McGr a w- Hi l l Co m p a n y, In c. Ja m e s H . McGr a w, President E . J . Me h r k n, Vice-President
Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business
Problems of the Coal-Mining Industry
R . D a w s o n H a l l Engineering EditorVolume 27 NEW YORK, FEBRU ARY 5, 1925 Number 6
Many Cures but Patient Still W eaker
T
HOSE who p ersist in th eir search a fter a cure-all fo r the m any ills which afflict the commercial side o f the coal industry continue th eir pursuit w ith untiring zeal— and bitter disagreem ent as to the correct formula fo r the prescription. The mine workers in sist that a complete unionization of all the coal fields alone can bring a sane recovery. The non-union operators are as firm in the contrary belief. Many of the diagnostician s ignore the labor sym ptom s. Some prescribe price control as the only medicine. Others sw ear by seasonal rates. S till others plead fo r birth control in m ining operations so th at new openings m ay not sw al
low up the business now feed in g the fam ished older mouths. Others, bitten by the superman germ, would have a Will H ays or a Judge Landis s it in suprem e judgm ent. E very suggestion, it w ill be noticed, involves the creation of some new agency, the fo rg in g of some new instrum ent. T hat the industry m ight make great progress' in w orking w ith w hat it now has apparently is too prosaic a contingency to appeal to the im agina
tion o f th e panaceists.
citizens o f Illinois, including m any coal men, are asked rig h t now, as alw ays. “Because state police are cos- sacks riding down organized labor at the dictation o f em ployers!” shouts back the labor press o f the state as always. And so the battle fo r public opinion rages.
The outcome is uncertain, for, in sp ite of th e logic o f the case, and in sp ite o f all the H errins of the sta te’s recent history, labor is strong at the state house.
“W hen H errin Gets Going— ”
/TOBS w ere all over the streets,” testified Police- lV A m a n Ross L isenby o f H errin, 111., a t the inquest over a recent gun battle where leaders o f rival factions w ere killed. “It would have m eant suicide fo r me to have interfered. When H errin gets up and gets going it g ets dangerous around here fo r a copper.” And then Policem an Ross L isenby sat down. W ithout know
ing it he had delivered a pow erful argum ent for a state police force fo r Illinois. Up in the state house at Springfield during the present session o f the legislatu re that testim ony by Policem en L isenby no doubt w ill be used to support the perennial state police bill now to the fore.
There is no doubt that Policem an L isenby knows w hereof he speaks. When H errin gets up and gets going, it is suicide fo r a handful o f town police to in terfere. That was one reason w hy nobody interfered when th at mob of men, m ostly union m iners, one day in 1922 accepted the surrender of tw enty-one non-union miners, then shot and cut m ost of them to death and dragged the last of the victim s through th^ streets of H errin so as to finish the butchery in a H errin graveyard.
“When H errin gets goin g— ” ; but w hy should Herrin be perm itted to g e t goin g? The police force that a community of th a t size can afford to m aintain is always and invariably insufficient— even i f it w ills to assert itself. M ilitiam en are always too late for H errin. So why should there not be a force big enough, ready enough and w illin g enough to prevent the H errins of Illinois from g ettin g goin g? T hat’s w hat a part o f the
Preven tion— and Cure
R
OCK dusting is a cure for explosions, but it is not . a preventive m easure, for an explosion m ay occur at the face in a mine w here the entries are w ell dusted.Even though it is extinguished at the entry, it w ill, nevertheless, generate carbon monoxide w ith possibly fatal results and may kill several men. So it is rightly argued that it is better to prevent the accident alto
gether; which is true. But it is well to have the cure because the prevention is not absolutely sure. There are so many men and so m any places in a mine that it is certain that not every one o f them can be kept abso
lutely safe.
W hat w as believed to be a dust explosion occurred in Cumberland, England, though a pool of w ater stood at the face. I f such an explosion occurs at a m ine that is not rock-dusted the explosion is likely to spread.
Who can say th at in such a m ine the coal dust may not be raised in sufficient quantities to involve the whole mine w ith m ost disastrous results? So rock d u stin g also is needed.
It is well to have that secondary protection even in m ines w here the utm ost precaution is taken everyw here ag a in st the prelim inary causes, o f such a disaster.
It is well not to overlook the dangers at the face but equally is it well to look w ith apprehension to the dangers in the entry. W here every precaution is taken at the face great confidence m ay become established in the m inds o f men and m anagem ent— until an explosion occurs. Then i f the roadway and airw ays have not the needed degree of protection, it w ill be seen th at th e maximum assurance can be attained only by m easures th at are aimed at both prevention and cure.
W hy Not Long Face?
<<T ONGWALL” and “modified longw all” are term s J L /th a t have been much used, stretched, distorted and perhaps even abused during recent years. T his has been particularly noticeable since the introduction of m achine m ining. S trictly speaking longwall m ining has in the past been the designation of a method o f operation by which all coal is removed and only gob le ft behind. It may be either advancing or retreating, although th e form er is by fa r the more common. It is a method o f m ining but little followed in th is country except under exceptional conditions, such as those prevailing in northern Illinois and a fe w other fields.
