394- 



The National Geographic Magazine 



his principal and devoted assistant, Dr 

 W J McGee, the practical management 

 of the Bureau of which he was the head. 



Major Powell possessed a faculty of 

 suggesting ideas to others and of inspir- 

 ing others to carr}' them out. This 

 element of his personality Dr G. K. 

 Gilbert, for many years a close per- 

 sonal friend of Major Powell, brings 

 out very clearly in a biographical 

 sketch published in Science of October 

 10, 1902: 



' ' In summarizing the results of his 

 active life it is not easy to separate the 

 product of his personal work from that 

 which he accomplished through the 

 organization of the work of others. 

 He was extremely fertile in ideas, so 

 fertile that it was quite impossible that 

 he should personally develop them all, 



and realizing this he gave freely to his 

 collaborators. The work which he in- 

 spired and to which he contributed the 

 most important creative elements I be- 

 lieve to be at least as important as that 

 for which his name stands directly re- 

 sponsible. As he always drew about 

 him the best ability he could command, 

 his assistants were not mere elaborators, 

 but made also important original con- 

 tributions, and the ideas which he gave 

 the world through others are thus so 

 merged and mingled with theirs that 

 the}' can never be separated. If we 

 count the inspiration of his colleagues 

 as part of his work of organization, 

 then the organization of researches 

 may properly be placed first in the list 

 of his contributions to the progress of 

 science." G. H. G. 



THE COURSE OF THE RETAIL 

 COAL TRADE 



By Dr. David T. Day, 



Chief of Division of Mineral Resources, U. S. Geological Survey 



ON the average the total consump- 

 tion in the United States of fuel 

 of all kinds — hard and soft coal, 

 wood, natural gas, and petroleum — is 

 equivalent to about five tons of coal per 

 year for each man, woman, and child. 

 Of this about two-thirds of a ton is an- 

 thracite and, approximately, three tons 

 bituminous coal. At the mouth of the 

 mine the anthracite is worth about $1.50 

 a ton and the soft coal $1 a ton. As a 

 rule, the coal must be hauled not more 

 than 150 to 200 miles to the consumer. 

 These figures are low, compared with 

 the cost in other parts of the world. 



The most fortunate element in these 

 fundamental facts of our fuel supply is 

 the short distance which the coal must 



be hauled from the mines to the con- 

 sumer. In other words, coal deposits 

 are very generally distributed over the 

 United States. This is a feature of 

 greatest consequence in our exceptional 

 prosperity as a nation. Further, the 

 condition of the forests is still such that 

 where there is least coal, wood is gener- 

 ally cheap. Again, there are great tracts. 

 of country where natural gas, and occa- 

 sionally petroleum, can be used to pre- 

 vent any great rise in the price of the 

 general fuel, coal. 



It is a very difficult matter for the av- 

 erage citizen to reconcile this low 7 price 

 at the mine with the actual cost of the 

 coal delivered at his residence. This 

 cost at the point of delivery ranges in 



