384 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



mined and wasted (based upon 62% recovery) in Illinois 

 up to 1919. This is a little over 1.6% of our original 

 deposits, leaving a reser^^e of nearly 135,000,000,000 tons 

 at the beginning of 1919. 



In 1918 Illinois produced 89,291,105 tons of coal, more 

 than 15.4% of the total bituminous production of the 

 United States for this year. 



The leading counties entering into production in this 

 part of the state, in order of production, are Franklin, 

 Williamson, Saline, Perry, and Jackson. In 1918 Frank- 

 lin produced 12,373,356 tons, valued at $29,224,580. This 

 was almost 14% of all the coal mined in the state for that 

 year. In the same year Champaign County, our great- 

 est corn producer, produced corn valued at $13,869,931, 

 not quite half the value of the Franklin County Coal.^^^ 



Franklin and Williamson, our first and second coal 

 counties, produced in 1918, 23,711,918 tons of coal (val- 

 ued at $55,363,559), over 26yo% of the state production 

 for this year. The five counties named above hoisted in 

 1918, 33,369,327 tons, 37.37%c of the total lioist for the 

 state. The value of this coal was $77,992,252, and may 

 be compared with the value of the corn produced by our 

 five leading corn counties (Champaign, Fulton, McLean, 

 Pike, and McDonough) for the same year. The value of 

 the corn is $60,632,678, the coal leading by more than 

 $17,000,000. 



MIlSriNG 



The coal of these five counties is produced by 181 

 mines, including 54 local mines, 17yo% of all the mines 

 of the state, employing 36,736 men, 38.3 %o of the miners 

 of the state who in 1918 averaged over 1307 tons of coal 

 per man. Practically all the coal is mined from shaft 

 mines, though strip and slope mines are common near 

 Marion and Carterville on the south, and Duquoin on the 

 west where the Ozark foothills and the Duquoin anticline 

 bring the coal-bearing strata near the surface. Many 

 acres at the south edge of the basin have had the coal re- 

 moved by the strip mine method. Near Carterville, it 

 is reported that by modern steam shovel methods it is 

 profitable to remove as much as 30 feet overburden. 



