The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-21
F. H. Rogers & Co.
A RECORD BREAKER,
oklahoma's Coal Output in 1912 Larger
Than Ever.

Than Ever.
The total production of coal in OKLA
,nma in 1912. according to f. w. Par
ker. Of the United States geological sur
yey. was 3,675,4lS short ions, having
value at the mines of 81 ,S67 1871.
The coal areas of Oklahoma belong
70 the western interior coal field. they
lie entirely in the eastern and northeast
ern parts of the state, forming the con-
nection between the Kansas fields on
the north and the Arkansas fields on the
east. The principal developments are
in the southern portion of the fieh In
what was formerly the Choctaw nation
of the Indian territory and is now in
cmded within Coal Haskell, Latimer,
and Pittsburg counties. The total areas
underlain by workable coal is estimated
at 10000 square miles. The Goals, of
which there are ten or more beds, range
from medium grade to high grade
bituminous. some of the latter APP
preaching semi-anthracite. Some OF the
higher grades have coking qualities, but
efforts to make coke in the several nun
dred beehive ovens constructed for that
purpose have not been conspicuously
successful,
Diminished production of petroleum
and natural gas in the Mld-Contlnent
field is reflected in increased production
of coal produced increased from 3,04I ,24z
short tons, valued at 1921 ,494, in 1911,
to 3,675,4lS tons, valued at S7,s67 ,33l.
in 1912 The record of 1912 exceeded
that of the previous maximum output
lin 1907 by nearly $4,000 tons. Com.
pared with 1911, it showed gam OF
COL ,l76 short tons, or 1916 per cent. IN
quantity, and of 81 ,575,S37, or 20 per
cent. in value The average price per
ton advanced from $2.05 to S2.l4. The
wear 1912 was the first in decade to
encourage the coal mine operators OF
Oklahoma and the other Southwestern
states. For ten years the industry IN
those states had been kept practically
at standstill, the output OF 1911 being
lust about the average for the decade
ended in that year, The production IN
1912 exceeded that average by nearly ~
per cent The only assignable reason
for the increased activity in l9l2 APP
pears to be, as already stated, the di-
intuition in the supply of natural gas
and fuel oil in the markets tributary to
Oklahoma coal. Competition with coal
from other states, particularly Colorado
and New Mexico, continues keen.
In 1912 the average number of days
worked in Oklahoma was ia, the larg-
est number in recent years, except dur
ing the boom period of 1907. The gen
eral average of working time among the
b!tuminous mines in 1912 was 223 days.
The number of men employed in the
coal mines in Oklahoma in 1912 was s.
7s5. In 1911 there were $3.50 men en-
ployed for an average of 1855 days. The
average production per man in 1917 was
AIS tons for the year and "a tons for
each working day, against $50 tons and
2.24 tons, respectively, in 1911.
In 1912, out of total of 3,675,4lS
tons produced, 3,l75,455 tons, or 1914
per cent. was shot off the solid. The
uantity mined by machine is relatively
small, amounting to 25g,7l9 tons, or IL
per cent. of the total, in 1912.
The death rate in Oklahoma in 1912
was unusually high, owing principally
TO an explosion of gas in the San Bots
mine. at McCutcheon, on March %,
which resulted in the loss of 70 lives.
According to the United States bureau
of mines, the total number of fatal &C
cidents during the year was 80, all of
them underground Seventy-seven were
due to gas and dust explosions, IL to
mine fires, and to falls of roof and
coal. The death rate per thousand was
ll.27, and there We're 81, l25 tons of coal
mined for each life lost.
The number of men made idle by
strikes and suspensions in 1912 was $50
for an average of Ia days. The total
idle time from these causes was equiva-
lent to s per cent. of the time worked.