089590 
 
P4" 
 
 089590 
 
 (X)RNELL 
 UNIVERSITV- 
 
 LIBRARY. 
 
MINES AND MINING 
 
 IS 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 BV 
 FRANK HAUL 
 
 ■ Asfixiant Chitf^ Dt[-artmeHt of Mints 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA. : 
 
 WILLIAM SXANLBY KAY, PKINTttH 
 
 1904 ' ' 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924015056660 
 
MINES AND MINING 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA. ; 
 
 ■WILLIAM STANLBY KAT, PRINTEK 
 1904 
 
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MINES AND MINING IN PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 By Frank Hall, Assistant Chiefs Department of Mines 
 
 To speak o( the mining industry of Pennsylvania Is to speak of her de- 
 velopment and progress in all lines of commercial activity. Coal is the 
 foundation on which, with magic-like rapidity and unexampled success, 
 has been reared a superstructure of industries so varied in character and 
 tremendous in scope that they justly claim the admiration of the world. 
 The history of the development of coal and its application to the needs 
 of mankind is replete with Interest. At first rejected, misunderstood 
 and unappreciated, this great creative force has in a comparatively brief 
 space of time completely revolutionized the industrial systems of the 
 world, and is to-day the power on which civilization largely depends 
 for the maintenance and continuance of commercial prosperity. Eng- 
 land, the long-time undisputed industrial mistress of land and sea, at- 
 tained her glory through the timely and intelligent use of her coals. 
 Germany, the growing giant of recent years, owes to coal her rapidly ac- 
 quired distinction as a manufacturing nation. And America, the young- 
 est of the trio and the last to enter the race, can attribute to this dynamic 
 power her acknowledged leadership in the great battle for supremacy. 
 Truly it has been said that "coal is the great factor in everything we 
 do;" and equally true is it that the terms "iron age," "steel age," "age 
 of steam," may all be translated the "age of coal." To contemplate tbe 
 results that would inevitably follow the elimination of this beneficent 
 source of power from modern society, is to draw an appalling picture 
 of deprivation, stagnation and ruin. The machinery of our countless 
 factories would be stopped, the great ocean liner would become the 
 plaything of the waves, and the railway train that bears to market the 
 produce of our land would be left inert and helpless. 
 
 In view of the inestimable value of coal and its transcendent import- 
 ance as a means of perpetuating and increasing the mechanical and 
 manufacturing achievements of the present, it is gratifying to note the 
 prominence of Pennsylvania as a producer and user of this universally 
 applied fuel. Pennsylvania is the greatest depository of coal on the 
 North American Continent and has more capital invested in mineral 
 operations than any other state in the Union. This brings intO' ex- 
 ercise a corresponding amount of productive industry, and it has been 
 practically demonstrated to the commercial and manufacturing interests 
 that our great Commonwealth has in her possession resources of con- 
 
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centrated wealth that place her in a position of enviable superiority, 
 and which, with increasing development and larger utilization, bespeak 
 for her an ultimate elevation that bewilders the imagination. 
 
 The coal fields of Pennsylvania belong to the great Appalachian coal 
 measures, the first in importance in North America, covering 70,O0Q 
 square miles and extending from Canada to Alabama. The Pennsyl- 
 vania coal fields cover an area of about 15,500 square miles and are di- 
 vided into two great regions, the anthracite in the eastern part of the 
 State, containing about 500 square miles, and the bituminous in the 
 western part, containing about 15,000 square miles. The coals from the 
 two sections differ greatly in appearance, composition and adaptability. 
 The anthracite is distinguished by its compactness, high specific gravity, 
 semi-metallic luster, a preponderance of carbon, and the absence of sul- 
 phur and water as constituent parts. It bums with a very small amount 
 of flame, produces intense heat and no smoke. It is largely used in the 
 smelting of iron in air or blast furnaces, where a high temperature is 
 required; and it is also the ideal fuel for domestic purposes. By reason 
 of the great percentage of carbon, it is superior to any other mineral fuel. 
 