207
C O A L A G E VOL. 2 7 , NO. 6
N ew methods of m ining have, however, brought diffi
culties o f expression. To designate such methods of operation as that followed in the so-called V -system of m ining or the 100- to 300-ft. faces worked by means of conveyors, the term modified longwall has been much used. The modification or change from the true long
wall system of m ining embodied in th is method of work
ing is so great as to bear small resemblance to the type of operation from w'hich it derives its name. In fact, the development of the m ine prior to machine operation resembles nothing so much as the panel sy s
tem of room-and-pillar operation. Obviously, then, the designation modified longwall is more or less of a misnomer.
In order specifically to designate long m achine- operated faces, such as those worked by portable con
veyors, or by m ining machines em ploying long con
veyors, whether these faces be V-shaped or straight, the name “long face” has been suggested. T his term would appear to possess certain well-defined advantages as it would apply to methods o f extraction by means of panels or blocks, where the actual faces from which the coal is produced would be in m ost cases several tim es the length of face worked by hand m ethods w ith out the aid of mechanical contrivances other than cars and tracks. Certain it is that the confusion and m is
understandings engendered or resulting from the some
w hat loose employment o f the term s previously men
tioned must not be perm itted to endure. Some more definite understanding must be reached.
W hen Proved, Wliat o f It?
I
T IS E A SY to pick flaws in the flame sa fety lamp, and, indeed, it can be convicted as the cause of not a few tragedies. But w hat of it? L ittle enough, till we feel assured of a substitute. The trend of legislation is to give us more sa fety lamps rather than less.
Thus the proposed code for W est V irginia demands additional use of such protection rather than a dim inu
tion. Colorado’s law gives every man a flame safety lamp in a gaseous mine even though an electric lamp is carried. In some anthracite m ines a few of the m iners carry both, even though machines are not used.
Dan H arrington is right, the flame safety lamp has its dangers but it seems to us that he w as not construc
tive in his picking of flaws.
He shows us that men competent to handle safety lamps are the men who mishandle them , but shall we deprive them of the rig h t and duty o f using them?
Rather we should question w hether inherent in the work for w hich they use safety lamps there is not a tem ptation to use them wrongly.
The danger of m isuse lies in the fact that flame sa fety lamps are quite likely to be extinguished. E ither this fault m ust be overcome or we m ust find some* safe way to provide for reignition, or fa ilin g that, it is necessary to provide some means by which the tem pta
tion to religh t the lamps in a unsafe place may be removed. The sa fety lamp m anufacturers need to con
sider the first two demands. The third is one for the owner of the m ines and his official aids.
When a fireboss g ets in the dark he naturally desires to relight his lamp. I f he has no flashlight or electric lamp, he is unw illing to stumble on h is way to a place where he can relight his lamp without disaster, so he
ligh ts it, if he can, where it goes out. In a few seconds it becomes filled w ith an explosive m ixture if it is in an atm osphere o f that character. Even if he ligh ts it by an internal igniter, and it is not protected by an absolutely im pervious sheathing, it will, when it ex
plodes, shoot flame through the gauze and explode the gaseous atmosphere by which it is surrounded. E vi
dently one precaution is to see that the fireboss has a ligh t available by which he can make a speedy exit to an ign itin g station or to a place where another ignited lamp is available or to the surface. B ut if th is station is fa r aw ay he cannot be induced to travel to it. He will prefer to find some improper means of opening his lamp. T his is a grave tem ptation when a man is m iles underground and he cannot lig h t the lamp without losing an hour or more and having a grueling walk into the bargain. It would be much better to provide means for opening the lamp not too far from the scene of his labors or to place a lighted lamp for his alternative use at some sim ilar point. W ith such a place provided, the mine owner would be better assured th at no risks would be taken or that the fireboss would not be com
pelled in the m orning to report that the part of the m ines which it is his duty to inspect could not be operated because it had not been inspected.
Opinion seem s to favor the unw ritten rule th at men who are cutting and loading shall have both electric ligh ts and flame safety lamps, the one for effective lighting, the other for gas testin g. There is less risk that such men will tamper w ith their sa fety lamps.
I f the lamp is extinguished the man, it is true, will go on working without it but as he is not moving around w ith the lamp, it should be less subject to extin gu ish ment, especially when used by a machine man, for in his case it need not be carried in the hand except when being actually used for testin g . It can be safely car
ried at other tim es on the machine truck.
The loader will carry it from place to place of opera
tion, but his moves will be short. However, as he has m any tools he may carry it carelessly and it may be extinguished. Still, it is better fo r him and the cutting crew to have it and occasionally be found working w ith it extinguished, than for them to work always and entirely w ithout it. W ith tw o lamps, one for each of the cu ttin g crew and one for each o f the loaders where two work together, there will be less risk that both lamps will go out leaving the men w ithout m eans of testin g for gas.
