The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-13
OUR ENORMOUS COAL PILE.
Production Has Increased 400 Per Cent.
in a Generation.

| IN Generation.
| The production of coal in 1912 reached
| the great total of 534 ,466,580 short tons,
valued at the mines at 1905 ,606,07l, ac-
cording to statement by Edward w.
| Parker, coal statistieian, just issued by
the United States geological survey.
! This year the report ON the coal in
dustry of the United States begins the
fourth decade in which coal statistics
have been published annually by the geo
logical survey. In 1882, the first year
of this period the total coal production
of the United States had reached what
was then considered about high-water
mark-l03 ,55l $50 short tons. In 1912
the production of bituminous coal alone
in the state of Pennsylvania exceeded
that figure by nearly 60 per cent. and
the combined production of bitwmlnous
coal and anthracite in Pennsylvania in
1912 was PA times the total production
of the United States in 1882. The to-
tai coal production of the United States
in 1912 was more than five times that
of 1882. In 1882 the United States was
a poor second among the coal producing
countries of the world, Great Britain
having an output exceeding that of this
country by nearly 20 per cent. The
United States supplanted Great Britain
as the premier coal producing country in
1899, and in 1912 it was as far ahead or
Great Britain as that country was ahead
of the United States in 1882. The United
States at present is contributing 40 per
cent of the worlds supply Of coal and
is consuming over 80 per cent of its own
production.
All Records Broken in 1912.
In 1912 the production of coal in the
United States not only surpassed all pre-
vious records, but the average value per
ton exceeded that of any normal year
in the 33 years for which statistics are
available. There has been only one year
when prices generally were higher than
in 1912, and that was 1908, the year OF
the fuel famine.
The gain in output in 1912 over 1911
was 3S,095,454 short tons and the in
crease in value was s69,040,S60. The
production of bituminous coal increased
from 405 ,907 059 short tons to 450, 104,.
9s2 tons, gain of 44,l97 1928 tons, with
an increase of S66,607 1926 in value. The
decreased production of anthracite,
amounting to 6,l02 400 short tons, was
due entirely to the suspension of min
ing in April and May, when practically
the entire region was idle. The factors
which contributed to the increased out |
put of bituminous coal were ~. the |
revival in the iron and steel industry, |
which stimulated production in the east
ern states, the coal made into coke show
ing, alone, an increase of nearly 100000 |
tons; ~ bumper crops of grain and
other agricultural products, which gave
prosperity to the farming communities
of the middle West; 49, decreasing sup |
plies of natural gas and fuel oil in tho
mid continent field and their consequent |
lessened competition with coal from the
southwestern states; (4) increased con
sumption by railroads and in nearly all
lines of manufacturing; ~ activity in |
the mining and smelling OF the precious
and semi precious metals in the Rocky |
Mountain and Pacific states. These fac
tors combined made the year 1912 one OF
the rare prosperous years in the mining
of bituminous coal
Increased Production in 81 States.
OF the 81 states in which coal min
ing may be considered to be conducted
on a commercial basis, there were 81
in which the output of 1912 showed an
increase over 1911, and in all but two
Of the important states the increase in
value was greater than the increase in
tonnage.
In the production of bituminous coal
in 1912 showed an increase
Of 7,304,23l short tons. West Virginia's
increase in 1912 was 6,955,l 07 tons. iii
nois increased its production by 6,206, los
tons, Ohio by 3,76s,74l tons, Kentucky
by 2,440,sls tons, Indiana by l.0s4,363
tons, Alabama by l,079,l79 tons, Virginia
by 9sl ,97l tons, Colorado by s20,44l tons,
and Kansas by s07 asa tons.