1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

xxviii ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc.Magnitude of this Enterprise.Of the 18,608 ovens now ckissed as being in ihe Connellsville cokeregion, the product of 3,080 of them is used by furnace companieswho own and operate them, and none of their output is soldin the marlvet.Tlie product of 15,528 ovens is therefore left for salein the open market, and of this quantity the H. C. Frick Coke Companyand its allied companies own and market about 78 per centwhich is the jiroduct of ovens located in the very heart of the Connellsvillecoal basin. The H. C. Frick Coke Company owns 48 of the87 coke plants in the region, 45,000 acres of coal land and 15,000acj-es of surface land. The plants include 12 fine shafts, 22 slopesand 14 drift mines. For the economical handling of coal 14 air compressorshave been installed. Surrounding the coke plant are 60ndles of railroad track, and 30 locomotives are in use for the chargingof the ovens. The etiuipment also includes 108 stationary steamengines; 247 steam boilers; 50 miles of wire rope; 6,000 mine cars;300 miles of mine track; 800 head of horses and mules for use in themines and on the ovens and company farms; innumerable fans and'v^ater tanks, many miles of pipe lines;electric plants and incidentalmachinery for drifts, slopes and shafts.The H. C. Frick Coke Company has erected at Everson extensivetar shops for the building and repairing of the firm's individual cars.At present these number 2,500 and are a valuable acquisition to thetransport atioii facilities of the company. In times of car faminethe firm's individual cars, used only for the shipment of coke from ther( ! ion, have been important factors in supplying the demand of customerswhen their orders could have been filled with less celerity1,\ coke companies not so well eijuipped with rolling stock or whollydc] eiident upon the railroads for cars. The car shops employ 75men, and in addition to the regular repair work have a capacity oftiM-niiig out two new cars each day. The firm also has extensiveiiij'.cliine shops, where forgings of all kinds are made, as well asshajK's and fiiiislied material for the varied uses of the ditlerentplants.The H. C. Frick (>oke Company, when operating all its plants, employs12,000 men. With few exceptions these employes reside incomfortable houses owned by the company. Most of the houses aresurrounded with i>lots of ground, where gardens abound, and theillustration of these company houses isthe strongest