Coal Age

AUG 2012

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1950-1959 erable coal. Island Creek/Pond Creek would operate 12 mines in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky capable of producing more than 9 million tons annually. Peabody/Sinclair, following their merger, became the second largest national produc- er after the Pittsburgh-Consolidation Coal Co. In the September 1956 issue, the maga- zine reported that Pitt-Consol would merge with the Pocahontas Fuel Co., then the nation's seventh largest producer. The merger gave larger Pitt-Consol access to low volatile coking coal in Virginia and southern West Virginia. Around the same time, Pittston Co. also announced it was going to merge with Clinchfield Coal. Finally, in the February 1957 issue, Island Creek announced its acquisition of Algoma Coal & Coke Co., securing the company's status as fourth largest annual coal producer. Though still far below war-time highs, production increased both in 1955 and 1956, and held fairly steady again in 1957. But production peaked in the mid-1950s at 532 million tons in 1956 and then fell to 433 million tons in 1958—and held steady at those lows through 1962. Squeezed between oil and natural gas competition, higher transportation costs and increasing wage costs, King Coal was hurting. Railroad freight rates rose between 20%- 25% from 1952 through 1956. Producers began looking for any way to cut down those mounting costs. Pitt-Consol began constructing a 106-mi pipeline. Truax- Traer constructed a massive combination preparation plant, rail and river dock on the Kanawha at Cerdo, W.Va., as the Inland Waterway System became a more cost-effective mode of transportation. Several new mines located adjacent to new utility power plants and, by going to a mine-mouth arrangement, simply cut out transportation costs entirely. Increased mechanization and reliance on new continuous mining technology helped producers control costs as the UMWA secured a $2/day raise again in 1955. That year, more than 300 million tons or 64.5% of bituminous and lignite production was mechanically loaded. Only 11% was still hand-loaded. Roughly 25% of total produc- tion was surface mined. The use of continu- ous machines with roof-bolt drills mounted at the sides spread to more operations while rock-dusting machines helped contribute to better safety results mid-decade. Fatality rates in 1955 per million tons mined decreased to 0.71. Since falls of roof, face and rib were still the largest single causes of death and injury underground roof-bolting became standard operating procedure in the nation's most progressive mines. In March 1957, Coal Age sadly reported on the death of Joseph F. Joy, founder of the Joy Mfg. Co. who died February 19 at his home in Ft. Pierce, Fla. "Mr. Joy, whose machine design revolutionized the mechanical loading of coal in the United States, began his experiments in mobile loading in 1916. In 1919 he organized the Joy Mfg Co. and began production of coal mining machinery. Principal product was the Joy loader. From 1925-1927 Mr. Joy served as a consultant to Russia during modernization of USSR coal mines. He returned to the U.S. to organize Joy Bros. Inc. in Marion, Ohio, where he produced, among other equipment, the coal saw and the safety drill. Later, Mr. Joy joined the Sullivan Machine Co. as the head of design. Specializing in developing cutting machines, he developed the 7AU, which was the parent of many of the universal machines then in service. From 1938 to 1940, Mr. Joy was senior ordinance engi- neer with the War Dept. On completion of government service, he returned to private industry and was retained by the Joy Mfg Co. as a consultant." Perhaps no single individual had done more to change the way coal was mined in the U.S." Exports, Barges & the Death of the Iron Horse: Evolving Transportation One of the biggest surprises of the mid- 1950s was a surging export market. In 1955, it doubled from 15 million tons to approxi- mately 32 million tons. With Europe, Brazil and Japan expanding and short on coal, U.S. producers were quick to pounce. The railroads, of course, took their bite out of the expanding market as well. By 1956, it seemed like exports would become a steady 35 million to 38 million ton per year market for bituminous producers. In the March 1956 issue, associate editor W.A. Raleigh analyzed the export market by looking at the needs of 21 principal overseas nations worldwide. To help exploit the opportunity, operators, railroads and the UWMA band- Giant New Coal Burner Confirms N&W;'s Faith in Coal *Coal Age, January 1956 August 2012 Coal-fired steam-turbine electric freight hauler pulls heavier loads at lower costs over mountain terrain. *Coal Age, December 1954 100th Anniversary Special Issue www.coalage.com 97

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