The dis
tribution according to the "hour
day of the total number of
miners employed (7,264) in 1910
was AZ follows; 5,7lOmen work
ing 10 hours per day; l,02l
working 9 hours per day; and
the rest working s hours per
day.
While il is gratifying to know
that the coal fields of Virginia
are now being brought into full
Ter development each year, and
many instructive facts are be-
ing assembled annually con
cernlng the occurrence of coal
in the State by the State Geolo-
glcal Survey, it is also worth
recalling the very interesting
TACT that, though the Old Do
mnion now ranks thirteenth in
ihe list of producing states and
territories, there was time
when she stood at the head
OF the list, for the first coal IA
TACT not generally known) oh.
tanned in the United States was
mined in Virginia in the Rich
mond Coal basin, an area of
iriassic age near Richmond; or
In other words, its coal beds
were formed much later than
these, for instance, of South
west Virginia. This basin is
situated on the eastern margin
Of the Piedmont Plateau, IL
miles west of Richmond, on the
James river. 1t lies in Gooch-
land, Henrico, Powhatan and
chesterfield counties. Coal was
hrst mined here in 1850 and by
SO the production amounted
To $4,000 tons, and continued to
increase until 1882 when it be-
gan TO decline. Tho maximum
production reached was more
Than 100000 tons, which con
tlnued for a number of years.
owing, however, to the compe-
tltion of the New River and Po-
cahontas Goals, operations were
suspended in the Richmond
basin during the latter part of
the nineteenth and the first few
Years of The present century
but within recent years the re-
Mobilization of the mining in
dnstry of the district was un
dertaken by the Old Dominion
Development Co., with the re-
suit that mines which had been
idle for years were again put in