COAL. - Clpdigital.org

VAST COAL RESERVE.
The known coal fields of the United States embrace
a total area, according to the United States
Geological Survey, of 310.296 square miles, to
which may be added something over 160,000 square
miles of which little is known, but which may contain
workable coals, and about 32,000 square miles
where the coal lies untler heavy cover and is not
considered available under present conditions. The
supply of coal before mining began is estimated
to have been 3,076,204,000,000 short tons, of wdiich
1,922,979,000.000 tons were considered to be easily
accessible and 1,153,225,000,000 short tons to beeither
so deeji or the- beds so thin that they are
accessible only with difficulty. Classified according
to the character of the coal, the original supply
consisted of 21,000,000,000 short tons of anthracite,
1,661,457,000,000 tons of bituminous coal,
650,157,000,000 tons of sub-bituminous coal, and
743,590,000,000 tons of lignite, the supply of bituminous
coal being something more than what that
of all other grades combined.
The total production of coal to the close of 1911
has amounted to 2,270,798,737 short tons of anthracite
and 6,468,773,690 tons of bituminous coal, or
an aggregate of 8,739,572,427 tons. This total
production to the close of 1911 represents, including
the waste of coal in mining, and exhaustion
of the beds equal to 14,181.980,000 short tons, or
somewhat less than 0.5 per cent, of the original
supply. In other words, the quantity of coal still
remaining to be mined amounts to 3,062,022,020,000
short tons, or a little more than 99.5 per cent, of
the original supply. The annual rate of exhaustion
at the present time as represented by the production
in 1910 and 1911 is 0.025 per cent, of the
supply. The quantity of coal still in the ground
at the close of 1910 was 3 000 times the production
of that year, or, estimating a half ton of coal lost
for every ton recovered, the supply is equivalent
to 4,000 times the present annual rate of exhaustion.
The Blubaker Coal Co.. James A. McClain. treasurer,
Spangler, Pa., will receive bids up to Dec. 10,
for the construction of two shafts, each 12 by 24
feet, lined with concrete, one to be 100 feet deep,
the other SO feet deep, and the concrete lining of
each to be 2 inches thick, reinforced.
Twenty more coke ovens have been fired by the
Loyalhanna Coal & Coke Co., near Latrobe, Pa.
This makes a total of 80 ovens in blast at a plant
that has been idle for some time.
A number of anthracite operators have asked
their miners to work three hours longer per day
during the winter months to meet the demand for
coal.
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 46
g IN THE WAY OF CONDIMENT jfl
An Italian organ grinder possessed a monkey
which he "worked" through the summer months.
When the cool days of tali came his business fell
off, and he discontinued his walks ancl his melodies.
An Irishman of bis acquaintance offered
him 10 cents a day for the privilege ot keeping
and feeding the little befst. The bargain was
made for a month. Great curiosity filled the
mind of the Italian, and at last, unable to restrain
himself, he went ostensibly to see his pet, but
really to find what possible use Pat could make
of a monkey. The liishman was frank. "It is
loike this," he said: "Oi put a pole in me back
yard, wdth the monk on tire top. Tin or twelve
trains of cars loaded with coa! go hy every evenin'.
There's thramps on every car. Every wan takes
a heave at the monk. Divil a wan has hit him,
but Oi have seventeen tons of coal."
Mary had a little calf. 'Twas clad in silk, you
know. And everywhere that Mary went the calf
was sure to show.
One of the flesh less fraternity telephones us that
he engaged a German cook lady not long ago. His
wife liked tlie appearance of the applicant; her
references were good, and Hie wages she demanded
not exorbitant.
"I'd like to have you come," said the lady of the
house, "but perhaps you won't want to live with
us. We are vegetarians and never have any meat
in the house. Would you be satisfied wdth a vegetable
diet?"
The fraulein scratched her head.
"Veil," she said, dubiously, "iss beer a wegetable?"
He (as his wife hastens to catch a car and is
putting on her gloves)—That's it; always late!
And why can't you dress in the house? I would
just as soon see a woman put on her stockings as
her gloves.
She—So would any other man.
Bulletin No. 12, Geological Survey of Alabama,
has just been issued. It publishes "Statistics of
the Mineral Production of Alabama for 1910," and
is compiled from "Mineral Resources of the United
States."
Mr. J. Curtis Keith, secretary of the Knox Coal
Mining Co., Bicknell, lnd., was killed recently by
a fall from the window of his office. He was aged
35 and leaves a widow and three children.