4 History of Anthracite Coal in Nature and Art. į January, 
by his son-in-law, from whose work we extract one short notice 
of the labors of this extraordinary man.! 
To the sagacity and perseverance of Josiah White, we are in- 
debted for the planting of the seed that has grown to such gigan- 
tic proportions in the anthracite coal.trade of Pennsylvania. 
Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, his partner in the manufacture 
of wire at the Falls of Schuylkill, early learned that they needed 
a liberal supply of fuel, such as would alone be found in mineral 
coal. Having obtained a small quantity from the Lehigh in 1812, 
the earliest brought to market, one of the first experiments in 
having it for manufacturing purposes was made at their works. 
“Incredible as it may seem at this day, great difficulty was found 
in causing it to ignite, mainly from want of patience and from the 
deficient draft of the furnace in which the effort was made to burn 
it. An entire night was spent in the vain attempt, when in des- 
pair the workmen shut the furnace door and retired and left the coal 
to its fate. Fortunately one of them had left his jacket in the 
mill, and on returning for it in half an hour later noticed that the 
door was red hot, and upon opening the furnace was surprised 
to find the mass at a glowing heat. The other workmen were 
summoned and four separated pieces of iron were heated by the — 
same fire and rolled, before it required to be renewed.” The 
secret of kindling anthracite had been discovered. In 1814 a few 
ark loads were brought down the Delaware, but the public was 
very unwilling to purchase, for said many “the black stones will 
not burn.” Bryant records the distrust with which it was viewed 
in “ A meditation on Rhode Island coal”’ 
“ Dark anthracite! that reddenest on my hearth, 
Thou in those island mines dost slumber long, 
But now thou art come forth to warm the earth 
And put to shame the men that mean thee wrong ; 
Thou shalt be coals of fire to those that hate thee, 
And warm the shins of all that underrate thee. 
Yea, they did wrong thee foully, they who mocked 
Thy konest face, and said thou would’st not burn, 
Of leaving thee to chimney-pieces talked 
And grew profane, and swore, in bitter scorn 
That men might to thy inner caves retire, 
And there, unsinged, abide the day of fire.’’ 
1 Memoir of Josiah White, showing his connection with the introduction and use of 
anthracite coal and iron, and the construction of some of the canals and railroads of 
Pennsylvania, etc. By Richard Richardson. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 
1873. 12mo, pp. 135. 