 The bituminous coal is soft and dull in appearance, contains much 
 less carbon, but is richer In hydrogen. This is the most important class 
 of coals, because of the great deposits to be found in almost every 
 country and the manifold uses to which it is applied. 
 
 No sharply defined line of demarcation can be drawn between the an- 
 thracite and bituminous coal fields, as the one series merges by im- 
 perceptible degrees into the other. This gradation is observable in the 
 coal deposits themselves, anthracite and bituminous coal being fre- 
 quently found not far removed in different parts of the same seam, and 
 the gradual transformation from a flaming coal to a. compact, lustrous, 
 non-flaming kind being very easily traceable. The variations in com- 
 position are attended with corresponding differences in qualities. The 
 first practical use made of anthracite coal, of which we have record, was 
 in 1768, when Obadiah Gore, a blacksmith in the Wyoming Valley, suc- 
 cessfully burned it in his forge. From the time of his experiment the 
 coal trade grew, imperceptibly at first, but soon with rapid strides. 
 The principal obstacles to its Immediate adoption were the difiBculty of 
 ignition and the cheapness and abundance of wood. 
 
 In 1812, Colonel George Shoemaker, of Pottsvllle, in his desire to in- 
 troduce anthracite coal to the people of Philadelphia, loaded several 
 wagons at his mine at Centerville in the Schuylkill region, and pro- 
 ceeded to the city to flnd a market. The people of Philadelphia had not 
 been favorably impressed with the quality of anthracite coal, and the 
 frequent attempts to impose "rocks" upon them for coal had aroused 
 their indignation. Colonel Shoemaker was therefore heartily denounced 
 as a scoundrel, and in his attempt to introduce a fuel that has since made 
 Philadelphia one of the most prosperous cities in the world, he lost both 
 time and money. The persons to whom he had given coal obtained a 
 writ from the authorities of the city for his arrest as an impostor and 
 
swindler, and in order to escape persecution he was forced to take a rapid 
 flight and make a wide circuit around the Quaker City on his way home. 
 
 Mr. White, of the firm of White & Hazzzard, of the Fairmount Nail 
 and Iron Works, was anxious to succeed in burning this coal and he 
 and some of his men made a persistent attempt to bum it in one of the 
 furnaces. They spent a whole morning and tried every expedient that 
 skill and experience could suggest. They raked the coal, they poked it 
 and stirred it up and blew upon the surface through open doors. Theii 
 persevering efforts, however, were of no- avail. Colonel Shoemaker's 
 "rocks" would not burn. Dinner time having arrived, the men shut the 
 furnace doors and left in disgust. Returning from dinner they were 
 astonished by the phenomenon they beheld. The doors of the furnace 
 were red hot with a heat never before experienced. Tbe fire had simply 
 been let alone, and "Let it alone" became the motto for the use of this 
 coal thereafter. The result of this success was mentioned in the papers 
 and anthracite coal soon obtained a reputation and found friends and 
 advocates in Philadelphia. 
 
 The anthracite coal fields are divided into three great divisions: the 
 Northern or Wyoming, containing about 200 square miles, situated in 
 Lackawanna, Luzerne, and a small part of Susquehanna counties; the 
 Middle field, divided into the Eastern or Upper Lehigh, and the Western 
 or Schuylkill region, containing about 130 square miles in Luzerne 
 county, with small sections in Northumberland, Carbon, Schuylkill and 
 Columbia counties; the Southern field, containing about 140 square miles 
 in Carbon, Schuylkill and Dauphin counties. 
 
 The first discovery of bituminous coal in Pennsylvania was made early 
 in the Eighteenth century, but the trade in it as a commodity of com- 
 merce dates from 1784, when the Penns, who still retained their pro- 
 prietary interests in the State, including the manor of Pittsburg, sur- 
 veyed the town of Pittsburg 'and at the same time sold the privilege of 
 mining coal in the "great seam" opposite the town, at the rate of 30 
 pounds for each mining lot, extending back to the center of the hill. 
 The coal mined at that time and up to 1850 was floated to market down 
 the Ohio River, during the spring and fall freshets, in large flat- 
 bottom boats holding about 15,000 bushels each. In 1850 this primitive 
 method was superseded by the introduction of steam tow-boats. 
 
