The coal produced was disposed of in the following manner: The above tonnage compared with the previous the several Geographical Districts as follows: 300,000 Gross Tons 1,159,644 Gross Tons 1,053,304 Gross Tons 3,763,077 Gross Tons .55,494,327 Gross Tons 61,770,352 Gross Tons year originated in During the year there were 2,393 mining machines in use at 469 mines, employing 21,803 men and producing 33,335,800 gross tons of coal, which is 54 per cent of the total production of the State and which is 2,868,607 gross tons in excess of the machine mined coal during the year ending June 30th, 1912. The following table exhibits the growth of machine mining since the year of 1897: 17 years) Tons for 1913 per each employee Tons per each employee per year (Average for 17 years). Average tons produced by one machine per month of 26 days 1,529 1,229 11,014 220 50 1,300 TONS OF PICK MINED COAL PRODUCED B YEACH PICK MINER IN COMMERCIAL COAL MINES, 1897 TO 1913, INCLUSIVE. The total acreage of coal mined within the State, based upon returns made by the operators, and calculation made at this office, since 1897 are presented in the following table: The mines in the State averaged 220 days as against 224 for the preceding year. TRANSPORTATION OF COAL AND COKE. During the year the railroads within the State report having handled a total of 60,476,513 net tons of coal and 3,003,662 net tons of coke, of which amounts there originated on the various lines 54,298,713 tons of coal and 2,258,180 tons of coke, while the operators report having shipped from the mines 56,076,505 net tons of coal. Between the tonnage originated on the railroads and that reported as having been shipped from the mines, there is a difference of 1,777,792 tons in excess of the tonnage reported by the railroads. This may be accounted for by the railroads taking only into their records the commercial coal and not including their railroad fuel, while the mines report the actual tonnage from the mine weights. The railroads, as will be seen, report 263,620 tons less coke originating on the lines than the mines report shipping. This may be accounted for by the railroads taking only into their report coke which had passed over their scales at the close of the fiscal year and the difference, as indicated above, would be moving between the various mines and the railroad yards, where railroad scales are located for the purpose of weighing this product. RIVER SHIPMENTS. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1913, the coal floated down the Great Kanawha River amounted to 848,572 net tons, as against 688,939 net tons the previous year. There were 71,102 net tons shipped down the Monongahela River from this State this year. There were 27,375 net tons of coal shipped down the Ohio River from this State. This is the third year that coal shipments have been reported as being made on this river from West Virginia. This does not include the tonnage for fuel consumed by water craft and local river trade. There was no coke shipped by water by either the Kanawha, Monongahela or Ohio Rivers from West Virginia during the year. COKE OVENS AND COKE PRODUCED. There are 120 coke plants in the State, which report a total of 18,314 coke ovens, of which number 8,393 were in actual operation for 255 days, there being 9,921 ovens reported as not being in use during the year. There were 4,214,946 net tons of coal converted into coke, which gave a net yield of 2,521,800 net tons of coke and gave employment to 2,571 persons. The increase in the production of coke, as compared with the previous year was 529,103 tons, at a decreased valuation of $1,135,638.43. The average price per ton of coke was $1.90, an increase of 9 cents per ton over the preceding year. IMPROVEMENTS. Quite a number of improvements have been made at the various mines throughout the state on their old plants, as well as in the opening up and re-equipping new mines. A detailed table of improvements appears on a subsequent page, as well as in District Mine Inspector's Report of their respective mines, to which special attention is directed, which shows the improvements by Counties and Districts. MEN EMPLOYED. During the year there were employed at the mines and coke ovens an average of 70,321 persons, an increase over the previous year of 710. the total number employed, there were: 18,320 Pick Miners. 17,641 Machine Miners. 4,161 Machine Runners and Helpers. 17,075 Inside Laborers. 10,553 Outside Laborers. 2,571 Coke Workers. Of Counting the superintendents, mine foremen, fire bosses, store managers, store and office clerks, it would be safe to add fifteen persons per mine employed in these capacities. Basing this estimate on the 820 producing mines, it would make a total of 12,300 men, or a grand total of employees directly connected with the operation of the mines of 82,621. The Nationalities of the persons employed in and around the mines is given in a tabulated form in another part of this report and the totals of the various nationalities are as follows: The average price received by pick miners throughout the State per gross tons of run of mine coal was $0.48 for 1913, as against $0.47 for 1912. The average tonnage produced per each pick miner was 1,536.7 tons, an increase of 224 tons over 1912. The average annual wage of pick miners, (All pick miners included) was $737.62 which was an increase of $119.10 over that of the previous year. STRIKES. During the year a good portion of the State was affected by the strike which begun August 7, 1912, and lasted until May, 1913, and this strike affected; Namely:-The Counties of Kanawha, Fayette, Raleigh, Logan and Boone. It is impossible to give anything like accurate figures in connection with the loss to both the miners and the operators, but the number of men affected reached a total of practically 14,000, and the counties were affected in percentage of men employed in about the following propor tions: 90 per cent in Kanawha, 35 per cent in Fayette, 40 per cent in Raleigh, 25 per cent in Logan and 50 per cent in Boone. The settlements were made during May, 1913, resulting in the granting of concessions by both employe and employers and the operations were gradually resumed under the new conditions. The following table shows the average price received for cutting and loading machine coal: MACHINE MINING PRICES. 1913 1912 Machine miners paid per ton run-of-mine in rooms Machine runners paid per ton run-of-mine in rooms Machine runners paid per ton screened coal The average selling price of all coal shipped from the mines was 99 cents per gross ton of run-of-mine coal, an average of (.04) four cents per ton over the price received during the year of 1912. Coke was sold f. o. b. at the ovens at an average price during the year of $1.90 per net ton, this price being an increase over the previous year of ($.09) nine cents per ton. ACCIDENTS. During the year there were 308 lives lost in connection with the mining operations; of these 286 were killed inside and 22 outside the mines. There were 668 non-fatal accidents during the year, 610 of which occurred inside and 58 outside of the mines. This shows a decrease in the number of accidents as compared with that of last year as follows: I regret to report that during the year we have had one explosion within the State; this explosion occurred at the Ben Franklin Coal Company's Mine, Panama, located at Moundsville, West Virginia, July 11, 1912. A detailed statement with reference to this explosion will be found in another part of this report. Falls of roof and coal and accidents from mine cars have been the chief factors in causing a large majority of the accidents in the mines. Investigations as to the cause of accidents from these three causes demonstrates that about 75 per cent of them were due to contributory negligence on the part of either the persons killed or injured or some |