The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-09-19
COAL RECORD BROKEN.
Illinois Mines Nearly 100000 Tons in
1o12-Is Third in List.

AlllnolS MINES NedAly outOOo,uVO LUIS III
1912-Is Third in List.
The production of coal in Illinois in
1912, reached the great total of $685.,
226 short tons, with value at the
mines of $1,000, 1888. These are record
breaking figures for the state, accord
ing to L. w. Parker, the coal statisti-
clan of the United States geological sur
yey.
There are 100 counties in Illinois, and
coal is mined in Just one half OF them.
The coal formations underlie number
of other counties, the total productive
territory occupying nearly three-fourths
of the entire state. The total coal area
is estimated at $4,000 square miles, a
larger area than in any other state east
OF the Mississippi river, and exceeded
only by the coal fields of Montana and
North Dakota. The Illinois coal fields
comprise the western part OF broad,
relatively flat basin, whose eastern bor-
der is in the western part of Indiana
and whose southern extremity extends
under Ohio river into Kentucky.
Many Large Mines Operated
The coal production OF Illinois is from
six different beds, Nos. /, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
and Z, but in some places doubt exists
as to the exact correlation of the beds,
Nos. and being especially confused.
What il generally designated No. in
southeastern Illinois is identical with
No. in the southwestern part of the
state. Bed No. @ is by far the most
important one in the state 1t averages
six feet in thickness over a wide ex.
tent of territory and is mined Mt depths
varying from so to 500 feet. Nearly go
per cent of the total output of the state
is taken from this bed, and if to the
coal reported as from No. 9 is added
that reported as from No. z, the per-
centage from this bed would probably
exceed 60. The mines operated on No. Q
COAL about 275 in number, average a
production of over 100000 tons each.
Bed No. 8, which is the one chiefly
worked in the Danville district and in
the north-central and southeastern parts
of the state, is second In Importance,
and produces over 25 per cent of the
total. Bed No 2, or the big Muddy"
produces little over 10 per cent.
The biennial shutdown which has
now become regular incident in the
spring months of the even years in Illi-
nois coal mining occurred as usual on
April |, 1912, but in this case was in
marked contrast to the preceding one of
1910. Trade conditions an 1912, while
not all that might be desired, were bet
ter than in 1910 or 1911, and in order
to take advantage of them and to pre-
vent further loss of markets through
the intervention of West Virginia coal,
the operators did not prolong the strug
gle. The miners were given an advance
of five cents a ton, and work was gem
orally resumed after an idleness of 30
to 60 days. In 1910 operations were
suspended for nearly six months during
which some markets were lost that have
not been recovered, The statistics OF
production in 1912 show that the rela-
lively short time lost, as compared with
1910, was made up partly through a
greater intensity of labor before and
after the suspension, and partly by in
creased production with machines. The |
production in 1912 reached the highest |
record ever attained, exceeding the pre-
vious maximum, 53,679,l1S tons, made
in 1911, by 6206,l0S tons, or ll.6 per |
cent. The value increased Sl0,T4,s6o,
or 1871 per cent, from $59,5l9,47S in 1911 |
to S7o,924,3 1888 in 1912.
The increased labor efficiency is ex- |
hibited by an average output per man
in 1912 of 767 tons against 70l tons |
in 1911.
Illinois Has Good Markets.
In spite of the increase of over 5000 |
600 tons in 1912, Illinois still fell be-
low West Virginia in tonnage and con- !
tinued third in rank among the coal |
producing states. With regard to the /
value of the output, however, Illinois
beat West Virginia by more in dollars
than it was surpassed by that state in
tonnage. West Virginia's output in
1912 exceeded that of Illinois by 6,90l,-
46l tons, whereas in value Illinois had
the advantage by 81 500, l04. The ex
PLANTATION lies in the fact that the opera
tors of Illinois are favored with the
large consuming markets close at hand,
while the producers in West Virginia
must ship their output to distant points
with the disadvantage of transportation
expenses. On the other hand, natural
conditions, as well as lower labor cost
are favorable to the West Virginia pro-
ducers, and a great part of the advan-
tage gained by Illinois in one way is
lost in another. The average price per
ton in Illinois in 1912 was Sill, against
Sill in 1911. The average price for
West Virginia coal in the two years,
was 90 cents and 90 cents.
In fuel value, West Virginia coal will
average about 90 per cent higher than
that of Illinois. The average selling
value of Illinois coal is from 20 to p
per cent higher than that of West Vir-
ginia.
Illinois shared with the other states