To have men w orking w ith or w ithout m achines in a gaseous m ine w ithout flame sa fety lamps or some means of discovering gas i f it occurs, is extrem ely dangerous, and m ost m anagers and superintendents would feel safer if every man were provided w ith a flame safety lamp. Furtherm ore, in a mine -where all the lamps are tended in a lamp house, as is the case where every man carries a flame sa fety lamp, there is less likelihood that the firetioss w ill go into the mine w ith defective equip
ment, for all the necessary repair parts alm ost in evit
ably will be kept on hand. The fireboss is prone in his hurry to rush off to h is work without g ivin g his lamps the proper care, and the superintendent and mine fore
man are liable to leave the work to some incompetent subordinate but, where there is a w ell-established lamp house, competent, trustw orthy lampmen are likely to be found with all necessary tools and m aterials available for their use.
Fe b r u a r y 5, 1925 C O A L A G E 209
How Much Coal Is Left in P ennsylvania?
Two Principal Seams the Upper Freeport and the Pittsburgh Beds— R eese E stim ates 44 Billions Still Recoverable as Against 75 Billions Originally in the
Ground— Beds Vary In Quality from Place to Place
By 0 . R. Ku h n Donner Steel Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
T
H E E A R L IE ST RECORD of coal m ining in P ennsylvania dates back to 1760 when a coal mine was opened on the Monongahela R iver opposite Fort P itt, now Pittsburgh, but it w as 1840 before there was any recorded production, and from that date the output grew , and for many years Pennsylvania has been the largest producer of bitum inous coal.
From 150 to 180 million net tons o f bitum inous coal is produced annually in Pennsylvania in addition to 85 to 100 m illion tons o f anthracite. A t this heavy rate of production it seemed likely that the coal would rapidly become exhausted, so accurate surveys have recently been made to establish the quantity of coal still rem aining which will be accessible in the future.
In 1909 M. R. Campbell, of the United States Geo
logical Survey, estim ated the bitum inous coals of Penn
sylvania to have an extent o f 14,200 square miles and to contain, when m ining first began, about 112,574,- 000,000 net tons. He also figured that the supply re
m aining at the close of 1907 was about 110 billion tons, which would leave a supply at the present tim e of over 105 billion tons.
More recent and m ore accurate estim ates, made by John F. Reese of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey during 1921 and 1922, place the reserve of recoverable coal at between 43 and 44 billion tons, and the original supply at sligh tly over 75 billion tons. In arriving at these figures Mr. Reese considered only thirteen or fourteen coal beds as being o f any commercial value, although there are over th irty known distin ct bitum i
nous coal beds in Pennsylvania.
The bitum inous coal beds of Pennsylvania lie in the w estern h alf of the state and embrace the north eastern end of the Appalachian Series. These coals belong to the Upper Carboniferous Form ation, the low est lying w ithin the P ottsville Series and the h ig h est being con
tained in the Dunkard Series.
The changes that caused the various coals to be laid down, took from 100 to 200 m illion years, according to
GOO
i
13- 446
51 51
Lost
’ in firing Lost in mining
Consumed in mining coal Consumed in transporting
'Lost enroirte to boiler room Lost in gases going
up stack ' Lost by radiation
~'Lost in ashpit Unavailable and lost in convert
ing heat energy into mechanical energy , Converted into ‘
• mechanical energy
Where Coal Is Used and Wasted
M i n i n g l o s s e s a r e l i t t l e c o m p a r e d w i t h c o n s u m i n g w a s t e s . T h e p u b l i c i s l e a r n i n g t h i s a n d i s a v a i l i n g i t s e l f o f t h a t f a c t b y u s i n g g r e a t e r e c o n o m i e s . H e a t , h o w e v e r , i s a n e l u s i v e q u a n t i t y a n d e v e n w i t h t h e b e s t o f e q u i p m e n t w e s h a l l n e v e r b e a b l e t o r e t a i n a l l o f i t .
650
76
Con
verted
•■info heat energy
the latest estim ates, during which tim e, the area, now called Pennsylvania, was som etim es above and some
tim es below the level of the sea, som etim es a plain, som etim es a swamp, and som etim es under water. T his was repeated w ith m any variations until the region became a graveyard for old vegetable matter, which at tim es was pressed down and at other tim es pushed up.
D uring this upheaval the rocks were compressed, fractured, and heated, and th is action probably drove
Bituminous Coal Produced by Pennsylvania 1883-1921
T h e f l a t t e n i n g o f f o f t h e P e n n s y l v a n i a o u t p u t i s c l e a r l y m a r k e d a n d s h o w s t h e e f f e c t o f t h e c o m p e t i t i o n o f o t h e r s t a t e s , n o t a b l y W e s t V i r g i n i a . I n 1 9 2 2 a n d 1 9 2 3 P e n n s y l v a n i a p r o d u c e d 1 1 3 ,1 4 8 ,- 3 0 8 a n d 1 7 1 ,8 7 9 ,9 1 3 t o n s r e s p e c t i v e l y .
out part o f the volatile m atter or gas from the marsh deposits and at the same tim e pressed the carboniferous m atter into coal. The effect of this action is m ost pro
nounced in the eastern part of P ennsylvania and de
creases as you proceed w estw ard. In w hat is now the anthracite region in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties, nearly all the volatile m atter in the coal was driven off and the coal w as compressed into w hat is known as anthracite, or hard coal.