 The first shipment of bituminous coal to eastern market was made 
 from Clearfield county in 1804. In that year an ark load was sent down 
 the Susquehanna River to Columbia, a distance of 260 miles. The new 
 fuel was a great surprise to the people of that section. In 1828 the first 
 cargo reached Philadelphia from the same county. The means of trans- 
 portation, however, were too imperfect to permit building up a coal 
 trade between the AUeghenies and the seaboard, and not until some 
 years after the completion of the internal improvements of Pennsyl- 
 vania was the trade put upon a permanent basis. 
 
 In 1826, under authority conferred by an Act of the General Assembly, 
 the great project of constructing the Pennsylvania Canal was under- 
 
taken. The purpose of the canal was to afford an outlet for the products 
 of the western part of the State to the east and to the lakes. In 1827 
 additional legislation provided for a portage road over the Allegheny 
 Mountains, for the purpose of connecting the waterways of the two sec- 
 tions. From that time the Internal improvements of Pennsylvania 
 rapidly developed, and the bituminous coal trade assumed proportions 
 of significant magnitude. 
 
 In 1822, the Lehigh Canal, 108 miles in length, was constructed, and 
 the development of the Lehigh coal fields was begun. The canal sys- 
 tem was rapidly extended in various directions and Pennsylvania soon 
 possessed what at that time were considered ample and adequate means 
 of transportation. 
 
 It was not, however, until the introduction of the steam railway that 
 the coal fields of Pennsylvania became distinguished for their output. 
 With the coming of the railways, they leaped at once into prominence 
 and soon assumed that place of first importance to which they were 
 justly entitled and which they are likely ever to maintain. The first 
 railroad in Pennsylvania was a gravity road built in 1827, from Mauch 
 Chunk, in Carbon county, to the Summit Mines, a distance of 9 miles. 
 This was the first railway of any note constructed in the United States. 
 The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad penetrated the same region in 
 1842, and was the chief factor in providing coal for the steam power 
 that rapidly built up our industries and our commerce and advanced 
 them to a position of acknowledged pre-eminence. 
 
 The product of the bituminous fields about Pittsburg is distributed 
 principally through its great waterway, the Ohio River, and the exten- 
 sive systems of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railroad. The output from Bedford and Clearfield finds its way to 
 market over the Pennsylvania and New York Central. Tbe bituminous 
 mining operations now extend over 25 counties in the western part of 
 the State, and 33 different steam roads carry the product to market. 
 
 The growth of the coal trade in Pennsylvania is best illustrated by 
 figures. In 1820 the anthracite production amounted to 365 tons; in 
 1903 it amounted to 66,080,000 tons, representing a selling value at tide 
 water of $307,360,000. In 1840 the bituminous product amounted to 464,- 
 826 tons; in 1903 it amounted to 105,000,000 tons, valued at $275,000,000. 
 
 COAL PRODUCTION 
 
 Anthracite 
 
 1820, 365 tons. 
 
 1840, 1,064,914 
 
 I860, 10,488,168 
 
 1880, 28,649,811 
 
 1900, 57,367,915 
 
 1903, 66,080,000 
 
Bituminous 
 
 1840, 464,826 tons. 
 
 1860, 2,679,773 " 
 
 1880, 21,280,000 " 
 
 1900, 79,842,326 " 
 
 1903, 105,000,00>0 " 
 
 Various estimates have l?een made of the amount of coal still remain- 
 ing unmined in the anthracite fields. One computation places it at 
 10,638,902,809 tons, half of which may be available, or 5,319,451,404 tons. 
 Another computation is 6,512,167,703 tons as available. Estimating the 
 annual production at 60,000,000 tons, the duration of this industry in one 
 case would be about 89 years, and in the other about 109 years. 
 
 No estimates are obtainable regarding the bituminous deposits. 
 
