THE  BARNESBORO-PATTON  COAL  FIELD  OF  CENTRAL 
PENNSYLVANIA. 
By  John  Shober  Burrows. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Within  the  past  ten  to  fifteen  years  an  important  coal  field  has  been 
developed  in  the  northern  part  of  Cambria  County,  Pa.  This  field  has 
had  a  phenomenal  growth,  due  to  the  quality  of  the  coal,  to  the  trans- 
portation service  afforded  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  on  the  south 
and  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  on  the  north,  and  to  the  scarcity 
of  fuel  caused  by  the  great  anthracite  strike  of  1902. 
The  last-mentioned  condition  has  probably  been  the  most  potent, 
and  within  the  past  two  years  more  new  mines  have  been  opened  than 
during  any  similar  period  in  the  history  of  the  field.  Not  only  have 
mines  been  opened  in  all  parts  of  the  field,  but  the  coal  lands  of  the 
surrounding  region  have  been  bought  up  by  operators  and  speculators, 
and  numerous  branch  railroads  have  been  built.  Development  has 
extended  to  most  of  the  territory  in  which  the  coal  beds  show  in  nat- 
ural outcrop,  and  active  preparations  are  being  made  to  reach  the  coal 
in  the  deeper  parts  of  the  basins. 
Location. — The  Barnesboro-Patton  coal  field  covers  an  area  of  about 
80  square  miles  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Cambria  County.  The 
most  important  operations  are  in  the  vicinity  of  the  towns  of  Barnes- 
boro,  Spangler,  Bakerton,  Carrolltown,  Hastings,  and  Patton.  The 
New  York  Central  and  the  Pennsylvania  railroads  run  to  all  of  these 
towns,  the  New  York  Central  coming  from  the  north  by  way  of 
Patton  and  Cherrytree,  and  the  Pennsylvania  entering  the  field  from 
the  south,  where  it  connects  with  the  main  line  at  Cresson,  about  25 
miles  distant.  The  recent  extension  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  from 
Cherrytree  west  into  Indiana  County  has  caused  much  activity  among 
the  operators  of  this  part  of  the  field  in  pushing  the  limit  of  develop- 
ment well  over  the  county  line,  and  already  mines  are  being  opened 
at  Pleasant  Valley  and  Possum  Glory,  9  and  7  miles,  respectively, 
west  of  Barnesboro.  This  new  addition  promises  to  be  the  most 
important  part  of  the  Barnesboro-Patton  field,  as  the  coal  is  reported 
to  be  superior  to  any  coal  heretofore  mined  in  the  region. 
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