A s you go westw ard the action was probably less severe, more of the volatile m atter remained and the coal not so hardened by compression, is known as sem i
anthracite coal. Still further w est, in Cambria, Clear
field, and Clinton Counties the effect w as still less and the coal contains 18 to 20 per cent of volatile matter, and is known as low-volatile bitum inous or sm okeless coal. A s you work still further w estw ard th e volatile m atter increases to 33 and 34 per cent as in the P itts burgh D istrict, and to as high as 40 per cent in the Mercer, Butler and Lawrence County fields.
Many people have the false im pression that the coal from a specific seam or bed in a d istrict is all alike, that is, that P ittsburgh coal, by which is m eant coal from the P ittsburgh bed, mined in W ashington County is the same as the Pittsburgh coal from F ayette County.
This is a grave error and should be corrected, for though coals in various d istricts are, for the m ost part, sim ilar, still there are tim es when coal from the same seam, from m ines side by side, or even from the same mine, show a w ide variation in analysis, so th at the coal purchaser should know, not only the district and
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PHILADELPHIA
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Table I-—•
S e rie s D u n k a r d . M o n o n g a h e la
C O A L A G E
V o l.27, No. 6
Seams of Coal, Their Tonnage and
R e c o v e r a b le R e s e r v e N e t T o n s
947,688,850 2.523.638.950 1.246.453.950
411,500,000 8,130,113,650 B e d o r S e a m
W a s h i n g to n ...
W a y n e s b u r g .. . . S e w ic k le y ...
R e d s to n e ...
P itt s b u r g h . C o n e m a u g h ..
A lle g h e n y .. .
( R e s e r v e n o t c o n s id e re d o f a n y ec o n o m ic v;
U p p e r F r e e p o r t . . . 10,718,904,000
P o tts v il le ..
L o w e r F r e e p o r t . . . U p p e r K itt a n n in g M id d le K i t t a n n i n g L o w e r K itt a n n in g C la r io n ...
B r o o k v ille ...
M e r c e r ...
S h a r o n ...
T o t a l.
4 .147.730.000 3.561.030.000 1.310.800.000 7.615.800.000 770.600.000 2 .183.900.000 252.700.000
10,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 43,830,860,000
Occurrence
C o u n ty C o n ta in in g L a r g e s t R e s e r v e G re e n e G re e n e G re e n e W e s tm o r e la n d
W a s h in g to n alu e .)
W e s tm o re la n d I n d ia n a S o m e rs e t B u tl e r C a m b r ia C la r io n
B u tle r M c K e a n M e rc e r
seam from which the coal comes but also the approxi
m ate analysis and the qualities. .
B y qualities, I mean w hether the coal w ill work in a eras producer, coke oven, or for w hatever purpose it is desired fo r I know o f several instances, one a stripping coal th at showed ideal analysis and appearance and yet would not coke, work in a producer or even burn under boilers. On testin g the coal at th is point from the upper portion of the seam and from the lower portion, it w as found that, although both portions analyzed prac
tically the same, the lower sample possessed all the qualities desired, and the upper sample had none of t h I f 1one w ere to try to describe the coals of the various counties and beds in Pennsylvania, much space would be required for the topic is almost inexhaustible, so I give below only a short resum e of all the beds that have any economic value in the order of their recov
erable reserve.
Upper Freeport— The Upper Freeport, “E ,” Lemon, or Kelly coal bed underlies practically the entire w est
ern part of Pennsylvania and contains the largest re
coverable reserve o f coal o f any o f the beds, the lates figures being estim ated at 10,718,904,000 net tons. This seam is extensively m ined and although more coal, in the high-volatile districts, is produced from the P itts burgh bed, as th is bed is depleted the Upper Freeport w ill probably be the largest producer.
The coal in th is bed varies from a few inches to 10 ft. thick and usually contains two partings. The thickest part of th is seam is in A llegheny and Indiana Counties although it is mineable in practically all of the districts. Around Johnstown, in Cambria County, th is seam averages 34 ft. in thickness w ith one parting near the floor. The la r g e st recoverable reserves of the Upper Freeport bed are in W estmoreland, Indiana, Alle
gheny, F ayette, W ashington, and A rm strong Counties.
A s a rule the coal is so ft and contains from 18 to 34 per cent of volatile m atter. I t is fairly h igh in sulphur
P ittsb u rg h— The P ittsburgh coal bed is th e second largest in Pennsylvania and by fa r the m ost im portant in W ashington, Greene, F ayette, W estmoreland, and A llegheny Counties. T his seam is in th e M onongahela series, is the h igh est o f the large beds, and contains a recoverable reserve of 8,130,113,650 net tons, although th is reserve is fa st being depleted.
