Identifier: newpopularpictor00sear (find matches)
Title: A new and popular Pictorial History of the United States
Year: 1848 (1840s)
Authors: Sears Robert, 1810-1892
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Publisher: United States
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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s, or 208,000acres; that is, in all, 975 square miles,j or 624,000 acres. If the supply of coal! from anthracite mines, for 1847, is esti-mated at 2,800,000 tons, at four dollarsper ton, which is the average price at: tide-water, we have an amount of eleven; millions two hundred thousand dollars.; Most of the mines are owned by citi-zens ; and the balance of trade with; other cities is constantly in favor ofPhiladelphia. It is amusing to record some of theanecdotes related of the coal-trade in itsearly days. Mi. Charles Minor, ofI Wilkesbarre, and Mr. Cist, sent off thefirst ark-load of coal from Mauch Chunk,on the 9th of August, 1814. The boatsoon ran against a rock, which broke ahole in it. The men prevented tlie leakfrom sinking it, by taking off their coatsand stuffing them into the hola. Whenat length the cargo reached Philadel-phia, the expenses amounted to fourteendollars a ton. The owners then foundit necessary to call at houses, black-smith-shops, &c., and urge the people
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222 DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. to try the coal in their grates and fur-naces, and even to hire journeymen togive it a fair trial, after publishing hand-bills, in English and German, with aminute description of the manner ofkindling and treating it. In 1812, Col.George Sliockmaker took nine wagons,loaded with coal, from the Schuylkillmines to Philadelphia, and succeeded inselling two of them. It was with diffi-culty that he could persuade any per-sons to try the remainder, which he leftwithout selling. The amount of foreign coal importedinto the United States, in 1846, was156,853 tons, worth $378,597; which isvery small, compared with the aboveestimate for the supply of anthracitefrom the mines of Pennsylvania for 1847. Philadelphia.—This city was ori-ginally confined to a point on the west-ern bank of the Delaware, five milesabove its confluence with the Schuylkill,and about one hundred from the ocean.The river is of sufficient depth for thefree admission of vessels o

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