Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-01
SPECIAL REPORT MADE
OF NATIONAL RESOURCES
Coal, Coke and Petroleum Product
Tabulated by Geologi-
cal Survey.
United States Leads the World as
Fuel Producer--Natural
u Gas Statistics.

All the mineral resources of the United
States have been tabulated in a special
report to the director of the United States
geological survey. Naturally the Iarg-
est and most important section of the
volume Is devoted to coal production. 1t
u the fourth decade in which the output
has been treated. and in that time the coal
produced in the country has doubled
many times and the United States has
taken rank as the premier coal-producing
country of the world. The total produc-
ton last year is recorded as 534, 446, coo
short tons, valued at $685., Zoo. This
country passed Great Britain as the first
coal-producing country of the world in
1899. and now leads her by 20 per cent
This country produces 40 per cent OF the
worlds coal supply and consumes 30
per cent Of It's own production
Total of A, oOo, 900 Tons of Coke.
The coke production of the country for
the year reached nearly 100000 short
tons. The most notable development OF
the industry was the substitution Of re-
tort or by-product ovens for the old
and wasteful beehive oven. This result
ed also in moving the coke-making in
dustry from the mines to the larger
cities, where the gases and other by
products of coke-making could be prof
itably disposed Of.
An interesting chapter OF the report is
devoted to fuel briquetting. The use of
brfquertes is little known in this eoun-
try, but the report says the industry mas
passed the experimental stage and prom
ises to be permanent and profitable. The
total output of brfquettes was not large,
being only little over 2.pOOO short tons.
IL was shown. however, that there was
profit In the work. The vast piles OF
culm in the anthracite region and the i'm
mense quantities of slack in the btu
minous country and great areas of Ignite
far removed from the coal centers, all
make plentiful and cheap material. The
sfbuckwheat" coal OF the anthracite wash
cries sells as low as 80 cents ton. The
cost of briquetting runs from 81 to $50
a ton, and the briquetteS are noted to
DO as valuable as anthracite
Consumption of Natural Gas.
This country burned natural gas in the
past year to the value of over So, SOC, 900.
The report states that the waste of nat
ural gas Is still deplorable. but some
states are taking steps to check this
waste, as its value as fuel is becoming
recognized The supply is large and the
use Is increasing, but the price has risen
in the past year from Ia cents to 10
cents per thousand 1t was estimated that
there was enough natural gas burned last
year to displace 2O,OO0.OO tons of coal.
Petroleum production increased in guam
tity and the price rose except in Cali
fornia, though even there the decline
was not marked The total production
was 222.O0O,0uO barrels, and the price was
"a cents. against 81 cents the previous
year. The export trade in crude oil and
oil products also increased. The present
outlook is for increased production in the
coming year. the increase probably to
come from California During the past
year there has been no change in the
rank of the three greatest producing
states, California, Oklahoma and Illinois
They furnished over three-Quarters of the
total production
Texas advanced from sixth to fifth
place