The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-01-06
KENTUCKY HILLS
TREAsURE-TROvE
NEW RECORD FOR PRODUCTION
OF COAL SHOWN BY
SUMMARY.
EASTERN FIELD TO FORE.
Geological Survey Report Sets Out
Enormous Riches That Have Been
Brought to Surface, and Fore
casts Millions More.

Western Newspaper Union News Service
Louisville, Ky.-The report of the
United States Geological Survey on
the production of non-metalic minerals
in Kentucky is tale of hundreds OF
millions of dollars having been taken
out of treasure-crowded hills in 1912
and forecast of billions more. How
the state teens with coal. coke, lime
stone, spar, natural gas and various
other valuable yields of the soil; how
Eastern Kentucky has developed dur
ing the past year; how Kentucky
broke the worlds coal record-all
those things are told in the huge vol
ume of over 1000 pages, a summary OF
which has been received here. One
of the most remarkable statements is
that detailing how Eastern Kentucky
coal mines, in 1912, for the first time,
exceeded the yield of those in West
ern Kentucky. The survey experts
declare that the western field will new
er regain the ascendancy.
The production in short tons is
shown to have been:
1911-Total quantity, 14,049,703; to-
tai value, $14,0OS.45S; average price
per ton, 99c.
1912-Total quantity, 16,490,521; to-
tai value, $16,S54,2O7; average price
per ton, $1.02.
Rank of Kentucky in coal
production; seventh in coal value in
1912
Two Great Coal Areas.
In speaking of Kentucky as a coal
state the survey says in part:
kentucky is the only one of the
coal-producing states which has with
in its borders areas belonging to any
two of the great coal fields. The east
ern counties of the state are under
lain by the coal beds of the great APP
palachian Mountain system, extending
entirely across the state in north
! east-southwest direction, While the
| southern limits of the central or east
ern interior field are found in the more
northern counties of the western part
of the state.
The total area underlain by coal in
| the eastern counties of Kentucky is
I estimated at 1920 square miles, and
/ the coal-bearing areas in the western
| part Of the state are estimated to con-
| tain 6,400 square miles, or somewhat
more than one-half of that of the east
| ern part Up to the close of 1911 the
| larger part of the production of the
state had been from the western dis
! trict, but as result of extensive de-
velopments in Harlan, Johnson, Letch-
/ er and Pike counties, the larger part
of the coal production in 1912 was
/ from the eastern part of the state.
There is little probability of the west
ern district again gaining the ascend
ancy,
New Record For State.
The production of coal in kentucky
established a new record in 1912 with
a total of 16,49O,521 short tons, an in
crease of 2,440,S1S tons, or IA pei
cent over 1911, and of 1857, POP tons
over the maximum output of 1910. The
value increased $2,S45,749. or 20.3 pei
cent, from $14,O0S,45S in 1911 to SIG,
S54.2O7 in 1912.
Kentucky participated in the gen,
eral advance in prices, the averag;
value per ton being $1.O2 in 1917
against SO cents in 1911. The increasr
ed production in 1912 was due chiefly
to the new development in Eastern
Kentucky, for although the western
counties exhibited gain of 712,7Si
tons. and the largest gain in any one
county was in the western field, the
total gain in the eastern part of the
state was 1,728,031 tons, or over 1000,
coo tons more than the gain in the
western counties. Moreover, the west
ern district did not reach by over $50,
900 tons the record made in 1910
while in the eastern counties the gair
over 1910 was nearly 2.340,000 tons.