CUMBERLAND    GAP    COAL    FIELD,   KY.-TENN. 
Analyses  of  coals  from  Harlan  district. 
275 
Water 
Volatile  matter 
Fixed  carbon  . . 
Sulphur 
Ash 
Average 
percentages. 
3.285 
36.  625 
54.  399 
.852 
4.  839 
Remarks. 
Eleven  out  of  26  show  less  than  2  per  cent. 
Extremes  34.028  and  39.980  per  cent. 
Extremes  47.159  and  58.304  per  cent. 
Extremes  .532  and  1.396  per  cent. 
Extremes  1.935  and  11.270  per  cent. 
A  comparison  of  these  analyses  with  those  from  other  parts  of  the 
Appalachian  coal  field  will  show  these  coals  to  correspond  closely  in 
composition  with  the  other  coals  of  the  field,  being  superior  to  many. 
The}^  contain  about  one-tenth  of  1  per  cent  more  of  sulphur  and  1 
or  more  per  cent  less  of  ash.  In  volatile  combustible  matter  they 
run  about  the  same  as  the  Westmoreland  and  other  gas  coals  of  Penn- 
sylvania, being  higher  in  volative  matter  than  the  coking  coals  of 
Connellsville. 
The  better  cannel  coals  of  this  basin  carry  from  6  to  17  per  cent  of 
ish  and  from  40  to  49  per  cent  of  volatile  matter.  A  large  number  of 
analyses  of  samples  obtained  during  the  progress  of  the  recent  survey 
may  affect  the  above  conclusions,  but  returns  already  received  lead  to 
the  belief  that  they  will  agree  substantially  with  the  above  figures 
taken  from  the  results  of  an  earlier  survey. 
DEVELOPMENT. 
Most  of  this  area  has  as  yet  no  railroad  facilities.  It  is  only  a  com- 
paratively few  years  since  railroads  reached  Middlesboro,  and  already 
the  production  from  the  part  of  the  field  immediately  around  that  city 
has  reached  an  annual  output  of  from  600,000  to  1,000,000  tons.  Part 
of  the  product  is  coked  at  Mingo;  the  rest  goes  south  and  southeast. 
Between  visits  to  this  field  in  1902  and  1903  six  new  mines,  or  open- 
ings on  new  coals,  had  been  made  on  a  commercial  scale.  Bennett 
Fork  has  become  almost  a  continuous  mining  town  for  a  distance  of  5 
miles,  and  Stony  Fork,  up  which  a  railroad  is  just  being  completed, 
promises  soon  to  become  equally  active.  During  1902  a  railroad  sur- 
vey was  made  to  Harlan  by  the  Southern  Railway  up  Cumberland 
River  from  Middlesboro.  Right  of  way  is  now  being  secured,  and  there 
seems  hope  that  this  field  may  soon  have  a  railroad  connection.  At 
the  same  time  railroads  have  been  under  construction  up  Clear  Fork  of 
Cumberland,  making  an  outlet  for  the  coal  from  that  part  of  the  field. 
Coke  is  extensively  made  at  the  Mingo  mines,  part  of  which  finds  a 
market  at  the  iron  furnace  at  Middlesboro,  and  the  rest  finds  ready 
market  at  the  Ducktown  smelters  and  at  other  southern  points.  The 
coal  from  this  district  is  largely  used  by  railroads  and  manufacturing 
plants  that  furnish  a  steady  market  the  whole  year  through,  thus 
allowing  the  mines  to  run  regularly  summer  and  winter. 
