Show COAL AND COKE IN 1917 the production of bituminous coal in 1917 was net tons an increase over 1916 of tons or nearly 10 per cent according to C E lesher of the united states geological survey department of the interior the production of pennsylvania anthracite in 1917 established a new high record of net tons gross tons exceeding that in 1916 by net tons or nearly 14 per cent and surpassing the previous record of net tons in 1913 with the exception of west virginia all the large coal producing states recorded increases the only decreases having been in west virginia per cent oregon south dakota and georgia the production of coke in 1917 was 55 tons an increase compared with 1916 of tons or 20 per cent the output of product byproduct by coke increased from fro tons in 1916 to tons in 1917 and represented per cent of the total in 1917 against 35 per cent of the total in 1916 the production of beehive coke decreased from tons in 1916 to 33 tons in 1917 the number of active product byproduct by ovens increased from in 1916 to in 1917 and of beehive ovens from to but the irregularity of operation of beehive ovens in 1917 due principally to lack of railroad cars reduced the average production per oven nearly all the decrease in production of beehive coke was in pennsylvania although in the last month decreases were recorded in georgia and kentucky the production of product byproduct by coke decreased slightly in illinois pennsylvania tenessee and washington 6 and increased notably in new jersey ohio and west virginia the number of men engaged in producing bituminous coal increased from in 1916 to in 1917 and the number producing anthracite decreased from in 1916 to in 1917 however the number of men employed underground in the production of bituminous coal increased from in 1916 to in 1917 a gain of but 5 per cent com compared parea with a gain of f per cent in surface employed emp loyes in the anthracite regions the number of underground employed emp loyes decreased 58 per cent in both branches of the coal mining industry there was a relatively large gain in the number of men employed on the surface face which is significant when it is real iced ed that it is the underground worker who actually produces the coal and who is the lore re skilled workman the average number of days worked in both th bituminous coal fields and anthracite mine ines s was the highest recorded in the aluminous field and in the anthracite it is interesting to note that the preliminary estimate of the production of bi tu minous coal published by the geological survey in the first week of january 1918 net tons was low because it was based on the number of carloads of coal loaded at the mines whereas the average loading per car had increased nearly 4 per cent during the year a fact not discovered until several months after the estimate was made |