The P ittsb u rgh seam is probably the m ost fam ous bitum inous coal bed in Am erica and varies fio m 4 to 9 ft. in thickness, averaging about 7 ft., and is remark
ably uniform throughout. The bed is divided into 2 to 4 benches. D espite th is fa c t it is probably more easily mined than any other of the beds. The fam ous W estmoreland, Youghiogheny, and P ittsb u rgh Gas coals
l e g e n d
F u e l R a t i o ( F i x e d C a r b o n -r- V o l a t i l e M a t t e r )
roTHjfö^ 4 to 6
M e a d v i lle
7 ones Showing Percentage of Volatile Ratios in Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal
The m ining districts to which reference made by ^ u? £ erc | ^ ri( * \ f ) 10T w oL ick,2 (9) "n d ia n a , (10) AUegheny Reynofdsville, (
(16) Latrobe, (17) Greensburg,
F e b r u a r y 5, 1925 C 0 A L A G E 211 Table II—Bituminous Coal Reserves in Pennsylvania
E s ti m a t e d b y J o h n F . R e e s e o f G e o lo g ic a l S u r v e y o f P e n n s y lv a n ia , A u g . I, 1922 C o u n ty O r ig in a l D e p o s it M in e d O u t R e c o v e ra b le A lle g h e n y ... . 3 ,180,400,000 9 69,200,000 1,486,900,000 A r m s tr o n g ... 3 ,750,700,000 107,290,000 2,491,100,000 B e a v e r ... 1,116,400,000 1,400,000 5 60,000,000
B l a i r ... 61,900,000 11,900,000 25,000,000
B r a d f o r d ... 39,000,000 300,000 19,000,000
B u t l e r ... 4,550,000,000 30,000,000 2 ,300,000,000 C a m b r i a ... 5 ,383,000,000 466,900,000 3 ,638,080,000
C a m e r o n ... , 42,000,000 100,000 20,000,000
C e n t r e ... 442,000,000 60,000,000 184,000,000
C l a r i o n ... 1,817,000,000 37,000,000 1,059,000,000 C le a r f ie ld ... 3 ,992,000,000 308,210,000 2,165,400,000
C l i n t o n ... 93,000,000 5,000,000 44,000,000
E l k ... 610,000,000 27,000,000 297,000,000
F a y e t t e ... 5,229 ,7 3 4 ,0 0 0 899,544,000 2,604,400,000 G r e e n e ... 10,330,094,000 42,490,000 7,01 1,400,000 I n d i a n a ..., . . 6 ,339,400,000 299,200,000 4 ,288,700,000 J e f f e r s o n ... 3,420 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 180,000,000 1,900,000,000
L a w r e n c e ... 611,000,000 300,000 311,000,000
L y c o m in g ... 68,000,000 200,000 34,000,000
M e r c e r ... 3 68,000,000 40,000,000 172,000,000
M c K e a n ... 32 0 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 300,000 136,000,000
S o m e r s e t... 6 ,091,800,000 187,384,000 3 ,986,000,000
T i o g a ... 124,400,000 23,200,000 52,000,000
W a s h i n g to n ... 10,526,023,000 557,763,000 5 ,481,680,000
W e s t m o r e la n d 6,381 ,5 0 4 ,0 0 0 1,218,141,000 3,297,500,000
B r o a d T o p F i e l d 391,000,000 46,843,000 265,800,000
T o t a l ... 7 5 ,259,055,000 5 ,519,665,000 43 ,8 3 0 ,8 6 0 ,0 0 0
come from th is seam. The coal is so ft and friable, and large areas in Greene, W ashington, Westmoreland, and F ayette Counties are unusually low in sulphur content.
T his coal also has such excellent coking qualities that it has earned for the Connellsville product the reputa
tion of being the standard coking coal o f the world.
Lo w e r K itt a n n in g— The Lower K ittanning bed, also known as the “B,” Bloss, or M iller seam, lies from 145 to 200 ft. below the M ahoning Sandstone in the Allegheny form ation and contains a reserve of 7,615,- 800,000 net tons. T his is the low est o f the large beds and underlies practically all o f the w estern part o f P ennsylvania w ith the exception of Allegheny, Greene, and W ashington Counties. I t is the m ost persistent, uniform , and reliable coal o f the A llegheny form ation and although the workable thickness seldom exceeds 4 ft., the seam varies in thickness from 2 to 7 ft.
In 11 counties th is seam is exposed in workable thick
ness and purity, and its commercial output is over 25 m illion tons annually. The coal has a content of from 15 to 16 per cent volatile m atter in the eastern counties o f the bitum inous field and increases as one goes w est
ward until it reaches about 39 per cent in Beaver
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S'® §
I O-2'ô"
Sewickiey Redstone ft'ttsboryh j | UttkCbrkbunf^
Weltersburg S
Vtoynesburg Uniorrfavn
^RANGCM
ÖTHICW1ESS
eDucpesnc
‘-Harlem 3aforsfo-#n
0-?6% R
0-3'^
fr-r 1 tr-ts'
Brush Crtek Mahoning JFreeport L. Free p o rt U. K ittanning^ -5¡
MJGtbmnipg %12-S1^ . L K itta n n tfS - g
SiKTr Marion xw'C
-Drookvii/e Allegheny
C o u n ty
2'-4'-'
Is"
1 |
Sewickfy Redstone Pittsburgh
— O-Xtff o - r
T §
¡ « I
—0-/4' e«
°-4 a r f
-orz?
A r m s t r o n g C o u n t y
Bakerstown Brush Creek Mahoning U. Freeport L F r te p c r t _ J K ił fanning M .K ittanning L. K itta n n in g ? ^ ¡ &
Clarion $ ^
Iraigsviile
xBrvokvi/fe
— Vbshington---
3 n"
Htynesburg *
w *.
