COAL: THE RESOURCE AND ITS FULL UTILIZATION. 
By Chester G. Gilbert and Joseph E. Pogue. 
Of the Division of Mineral Technology , United States National Museum. 
In spite of ample supplies in the ground, coal inadequately meets 
its obligations because of the competitive manner in which it is 
mined, the unnecessary extent to which it is transported, and the 
improper way in which it is used. The first has caused tremendous 
waste, the results of which will be felt heavily in the near future; the 
second has caused a coal shortage in the present period of stress and 
promises a repetition at every coming period of sudden industrial 
expansion; the third has imposed an excessive burden of cost upon 
the public. To prevent waste, to circumvent shortage, and to lower 
cost, changes in our system of coal economics are necessary. These 
changes must be determined by coal itself — by the nature of its 
geographic distribution, geologic occurrence, mining technology, and 
chemical composition. It is the purpose of this paper to draw from 
the considerations enumerated — from an analysis of the resource — an 
expression of the directions which these changes should take. As the 
most significant deficiencies are inherent in the utilization of coal, the 
subject will be approached from that point of view. 
I. 
The United States in 1917 produced in round numbers 640 million 
tons of coal. About one-seventh of this, or 90 million tons, was 
anthracite, while the rest was bituminous coal of various grades. The 
anthracite came from a small area of less than 500 square miles 
in Pennsylvania; the bituminous supply, from 30 States, with 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio contributing about 
three-fourths of the total. Anthracite is hard coal, of uniformly high 
heating value, and burns without smoke; it is relatively costly to 
mine and prepare; it is regarded as the ideal fuel for the American 
home. Bituminous coal is soft coal, of slightly lower thermal value 
in the raw state as compared with anthracite, 1 and burns with the 
production of black smoke; it is cheaper to mine and to prepare than 
anthracite; it constitutes the dominant fuel dependency of American 
1 True in the average only; the highest-rank bituminous coal has a heating value greater than that of 
anthracite. 
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