 The daily wages paid to miners in Pennsylvania have increased from 
 90 cents per day in 1840, to about $2.50 in 1903. In 1901 the anthracite 
 miners produced an average of 464 short tons per man, the daily average 
 production per man being 2.37 short tons. The bituminous miners pro- 
 duced an average of 664 short tons, the daily average per man being 
 2.94 short tons. The number of employes at the anthracite mines in 
 1903 was 151,479, and at the bituminous mines 160,000. 
 
 The coal of Pennsylvania that has furnished the motive power for 
 our vast commercial industries has made our State wealthy and popu- 
 lous. The number of our industries in 1900 was 52,185, and the value 
 of the manufactured products was $1,835,104,400. Towns and cities, 
 almost without number, have come into existence and grown with re- 
 markable rapidity to a position of celebrity, since the general introduc- 
 tion of coal. The most prominent examples are the cities of Philadel- 
 phia, Pittsburg and Scranton. These cities contain, perhaps, more 
 solid wealth in proportion to their population than any other cities in 
 the country. Their prosperity, as well as that of many other Pennsyl- 
 vania communities, is permanent because it is based largely on the 
 creation of new values. Possessing unlimited quantities of coal as a 
 creative power, they offer a most attractive field for investment and 
 enterprise of every character. 
 
 By the use of our coal we were enabled in 1902 tO' produce pig iron 
 valued at $126,000,000, or almost 50 per cent, of the total production ot 
 the United States; coke to the value of $56,700,000; rolled iron and steel 
 to the value of $360,338,972. 
 
 It is interesting to note that the value of the output of coal in Penn- 
 sylvania for 1903 exceeded greatly the total value of all the copper, gold 
 and silver mined in the United States during that period. The copper 
 output amounted to $88,334,770; gold $74,525,340, and silver $30,520,688, 
 or a. total of $193,380,798, while the total output of coal was valued at 
 the mines at almost $300,000,000. At the seaboard the value was about 
 $600,000,000. 
 The control of our coal lands and various systems of railways, par- 
 
ticularly in the anthracite region, is rapidly becoming centralized. In 
 1865 the anthracite coal lands were possessed by individuals, but in 1867 
 the railways began to acquire them and have steadily continued the ac- 
 quisition until this vast industry is now under their domination. The 
 further centralizing of these interests is being brought about by the 
 merger of the different railroad companies under what is called "the 
 community of Interests" plan, and it will be but a very short time, if, 
 indeed, it is not already an established fact, until one gigantic syndicate 
 will control absolutely the destiny of the anthracite coal trade and with 
 it indirectly the destiny of thousands of industries ^nd countless thou- 
 sands of human beings. The future welfare of the Commonwealth de- 
 pends largely upon its coal trade, and the passing of the control of 
 this source of creative power into the hands of a monopoly is a matter 
 of great concern to the public in general. The forces, however, that 
 compelled the consolidatibn in this instance were irresistible. Free and 
 unrestricted competition had resulted in frequent disasters, as the past 
 history of this industry plainly shows, and an agreement of some kind 
 had become necessary. The benefits to be derived from consolidation 
 are, in the language of a recent writer on this subject: 1. A better sys- 
 tem of transportation, a more regular movement of the production, and 
 a saving in the transportation equipment, which will reduce the cost 
 of bringing coal to market. 2. The doing away with coal agents and 
 hence the cheaper marketing of coal. 3. The working of the most profit- 
 able collieries and the shutting down of the more expensive ones. In 
 this way, in mining coal under the most favorable conditions possible 
 and using mining plants to the greatest profit, the cost of production will 
 be reduced. 4. Greatly reducing the cost of management by centraliza- 
 tion, for much of the expense now incurred by divided interests in col- 
 lieries and railroads would thus be avoided. 5. The maintenance of 
 prices at a steady scale which would yield reasonable returns to labor, 
 management and capital. 
 
 The dangers to be apprehended from this consolidation are restriction 
 in production and raising of prices. 
 
 The methods of mining in Pennsylvania differ very greatly in the b'- 
 tuminous and anthracite fields. In the anthracite region three method.^ 
 are now employed. One is stripping. This method, as its name im- 
 plies, consists in stripping off the material overlying the coal and then 
 mining it in the full glare of the sun. This is the cheapest method of 
 producing coal. 
 
