Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-09
ANTHRACITE
BREAKS RECORDS
Production Of Hard Coal IN
Greatest 10 History
Of Industry

The production OF anthracite In
Pennsylvania in 1911, according to a
statement just issued by Statistician
e. w. Parker, of the United States
Geological Survey, broke all previous
records, exceeding the previous maxi
mum output in 1907 by 100000 long
tons. The complete returns to the
Survey show q production in 1911 of
s O,732,015 long tons, valued at STA
1852, S43. This was an increase Q
the 1910 output Of 5,298, 1857 long tons
in quantity and $~14,577,541 in value.
In this increased activity and aug
mented production in 1911 the anthra.
cite industry was in marked contrast
to the bitumin0us industry, which
showed decreases throughout most OF
the mining regions. Moreover, in most
of the bituminous districts prices
generally lower, whereas the average
price Of anthracite in 1911 was 5 cents
a ton higher than in 1910. Prices
for the domestic sizes remained the
same, but greater returns were re-
ceived from pea coal and the smaller
sizes.
Severe Winter Exhausted the Surplus
The greater production OF anthra-
cite in 1871 was probably due to in
creased activity in anticipation of a
possible coal strike in April. How
ever, the extremely sever weather of
the winter practically exhausted any
accumulated coal before the termina-
ton of the 3-year period Of wage
| agreements on March 81, 1912.
1t Is an interesting fact, showing the
4-.ghly organized condition OF the an.
| thracite industry-tne sO-called coal
! trust-that whereas in former years
! there was enormous mine waste in
this industry, nowadays practically
| everything mined is utilized Form
| erly enormous quantities Of small
| coal and coal dust were thrown onto
the waste heap, but now such waste
is sold as it is MINED, and the culm
! piles are being reworked. In 1911 the
recovery from the culm piles and the
smaller sizes obtained from the fresh.
ly mined coal constituted over 40 per
cent of the total quantity of anthra-
| cite marketed.
| Summer Discounts Show Good Results
I The excellent effect on the industry
| of the plan adopted several years ago
of allowing to the consumers discount
| from the circular prices on coal sold
during the summer months is men
toned by Mr.. Parker. These dis
counts are so cents a ton in April, 40
cents in May, 30 cents in June, 70
cents in July, and ~ cents in August.
This inducement to make the cellar of
the coal consumer a storage bin for
his next winters supply Of coal has
resulted in a much more constant pro-
ducti0n and in steadier employment
to the mine workers and has contrl.
buted largely to the prosperity Of the
anthracite region during the last de-
cade. From 1897 to 1901, before this
policy was adopted, the average num-
Der of working days of each miner in
the anthracite mines averaged only
165 days. In 1911 the average mum.
Der Of working days was 246, an in
crease of so per cent over the average
for the five years ending a decade ago.
Stove and chestnut sizes of anthra-
cite are in the greatest demand and
make up ver 40 per cent of the to-
tai shipments. They are essentially
domestic sizes. Egg coal finds it's
way principally to the furnaces of res
licences and pea coal is used in the
same way to some extent. though it
is also used for kitchen ranges and
some of it goes with buckwheat, ETC.,
for use as steam coal. The small
sizes come directly into competition
with bituminous Goals and sometimes
are used mixed with bituminous coa'
for generating steam, chiefly in no.
tells, apartment houses, and Office |
buildings. If egg and chestnut are
considered domestic Goals, the snip
ments of domestic sizes in 1910 aggre-
gated 37,484,220 tons Of the 67,215,-
$50 tons of mine coal shipped during
that year.