COAL PRODUCTION.

As a matter of genera interest, in view of the prospective coal famine threatened by the troubles between the miners and operators in Pennsylvania, the following figures compiled from the reports of the Department of the Interior in relation to the production of coal and coke in the State are given.

COAL.

Total production in 1901, 2,725,873 short tons; spot value, $2,353,989.

Virginia is included in the number of coal-producing States whose production in the first year of the twentieth century exceeded that of any year of previous history. In 1899 Virginia exceeded for the first time a total production of 2,000,000 short tons. The production for 1900 exceeded that of 1899 by 287,963 short tons, or 13.7 per cent. and 1901 shows an increase over 1900 of 332,119 short tons, or 13.8 per cent.

There are only two really important coal-producing counties in the State, Tazewell and Wise. The production of Tazewell County in 1901 was interrupted to a considerable extent by a disastrous fire in the mines at Pocahontas, which, in addition to damage to property and loss in output, resulted in the death of a number of men. The production in this county decreased nearly 200,000 tons. This was more than made up, however, by the increased activity in the Wise County mines, which include those along the Clinch River division of the Northwestern Railroad. The production of Wise County in 1901 showed an increase of over 550,000 tons, or over 40 per cent. more than that of 1900. The attempts to re-establish the industry in the Richmond coal basin of Chesterfield and Henrico counties have not met with abundant success, and operations there have been practically suspended.

COUNTY

COUNTY

The statistics of production in Virginia during the last two years are shown in the following tables:

COAL PRODUCTION OF VIRGINIA IN 1900, BY COUNTIES.

*Short tons.

COAL PRODUCTION OF VIRGINIA IN 1901, BY COUNTIES.

The increase in the coke production in Virginia during 1901, as compared with the production of the preceding year, was larger than any other State in the Union except Pennsylvania. In the percentage of increase it exceeded all other

States except Ohio and Washington, but in each of these States the production was comparatively small.

Virginia's product in 1901 amounted to 907,130 short tons, as compared with 685,156 short tons in 1900, an increase of 221,974 tons, or 32.4 per cent. Notwithstanding this large increase in production, the value of the product in 1901 exceeded that of the preceding year by only $19,114, the average price having declined from $2.137 to $1,635. As in the two preceding years, the increases in production in 1901 were from the active developments which have been carried on in Wise county, along the Clinch River Division of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. The number of ovens in the State was increased from 2,331 in 1900 to 2,775 in 1901.

These included 60 Newton-Chambers ovens at Pocahontas, 52 of which were operated during 1901. Of the total number of ovens in the State, 1,966 were in the Clinch River District. There are two plants in the State, one at Covington and the other at Lowmoor, the coal from which is drawn from the New River District in West Virginia. The coal for the Pocahontas ovens is obtained from mines which extend beyond the boundary between Virginia and West Virginia, and the greater part of the product belongs to the latter State. The openings of the mines, however, are in Virginia, and it has been customary to credit all the coal product, as well as the coke, to that State.

The Wise county coke is made entirely from coal mined in Virginia. About eighty per cent. of the total coke product of the State is now obtained from the ovens of Wise county.

The following are the statistics of the manufacture of coke in Virginia from 1883 to 1901:

and 52 in 1901.

*Short tons.

Includes 60 Newton-Chambers by-product ovens, of which 56 were operated in 1900

Per cent.