— Unionfown
— Sewickioy Redstone Pittsburgh
Bak*rstown_
t r
2o;
8rush Crttk Mahoning U. Freeport ^ L Free p o r t tUitfa.naing- ^ — M. Kit tanning 3 •*.
f e n f t .
i r
'Brvokvi/le
County. In parts o f Cambria and Som erset Counties the sulphur is fairly low, but otherw ise both sulphur and ash are generally rather high, although m uch high- grade steam coal comes from th is bed.
L o w e r Freeport— The Lower Freeport or “D ” bed lies from 30 to 80 ft. below the M ahoning sandstone and is m ost'prevalent in Indiana, Cambria, Clearfield, Jefferson, and A rm strong Counties. I t is the ch ief bed in the Clearfield d istrict and contains a recoverable re
serve o f 4,147,730,000 net tons, averaging from 2 to 6 ft. in thickness. T his seam is broken up into two or more benches by shale partings. As it is m ined m ostly in the central part o f the state where the low volatile coals are found, it is usually o f high calorific value. In parts o f th is bed the sulphur and ash are fa irly low, especially in Clearfield County.
Upper K itta n n in g— The Upper K ittanning bed, also known as the “C” prime or Cement seam is m ost pre
valent in Som erset County, although it is o f consider
able importance in Cambria, Clearfield, Butler, and J e f
ferson Counties. About 3,561,030,000 tons o f th is coal
Table III—Grades of Coal in Pennsylvania with F uel Ratios, H eating Values and A nalyses
( F u e l r a t i o is th e fix ed c a rb o n c o n t e n t d iv id e d b y t h e c o n t e n t o f v o la tile m a tte r . I n t h e ta b le , th e a n a ly s e s a r e th o s e o b ta in e d a f t e r r e v i s i n g a s h c o n te n t
a n d m o is tu r e so a s t o b e th e s a m e i n e a c h in s ta n c e ) A p p r o x im a te
A n a ly s is
T y p e a n d D is tr ic t F u e l R a tio
A n th ra c ite
E a s t e r n P e n n s y lv a n i a ... 10 S e m i-B itu m in o u s
S u lliv a n a n d W y o m in g C o u n tie s 10— 7 H io h - R a n k S e m i- B itu m in o u s
B r o a d T o p F ie l d ... 7— 5 L o w -V o la tile S te a m or S m o keless
C le a rfie ld -C a m b ria ... 5— 3 \ M e d iu m -V o la tile S te a m
I n d ia n a a n d C o n n e lls v ille 3 J— 2 \ M e d iu m -V o la tile S te a m or B y p ro d u c t
C o n n e lls v ille -L a tro b e ... 2 \ — 1 .8 5 H ig h -V o la tile S te a m or G as Coal
P itts b u rg h -S h a w m u t-A lle g h e n y
R iv e r ... 1.85— 1.40 H ig h -V o la tile S te a m or G as Coal
B u tle r-L a w re n c e C o ... u n d e r ! . 40
B r itis h T h e r m a l
Uo
s
’S •goaU n its O
• a .H •8 J3
£ ■3
13,850— 13,250 3 5 86 6
14,000— 13,650 3 9 82 6
14,600— 12,000 3 13 78 6
14,850— 14,250 3 17 74 6
14,640— 14,000 3 22 69 6
14,350— 13,750 3 27 64 6
14,250— 13,700 3 33 58 6
13,750— 13,000 3 40 51 6
Washington
Wcrynesburg-A’ W aynesburg Union tow n
SewfcJdey Redstone Pittsburgh
W eltersburg
Hager
U, Freeport L. F reeport U .K itbnnirg
Brockvilk-
C/arion
0-17*
0
COAL §tAH6E IN BED 3; THICKNESS Brush Q rtk ^
— taming J_
UFmport L Freeport JKithmning ^ MXittanning h L Kittanning %
■Clarion,Upper “ x
Clarion . County*
'Koa't 0-6'*
04'i
MahoningBED U. Freeport t ßJjfe L.Frrcport ^ UJGitaming §
». Kittanning^
L K itfanning£
trSoZm*
I *
*t-Meroer ^
COM
BED Redstone ñt!sburgh(B¡g Vein)
— Lonaconing (D irty)
W e s t m o r e la n d .
C o u n ty " F a y e t t e
C ounty
J e f f e r s o n .
C o u n ty In d ia n a
County
U Bakcrsienn (Dirty) LBakerstown
U. Freeport
¡..Freeport
— U. K ittanning M ,Kiftanning(Dirty)
''-Mercer C a m b r i a
C o u n ty
Brobkvitle (D irty )
S o u th ern Somerset C o u n ty Strategic Relation of Coal Beds in Different Parts of the State of Pennsylvania
o f t h e t h i c k n e s s o f t h e t e n s i v e l y t h a n a t p r e s e n t a n d w e r e p l o t t e d f o r m c o n c l u s i o n s v a l u a b l e I n t r a c i n g a c - b e d s t h e y c a n b e t h e o n m a p s o f t h e c o a l f i e l d s w e c o u l d t h e n t i o n s f a v o r a b l e a n d a d v e r s e t o c o a l m o r e r e a d i l y i d e n t i f i e d o r c o r r e l a t e d , b u t I f v i s u a l i z e w h a t u p h e a v a l s o c c u r r e d i n t h e d e p o s i t i o n . S u c h m a p s w o u l d b e o f i n t e r e s t s u c h i n t e r v a l s w e r e a s c e r t a i n e d m o r e e x - p e r i o d s f o r w h i c h p l o t s a r e m a d e - a n d s o t o t h e s c i e n t i s t a n d c o a l b u y e r a l i k e .
