COAL IN AMERICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15482, 13 December 1913, Page 5 (Supplement)

COAL IN AMERICA.

DISCOVERY IN 1700 Tire presence of coal in tlio Richmond Basin, of Virginia, was known as far oack as 1700. and mines were opened and worked at as early a date as 1750. In 1789 ship- I ments were mado to somo of the northern ! States. In 1822, acording to a recent writer, the production amounted to 54,000 short tons. For nearly a century the -vicli ) mond Basin maintained soifle prominence as a coal-producer, but in 1882, when th» Pocahontas district was opened, followed shortly afterward by the development of the New River field, in West Virginia, tt)3 mines in the Richmond Basin were put at a disadvantage and operations were for many years practically suspended. During the last four years, however, new life has neen introduced into the Richmond Basin areas by the reopening of the old Gayton mines, in Henrico County, for j many years after the opening of the Soutn-1 western Virginia and the Southern West [ Virginia coals the mines of the Richmond Basin lay idle or were worked only tor a restricted local market. Tho Richmond Basin is the only area producing freeburning coal, which lies immediately ad-, jacent to the Atlantic seaboard.