Show UTAH BREAKS COAL RECORD the production of coal in utah in 1912 reached the record figure of 9 short tons valued at an increase according to edward W parker of the united states geological survey of 5 tons over the output for 1911 the coal fields of utah are important and are widely distributed over the state the areas known io to contain workable beds of coal aggregate more than acres in addition to which there are about 1250 acres which may contain workable coal the largest and commercially the most im coal field in utah is that of the g great eat uinta basin which lies parallel with and along the south side of the uinta mountains the field extends from crested butte about one third of the way across colorado on the east to the western part 0 of carbon and emery counties utah on the west in utah this basin underlies large portions of uinta wasatch and carbon counties its southern border being in grand and emery counties the most important coal field is on the southern rim of the basin bo sin in the book cliffs of western colorado and eastern utah from that fact the productive area in utah is generally known as the book cliffs field the principal mining operations are carried on in carbon county more than 85 per cent of the production of the state being from that county A large field in the southern part of the state underlies considerable portions of garfield kane and iron counties and a small area in the eastern part of washington county this field has not been developed on a commercial scale as it is not at present reach reached ed by any railroad and has 1 been opened only for small local cons consumption aona A small area in summit county in the northern part of the state known as the coal ville field while being only a few miles in extent in utah has been commercially developed ve loped as it is convenient to the markets of ogden and salt lake city yielding more than tons annually there are several other small coal areas in sanpete San pete sevier and wayne counties the coal production of utah reached a total exceeding tons for the first time in 1912 the increase in 1912 over 1911 was short tons or 20 per cent the value gained or per cent the increased production in 1912 is attributed to activity among the mines and related industries and to generally prosperous conditions throughout the state the increased consumption of fuel oil in some of the territory reached by utah coal particularly in california and western nevada has taken away some of the markets but this loss has been made up by the demand from other consumers requirements from the transportation companies have been an important factor in the trade ahal at J to this has been added extensive improvements by the denver rio grande railroad over which most of the product is shipped including additional equip equipment which will materially reduce complaints of car shortage and other inadequate facilities operators reported a scarcity of labor in 1912 due to the exodus of foreign miners to the balkan war but the returns to the survey nevertheless show an increase of 10 per cent in the number of mine workers rs in 1912 over 1911 the total number of men employed in 1912 was against during the preceding year the the average working time increased from days to days although by far the larger part of product production io n is mined by hand and a relatively small quantity is undercut by machines the efficiency record of the miners averages with the highest among the states ir in 1912 the average production per man employed was tons with a daily average record of tons in 1911 the yearly average per man was tons and the daily average tons the statistics for 1912 show that 93 per cent of the total output was mined by hand the quantity of coal shot oft off the solid was only tons or 3 per cent of the total no strikes or other labor troubles were reported in the mines of utah during 1912 in 1911 there was only one instance of dissatisfaction and in that the miners were idle for but three days practically all the mines in the state are worked eight hours a day the reports to the united states bureau of mines show that there were eighteen fatal accidents in the coal mines of utah in 1912 an increase of four over 1911 none af pf of which were duo due to explosions of gas or dust |