 The second is the slope system. A slope is an incline plane driven 
 from the surface down to or through the coal beds. It varies in di- 
 mensions. If it is intended for a single track, 12 feet wide by 7 feet 
 high will suffice. If a double track is needed, then it must be about 22 
 feet by 7 feet. 
 
 The third method is shaft mining. Seams lying 200 feet or more be- 
 neath the surface are generally worked by shafts, that vary in depth 
 from 200 to 2,000 feet. In deciding the location of a shaft it is im- 
 
portant to know the lay of the coal beds, and for this purpose boro holes 
 are put down. Cross sections of the coal measures are thus secured, the 
 geological structure ascertained, and the shaft located in the most ad- 
 vantageous place. 
 
 In preparing anthracite coal for market, breakers are built at the 
 mines foj the purpose of cleaning the coal, removing the slate and other 
 impurities, and of sorting it into sizes for the market. Breakers cost 
 from $50,000 to $250,000 each. 
 
 Other accompaniments of mining are the driving of headings to open 
 up chambers, mules or other power tO' bring the coal to the foot of the 
 shaft, carpenter and blacksmith shops, powder houses, and so forth. 
 
 The mining of bituminous coal is much simpler. Little preparation 
 is needed for the market, as it is sold without regard to the size and is 
 often placed in the cars ready for shipment just as it comes from the 
 mine. Bituminous coal is produced with much less effort than an- 
 thracite coal. The mines are usually entered from drifts, although there 
 are some slopes, but they do not often extend below 300 feet. 
 
 The difference in the expense of producing the two coals is very great. 
 In the anthracite region it is necessary to- have a great army of slate 
 pickers, tracklayers, pump runners, foot and slope men, drivers,* door- 
 boys, engineers, firemen, blacksmiths, carpenters, loaders and plate men, 
 to mine the coal and prepare it for market. The effort, of course, with 
 all mine operators is to produce the greatest quantity of coal in the 
 shortest space of time and with the least expense. Every conceivable 
 device that has a tendency to this end has been adopted. The use of 
 machines for the purpose of mining coal is rapidly coming into general 
 practice. The modern mine owner, in his broad plan of conducting this 
 industry, equips his mines with the finest mechanism and the latest 
 improvements. We have now, in some of the mines, electric motors, 
 coal washers, first motion engines, box car loaders, steel towers, de- 
 tachable hooks for hoisting cables, and in the thicker seams machines 
 for undercutting and drilling coal. 
 
 A hundred years ago the miner, with pick and shovel and the aid of 
 powder, labored long and hard to produce a ton of coal — twelve to four- 
 teen hours. To-day, men work eight hours and with mining machines 
 that undercut and shear the coal can produce from 3 to 10 tons.The ad- 
 vent of machinery into the coal trade has greatly changed the conditions 
 and has brought to that industry many men of high intelligence and 
 broad mind, who realize the necessity of education among the class of 
 people who operate the mines and who form the mining communities. 
 It is this that has led to the building of villages where the inhabitants 
 can have comforts and some luxuries, and thus an encouragement to 
 civic pride. School-houses have been erected and instructors provided, 
 and under the laws of the State child labor is practically done away 
 with and all children are compelled to attend school. 
 
 The mining laws of Pennsylvania require the owner, operator or super- 
 intendent of every mfne to provide and maintain sufficient ventilation 
 
10 
 
 to carry off and render harmless the noxious and dangerous gases 
 generated in the mines. The ventilation in slope mines is effected by 
 an inlet and an outlet. If the inlet comes down the slope a second 
 opening is made at another point where the fan is atUched, which 
 creates a vacuum and so facilitates circulation. The law requires a fixed 
 quantity of not less than one hundred and fifty cubic feet per minute 
 for each person working in the lift. It is regulated by doors erected 
 across gangways and other paths of air current, so that each working 
 is provided with the necessary supply. In order to carry the air to the 
 face of the chambers, new cross-cuts must be driven through the pillar 
 at intervals of 30 feet. When a new one is driven, the old one is walled 
 up tight. 
 
