The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-31
MORE COAL MINED
Kansas Product Increased De-
spite Greater Competition.
Statement Made in Report Of
Geological Survey.
TWO COUNTIES LEAD.
Ninety Per Cent Of Output in
Cherokee and Crawford.
Other Items of InteresttO State
Readers.

Washington. Jan. Gin spite of the
;,c-oasad connection of petroleum and
natural gas from the mldcontlnenl
field. the production of coal IN Kansas
increased from 6,245,5oS snort ton nao III
1908 to $3.50, AIS short tons IN 1919, a
gain of 74O.97O tons, or 11.S per cent.
fThis statement is made in report IS
sued today by the United States geo
1ooica1 survey The influence of the
competition of oil and gas was shown IT
the lower price for coal IN l9OS' the
average price showing decline from
q 40 To 81 a. The total value increased
$791, 1872, or 50 per cent, 1loih $''-'-'---
in 1908 to $1O,0S3,3S4.
Two counties, Cherokee and CraW-
ford, in the extreme southeast CORNER
of Kansas, produce nearly 80 per cent
of the states total contrlputlns o'o1o'
959 short tons out of 6,9S6,4'o TONS IN
1909 and of the increase in these Two
counties in 1909. 1885, tons in Chero-
lxee county and 41O,194 tons in Crawford
county aggregated more than the toeaI
increase for the state, the productlon
in most of the other counties having
decreased Leavenworth county was
credited in 1909 with production OF
321 1872 short tons, decrease OF zo.Soa
tons as compared with 1908. Probably
tbree-fourths of this should be credited
to Platte county, Mo-, as the WORKINGS
at Leavenworth, Kan, extend unuef
the Missouri river into missouri anu
most of the production comes from
that state 1t has been customary now
ever TO credit the production to the
state and county in which the tlpple IS
located. and all of this output IS there
fore credited to LeavenWorth county,
Kan If the portion mined in Missouri
were deducted from the Kansas pro-
Cuction, Cherokee and Crawford couh-
ties would furnish all but about per
+age ut
mart of the output of Kansas, and par
ticuIarly that from Cherokee and
Crawford counties, is used for locomo-
tive fuel. and some OF the larger mines
are operated either by the fuel depart
ments of the railroads or by companies
affiliated with the railroads. None OF
the product of these companies is mar
keted as commercial coal Usage coun-
ty contains a larger number OF mines
than any other county in the state, buS
they are comparatively small and the
product is sold principally for domestic
use.
Labor conditions were generally sat
isfactory throughout 1909. At the mines
of one company the men were idle from
January / to November 1, on strike
begun in the previous year. At one
other colliery 20 men were idle 80 days
All the other suspensions were caused
by local grievances and were OF snort
duration, covering only day or Two At
a time. Altogether ATS men were idle
at one time or another in the year, bu-
the entire idleness was not of suf-
ficient Importance to influence the pro-
duction.
The quantity of coal mined by ma
chinery in Kansas decreased from 133
24S tons in 1908 to 1896 tons in 1909.
The number of machines in use de-
creased from II to 16.
In nf 70 Ok for which the
statistics of accidents in the coal
mines of Kansas are available, 276 men
have been killed and 637 injured. Less
than per cent of the deaths GA in alb
have been due to explosions of gas and
dust, and of these % have occurred in
the last three years. Falls of roof and
coal killed 100 and injured 299. In 1909
there were 35 deaths in the Kansas coal
mines, an increase of over 1908, and
the nonfatal accidents increased from
20 to 81 these figures being reported
by Frank Gilday, state mine inspector.