B y s u c h s t u d i e s I n t e r v a l s b e t w e e n
2 1 2 C O A L A G E Vol. 27, N o . 6
C o u n ty A lle g h e n y
A r m s tr o n g
B e a v e r
B la ir
B r a d f o r d
B u tl e r
C a m b r ia
C a m e r o n
C e n t r e
C la r io n
C le a rfie ld
C li n to n
E l k
F a y e t t e
G r e e n e
I n d i a n a
Table IV— Coal Beds in Pennsylvania, Reserves, Thickness, Production
C o a l B e d U . F r e e p o r t P itt s b u r g h R e d s to n e
F o r m a tio n A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la M o n o n g a h e la
E s tim a te d R e c o v e ra b le R e s e rv e , T o n s 1.486.900.000 1.127.600.000
280,100,000 79,200,000
R a n g e in T h ic k n e s s o f B e d 2 '0 " - l 0 '0 "
3 '6 " ~ 9 '0 "
0 '6 " - 5 '0 "
L . K i tt a n n in g IJ, F r e e p o r t L . F r e e p o r t B ro o k v ille U . K itt a n n in g P itt s b u r g h
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la
2,491,100,000 1,001,000,000 943,000,000 387,100,000 87.300.000 69.900.000
2,800,000
l ' 0 " - 5 '0 "
2-0” - 7 '2 "
2 '0 " - 6 '0 "
2 '0 " - 4 '0 "
I '0 " - I 5 '0 "
6 '0 " ~ 1 0 '0 ''
L . K i tt a n n in g U . F r e e p o r t M . K itt a n n in g L . F r e e p o r t B ro o k v ille P itt s b u r g h
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la
560.000.000 215.000.000 186.000.000 85.000.000 40.000.000 30.000.000
4,000,000
1 '0 " - 3 '0 "
0 '6 " - 5 '0 "
I 'O " - 3 '0 "
T O " - 4 '0 "
0 - l '2 "
5 '0 " - 6 '0 "
L . K itt a n n in g B ro o k v ille U . F r e e p o r t U . K i tt a n n in g L . F r e e p o r t
A lle g h e n y A lle g h en y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
25.000.000 10.000.000
8,000,000 4.000.000 2.000.000 1,000,000
B ro o k v ille L . K itt a n n in g
A lle g h e n y A lle g h en y
19.000.000 11.000.000
8,000,000
B ro o k v ille U . F r e e p o r t M . K i tt a n n in g L . F r e e p o r t U . K i tt a n n in g L . K itt a n n in g C la r io n
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
2,300,000,000 700.000.000 450.000.000 450.000.000 200.000.000 200,000,000 200,000,000 100,000,000
| ' 0 " - 4 '6 "
I 'O " - 9 '6 "
0 - 4 '6 "
0 - 3 '0 "
0 - 4 '6 "
0 - 3 '6 "
0 - 7 '0 "
h . K i tt a n n in g I.. F r e e p o r t U . F r e e p o r t U . K itt a n n in g B ro o k v ille C la r io n '
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
3 .638.080.000 1.348.100.000
9 0 0 ,7 3 0 ,0 0 0 711.920.000 612.430.000 43.600.000 20.300.000
* 3 '6 "
* 2 '6 "
* 3 '6 "
» 2 '6 "
* | ' 0 "
» 0 '6 ”
B ro o k v ille M e rc e r I,. K itt a n n in g
A lle g h e n y P o tts v ille A lle g h e n y
20,000,000 9.000.000 9.000.000 2.000.000
2 '0 " - 4 '0 "
| ' 0 " - 4 '0 "
* 3 '0 "
B ro o k v ille L . K i tt a n n in g U . K i tt a n n in g M . K itt a n n in g 1». F r e e p o r t U . F r e e p o r t
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h en y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
184.000.000 108.000.000 50.000.000 13.000.000
6,000,000 5.000.000 2.000.000
2 '0 " ~ 5 '0 "
2 6 '- 5 '6 "
2 '0 " - 3 '6 "
0 - 4 '0 "
2 '0 " - 6 '0 "
2 '6 " - 5 '0 "
Ij. K i t t a n n i n g C la r io n B ro o k v ille M . K i t t a n n i n g U . K i t t a n n i n g L . F r e e p o r t TJ. F r e e p o r t
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
1,059,000,000 400.000.000 350.000.000 224.000.000 30.000.000 30.000.000 16.000.000
9,000,000
I 'O " - 4 '6 "
2 '0 " — 7 '0 "
0 - 4 '6 "
0 - 2 '6 "
0 - 4 '0 "
0 - 7 '0 "
0 - 6 '3 "
Jj. K i t t a n n i n g L . F r e e p o r t U . F r e a p o r t W . K i t t a n n i n g B r o o k v ille M . K i t t a n n i n g
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
2 ,163,400,000 855.300.000 537.500.000 234.500.000 224,000,000 207.100.000 106.800.000
B r o o k v ille L . K i t t a n n i n g M e r c e r M . K i t t a n n i n g
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y P o tts v il le A lle g h e n y
44 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 19.000.000 15.000.000 8,000,000 2,000,000
2 '0 " - 5 '0 "
0 '6 " - 5 '0 "
0 '6 " - 5 '0 "
C la r io n L . K i t t a n n i n g M e r c e r L . F r e e p o r t U . F r e e p o r t
