COAL - Clpdigital.org

Great Britain contains 5,500 square miles of
coal fields, of which fully one-third have been exhausted
during the last century, and they will
cease to export during the first half of this century.
Germany, 1,300 square miles, of which one-half
have been exhausted, and the remaining half will
be largely gone before we reach the half century
mark.
United States, 336,913 square miles. If we
allow 10.000 tons of coal per acre or 6,400,000 tons
per square mile, we have the incomprehensible
original coal supply of 2,156.243,200,000 tons
against Great Britain's original 35,200,000,000 tons
and that of Germany, 8,320,000.000. Surely with
fifty times the reserve fuel force of Great Britain
and Germany combined, there should be no question
of maintaining our supremacy.
Japan is limited to only 5,000 square miles, but
when we see the marvelous industries of Great
Britain and Germany with only 7,000 square miles
between them and recognize the wonderful systematic
methods of the Japanese in the late war,
we will no doubt get another object lesson that
we must not despise the people nor the day of
small things.
China is supposed to have upward of 200,000
square miles of coal with some signs of appreciation,
but for the Twentieth century at least the
race is ours if for no other virtue than the tremendous
lead we are taking in the first quarter.
Looking back to the finding of coal and development
of same in America, we find that, although
Father Hennepin, a Jesuit missionary, recorded
a "coal mine" on the Illinois river, near the site
of the present city of Ottawa, in the state of
Illinois, in 1694, some Virginia mines were opened
up as early as 1750, and one Lewis Evans discovered
coal in Ohio in 1750. Anthracite coal
(so-called) was discovered in Rhode Island in
1760, and the Pennsylvania anthracites were found
near the present city of Wilkes-Barre in 1762.
Very little bituminous or anthracite was produced
until the year 1814, when we find that Pennsylvania
produced twenty-two tons of antnraeite. The
first record of production for Virginia was 1822.
while our own state of Kentucky was the third
in the beginning of mining coal, when we find
that in the year 1828 five flat-bottom boats were
loaded at some point on the Cumberland river for
Nashville, Tenn., and from that day to this we
have had to market about one-half of our coal
outside of the state because we have failed to develop
our own in order to consume our coal production.
From 1829 to 1835 the present available
information indicates that the production of the
state ranged from 2.000 to 6.000 tons per annum.
By 1840 the total had increased to 23.527. In
1860 .t was 285,750; 1880 it was close to 1.000.000
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 41
tons; 1890. 2,670,000 ions: 1900, 5.330,000 tons, and
in 1904 we have 7,566,482 tons to our credit. Although
we started third in the race, we barely
hold the seventh place in production to-day.
In Prof. Norwood's report for 1902 we find the
following data, which 1 have briefly summarized:
Kentucky has an area of 41,283 square miles and
119 counties; 15,680 square miles are underlaid
with coal in fifty-three counties; workable beds
are found in fifty one counties, with mining operations
in twenty-four; thirteen in the eastern and
eleven in Ihe western fields; Kentucky is supposed
to contain larger areas of workable high-grade
coals than those of any other state.
Coking coal is worked in not less than ten counties
in the eastern field. In eight of them as
high-grade coking coal is found as is known in
this country. The most notable is the Elkhorn
seam found in Pike. Letcher, Floyd, Knott and
Harlan counties. The coal produces coke containing
92 to 94 per cent, fixed carbon, 0 per cent.
of ash. less than 1 per cent, of sulphur, and compares
favorably with the best Connellsville coke,
which is the standard of this country.
Pineville coke is also one of the best in the
country, and is used for iron-making and copper
smelting. The Ashland furnaces are supplied
from coke made in Boyd county.
The coking coals of Western Kentucky are found
in seven counties, but under present practices
they cannot be used successfully in competition
with the standard coking coals of tne country in
iron furnaces on account of the high percentage
of sulphur, but are all right for domestic use and
for certain manufacturing and smelting purposes.
They are largely used at present in lead smelting
and for domestic purposes.
Cannel coal of superior quality is found in six
teen or seventeen counties in the eastern fields,
and some of them will compare with the best
Scotch cannels for gas-making and domestic use.
Some cannel coal is found in the western fields,
but it is pockety in character. The most noted
was the celebrated Breckenridge cannel field near
Hawesville, now practically exhausted.
The bituminous domestic coals along the Knoxville
division of the Louisville & Nashville railroad
in Whitley county—the Cumberland Valley
division in Bell, and the R.. N.. I. & B. in the
j^ateyville district will compare favorably with
any in the country. The well known Jellico coals
to-day find a market in more states than any other
bituminous domestic coals. They meet successfully
all comers as well as overcoming heavy
freight differentials from Chicago to the Gulf and
from the Mississippi to the Atlantic.
The high-class, free-burning coals are confined
to only a few southeastern counties, while every
one of the twenty-four counties now producing