 The expense of keeping up the ventilation in mines is considerable. 
 In all the shaft mines the fans must be run night and day, regardless 
 of the hoisting of coal. The airways must be carefully inspected every 
 morning and evening. Hence there is a force of brattice men employed, 
 whose duty it is to adjust doors, build partitions, wall up cross-cuts, and 
 so forth, so that the visible air may be tractable tO' the needs of the 
 colliery and led by divers ways to the workings. In the more gaseous 
 mines' the care bestowed on ventilation is ceaseless. 
 
 Accidents in the mining of coal occur with appalling frequency, but 
 the ratio to the number of employes in this industry is less than among 
 railway employes. The unavoidable dangers are very great, but 50 per 
 cent, of the accidents are attributable to negligence and carelessness. 
 The principal causes are falls of rock or coal, cars, powder and gas. In 
 1902, in the anthracite region, there were 30O fatal accidents and 641 
 non-fatal. The percentage of fatal accidents to each 1,000 employes 
 was 2.Y00. In the bituminous region there were 456 fatal accidents and 
 861 non-fatal. The percentage of fatal accidents to each 1,000 employes 
 was 3.368. 
 
 Along with the development of the coal industry of Pennsylvania 
 there has been ever-increasing attention given to the safety and wel- 
 fare of the mine workers. Individual effort has been seconded by State 
 legislation until to-day we possess not only the most modern machinery 
 and efficient appliances, for producing coal, but we have surrounded 
 this arduous and dangerous occupation with every safeguard and con- 
 venience that an intelligent liberality could suggest. 
 
 The effort to raise the standard of intelligence among the mining com- 
 munities and to afford opportunity for moral and mental improvement, 
 has been continuous from the time the industry first assumed propor- 
 tions of magnitude that made it a factor in our economic life. Higher 
 wages, shorter hours, educational advantages, hospitals for the injured, 
 and relief funds for the needy, have all been made the subject of thought 
 and action by the individu.al and the State. 
 
 This great industry, so vital to the welfare of the Commonwealth and 
 SO' tremendous in its commercial import, is under the control and super- 
 vision of the State Department of Mines. The Chief of the Department 
 
11 
 
 receives his appointment from the Governor. James B. Rodericli, of 
 Hazleton, the present incumbent, is an intelligent, scientific miner. He 
 has had practical experience in the mines, and for many years was a 
 Mine Inspector in the anthracite region. He therefore possesses a thor- 
 ough understanding of the duties and responsibilities of his position. 
 He has direct supervision of the thirty-one Mine Inspectors of the State, 
 and it devolves upon him to see that in the discharge of their duties 
 they satisfy all the requirements of the law. 
 
 Pennsylvania still leads all other States in the magnitude of its pro- 
 duction. America produces one-third of the entire coal tonnage of the 
 world, and of this amount Pennsylvania has the distinction of producing 
 about one-half. It is not a matter of surprise, therefore, that the keen- 
 eyed capitalist and manufacturer has selected this State as the place of 
 his industrial operations. 
 
 In addition to the great fund of coal that will furnish the dynamic 
 force for our mills and factories and numerous other industrial plants 
 in the future, Pennsylvania possesses a system of railways perfect in 
 organization and complete in equipment, offering to the manufacturer 
 means of transportation at once rapid, safe and inexpensive. 
 
 The wealth of a State consists first in its natural resources, and, 
 second, in the intelligence and industry of its people. This axiom has 
 in Pennsylvania a complete exemplification. Her resources consist of 
 almost every species of raw material essential to make a State great 
 in the three lines of development — agriculture, manufacture and com- 
 merce. By reason of these advantages, Pennsylvania has become a 
 center of thought and intelligent progress, and offers to the capitalist 
 not only the greatest opportunities for commercial investment, but the 
 comforts and luxuries that are to be found only among a people of ad- 
 vanced ideas and exceptional culture. 
 
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