Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-06-03
COAL SITUATION
- ANAlvZEO 6Y
PROMINENT DEALER
Continued from page

centuries hkV. ht ~ VINO Wnon tne at l
mosph~rc contained much larger |
proportion OF carbonic acid gas than |
Il does now. and the climate OF all |
regions ~ tho Garth WAS much warm
vr THIS period was known a. the car
honlfcrous sgc. and It's atmospheric |
conditions favored tho rapid growth OF
plants md great forests ~ trees. These
uccay~d and others grew up in their
places Layer after layer Of Ncge-
table matter wcr. formed. From time
90 time tho earth's surface under
went changes ana the beds OF vcKc-
table matter were covered by water
~nd sediment OF various kinds. and In
the course of many years the sedi-
mcnt was transferred into rock and
other strata. Tho transformation OF
the deposits Of vegetable matter pass
ed through progressive changes. nrst
peet then ignite. bituminous and an
thracite coal. will quote from the
pamphlet, AS 81 viii give YOU a clear
cr idea ~ what actually took place.
II has been estimated by geolosists
that when nature had completed her
task ot dcpositing anthracite coal the
contents Of the field were about l6
times moro than they were when
man first began 90 mine and use II.
These deposits. like those OF other
coals, passed through tho various
stages of forest growth. peat forma-
tion. Ignite or brown coal. and then
into hituminous coal. the chemical and
physical transformation OF tho vcgs-
table debris affected under hdy
mamie influences
After these came tremendous earth
~ nearly horizontal. were bent and
folded into mountains and valleys and
the bitumlnous coal was changed TO
anthracite. The heat and the pres
sure which caused it during this
period 81 stresses. drove or the gases
contained in the coal (and which pro-
duces the smoke when bituminous coal
"a hurncd) while the pressure itself
compacted the material into the lus-
trous. dense. hard coal We know as
anthracite.
Af,cr III. mountains and valleys
were formed they were for millions OF
wears subjected 10 the destructive
wear of frosts and cutting streams.
and finally were spread over by great
glacier rows that came down from
tho north So that by far the great
cr part of the mountains. containing
most OF the coal. were ground on and
washed away until only remnant. ly-
ins IN the bottoms of the great folds
ana containing only about six per
cent of tho coal originally deposited
were left FOR man 10 use.
The conditions under which the
vegetable debris was originally de-
posted and the heat and pressure to
which different parts 90 the coal region
were subjected were not everywhere
absolutely the same. and SO we find
that there are some considerable dif-
f-renccs in the qualities ~ the re-
sultant anthracite. IL is by no
means of uniform character.
Who're tho heat and pressure were
less the Transformation was less COM
plste. In these areas tho Goals are
not 80 compact and arc frec-burnins
hut where Natures action was strong
cr the change was more pronounced
and tho coal. are harder and burn out
somewhat less rapidly than the free
burning Goals.
Anthracite. as 81 comes from the
mine Is confused mixture of large
ana small coal. rock. slate. bone and
dirt. which must pass through an
elaborate process ~ manufacture be-
fore u becomes the article Of commerce
with which the consumer is familiar.
viii not SO into this process az
manufacture. which becomes neces-
ssry after the coal is mined.
Retail Coal Business.
am now ruing 20 consider IN. re
tai coal business. and right here !
ssnt 90 cav that I am convinced
that the coal trade has In its mem
hership a. hish a percentage OF mer
who are honest and imbued with a
sense of responsibility 20 the pub
lic as any other industry. The
trouble is as l have said before. the
huyinr % coal IS a disagreeable neces-
sity, and for this reason the average
consumer kicks on general principle,
and ciassircs all coal mon as barons
robbers and proftecrs. You as prac.
teal bushes. men. know from your
uwn experience IN your own particular
line Of enacsVor that "all Is not gold
that gitters" and all is not rroflteer.
inr that runs into money
ono of the greatest problems the re.
tah coal man has TO face Is the atti.
tudo the public tskcs towards IN.
present prices OF coal. Prices are toe
hlGh, ana that is as far as they so
Eea.ons why they are too high do no
interest them. generally their inter
est does no: 20 further than 10 con
dsmn the men they deal with. an,
those mon are. Of course. the retail
merchants The domestic coal con
sumner has only ono idea. and that j.
tp buy coal 81 as low a price as pos
slhle. When he cannot get it a. price
that remind him of the days before th,
war. he insists that those who hand,
cosl are pronieertng
There are three items making VI
the price % domestic coal 10 the con
sumner Cost % coal a. mines. rail
road transportation cost. and retail
ere gross margin. am going &
nnaly.e these FOR you. and my figure
are based on the published report
of the operators. Federal Trade Com
mission. Geological Survey, and vari
ous articles appearing in the Blacl
Diamond, other trade papers an,
newspapers. all OF which ] have use
"a the preparation Of this paper.
Flrst-MInins Costs.
Tho average received by tho pro
Queer al the mines for his total ton
nase n sti5 per ton OF 2.2s0 pound.
only about so per cent OF all anthra
clt. (the domestic sizes, crate. stov,
ers and nuD Is sold at the mine a
prices ranging from $3.50 20 sssl
m ~ uArvxyDv~--