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y P o tts v il le A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y
297.000.000 120.000.000 84.000.000 82.000.000 8,000,000 3,000,000
I '6 " - 5 '6 "
2 '0 " - 5 '0 "
2 '0 " - 4 '0 "
3 - 0 " - 4 '6 "
* 6 '0 "
U . F r e e p o r t P i t t s b u r g h W a y n e s b u r g b . K i t t a n n i n g S e w ic k le y R e d s to n e U . K i t t a n n i n g
A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la M o n o n g a h e la A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la M o n o n g a h e la A lle g h e n y
2.604 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 1.029.000.000 909.300.000 919.800.000
198,000,000 123.600.000
75,700,000 59,000,000
* 2 '5 "
* 9 '0 "
* 2 '3 "
* 2 '0 "
« 2 '0 "
» 2 '5 "
* | ' 9 "
P itt s b u r g h W a y n e s b u r g S e w ic k le y W a s h in g to n U . F r e e p o r t
M o n o n g a h e la M o n o n a g h e la M o n o n g a h e la W a s h in g to n A lle g h e n y
7,011 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0 2,831,453,650 1,1 19,453,950 1,647,858,950 735,148,850 677,484,000
0 '3 " - 9 '0 "
4 '0 " - 9 '0 "
0'4 " _ 5 '6"
t h i n
U . F re e p o rt- L . F r e e p o r t L . K i t t a n n i n g P i t t s b u r g h
A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y A lle g h e n y M o n o n g a h e la
4 .2 8 8 .7 0 0 .0 0 0 1.652.800.000 1.374.800.000 1.239.900.000
21,200,000
I 'O " - 7 '0 "
0 '6 " - I 6 '0 "
0 - 5 '0 "
6 '0 " - 1 0 '0 "
Their Formation, and Price
P r o d u c tio n A v g .
1920 P r ic e
N e t T o n s 1920 16,047,575 $ 3 .7 2
5,975,063 3 .7 5
170,900 4. 13
158,257 4 .5 4
(x)
1,542,307 4 .7 9
18,967,754 4 .0 4
1,735,045 4 .3 0
1,567,095 3 .9 8
9,242,416 4 .1 6
327,296 3 .6 1
1,258,834 4 .0 7
3 0 ,7 4 2 ,2 3 6 3 .2 7
2 ,078,835 4 .2 3
11,414,048 3 .6 6
remain. It lies from 80 to 100 ft.
below the M ahoning sandstone and is remarkable for the variety of its composition as well as-for its irreg
ularity in occurrence. The sulphur varies also from i to 3 per cent.
The coal from th is seam in some parts of Som erset County is o f low sulphur content and is high-grade sm okeless steam co a l; otherw ise the ash and sulphur contents are fairly high.
W aynes burg — The'W aynesburg seam contains a reserve of about 2,523,638,950 tons and is found in noticeable quantity only in Greene, W ashington, and F ayette Counties.
This coal is really the h igh est work
able bed o f the Monongahela series, lying about 390 ft. above the P itts
burgh coal. It averages about 3*
ft. thick and is divided by a shale parting from 1 to 2A ft. thick. This coal is generally fairly h igh in sulphur.
B r o o k v ille— The Brookville bed or “A ” seam lies alm ost immedi
ately above the Hom estead sand
stone, and has a recoverable re
serve of 2,183,900,000 net tons. It is the low est bed in the A llegheny form ation and underlies m ost of the counties in w estern Pennsylvania w ith the exception of the gas-coal d istricts of W ashington, Greene, F ayette, W estmoreland, and Alle
gheny Counties. It averages from 4 to 8 ft. in thickness although it is commonly too impure and sulphur
ous for m arketing. The coal varies from medium to high-volatile.
M iddle K itt a n n in g— The Middle K ittanning or “C” seam is the least im portant of any o f the coals of the A llegheny form ation although it contains a recoverable reserve of 1,310,800,000 tons. It is found m ostly in Butler, Westmoreland, Jefferson, Clearfield, Lawrence, and Beaver Counties, but is in general too thin and too dirty fo r m ining.
In some places it reaches a thick
ness of 4 i ft., but in m ost places it is under 3 ft. thick and is divided by a shallow parting into two benches. The sulphur is generally high, although some low sulphur coal is found in Butler County. The volatile m atter varies from 20 to 40 per cent.
Seivickley — The Sew ickley bed lies about 110 ft. above the P itts burgh coal and is widely persistent in Greene and F ayette Counties, but is economically valuable over a com paratively small area. This bed is credited w ith a recoverable reserve of about 1,246,453,950 tons
