coal: the resource and its full utilization. 9 
less product for heating use, the sole objection will be turned into 
an advantage, and the domestic fuel problem will be solved. 
In 1915, before the price of coal was enhanced by war conditions, 
the average value of bituminous coal [at the mine was $1.13 a ton. 
By way of contrast, we may tabulate the latent values contained in 
this quantity of raw coal, giving the figures in round numbers and 
basing the calculations on prices prevailing in 1915. 
Balance sheet showing contrast between value of 1 ton of bituminous coal at mine and 
value of 'products which it contains, based on conditions prevailing in 1915. The con- 
trast is greater to-day. 
Value 
at 
mine, 
1915. 
Quantity. 
Value 
at point 
of pro- 
duction, 
1915. 
1 ton (2,000 pounds) bituminous coal contains 
$1. 13 
fl,50Q Dounds smokeless fuel 
10,000 cubic feet gas, at 90 cents per 1,000. . 
•I 22 pounds ammonium sulphate, at 2. 8 cents. 
i $5. 00 
2 9. 00 
.61 
Total 
4 1.13 
2J gallons benzol, at 30 cents. 
|9 gallons tar, at 2.6 cents 
3.75 
3.23 
15.59 
1 Figure based upon approximate selling price of anthracite. 
2 Figure based upon average price of city gas. 
® These figures would be much higher if an adequate coal-products industry were in existence. 
4 This figure shows clearly that lowering the cost of production can not be expected to lower the price 
of coal. Even if the cost of production were eliminated, the price of coal would merely be a dollar less. 
Obviously, there should be a way for the home to get its fuel more 
cheaply than it has, when a ton of coal worth $1 at the mine contains 
about $14 worth of commodities useful to society. 
One answer to how these values may be got in full from coal 
lies in the development of artificial anthracite. The accomplishment 
depends merely upon the establishment of a process which will iso- 
late the solid-fuel portion of bituminous coal in the form of a sub- 
stance equivalent to anthracite, and produce from the remainder a 
number of products whose value could be made to more than carry 
the expense of the operation. Nature has pointed the way with 
natural anthracite, which was originally bituminous coal, but has 
subsequently, under the stress of geological evolution, lost its vola- 
tile portions, forced out by the action of pressure and heat. It is 
merely a matter of accomplishing a similar result by artificial means, 
but with the important advantage that while nature dissipated the 
volatile constituents and produced only one end product, man could 
catch these values and turn them to his advantage. There are no 
insuperable difficulties in the way of such an accomplishment. Sev- 
eral processes capable of this attainment are already in course of 
development, although comparatively little organized research has 
been directed to the problem. An intensive attack, such as the im- 
portance of the matter deserves, would unquestionably yield an en- 
tirely satisfactory procedure. The problem, in reality, is rather one 
