Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 263, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1917 — RAILROADS USE MUCH COAL [ARTICLE]

RAILROADS USE MUCH COAL

More Than One-Fourth of Total Production of Mines Consumed in Transporting Freight. It took 136,000,000 tons of bituminous coal, or more than one-fourth of the total production of the mines, to transport freight and passengers on the railroads of the United States in 1916. This was an increase of 14,0tM>.000 tons over the amount consumed in 1915,, or 11.5 per cent. The? combined bituminous and anthracite used by the railroads was 142,735,000 tons. These are contained in a report, just made public by the United States geological survey, and illustrate the enormous quantity of coal necessary to keep the railroads running. The amount of bituminous coal consumed by the railroads in the southern district Increased from 22,000,000 tons in 1915 to 23,300,000 tons in 1916, or 5.1 per cent. The increase in the eastern district was from 56,500,000 to 62,700,000, or 11 per cent, and in the western district from 43,500,000 to 50,000,000, or 15 per cent.