AVENUES TO MARKET.-COAL-TRANSPORTING RAILROADS.
Four lines of coal-transporting railroads now exist from the Shamokin region to the several markets.
The first and oldest is the Shamokin Valley & Pottsville Railroad, which extends from Mount Carmel to Sunbury, a distance of 27 miles. This road connects with the Northern Central, and over it has an avenue by rail to Baltimore and all intermediate points. It also connects with the Susquehanna Canal at Sunbury, which gives Shamokin connection by water with the same points. This railroad also connects with the Sunbury & Erie, and over it has direct communication with the Great Lakes and the Northwestern cities, which now consume considerable quantities of anthra cite coal.
A second line of rail connects the Shamokin Valley & Pottsville with the Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad, via Locust Gap and Big Run. This, however, is a continuation of the Mine Hill road, which extends from Schuylkill Haven to Locust Gap, via Coalcastle, Planes, and Big Run, a distance of 28 miles. This line furnishes a direct communi cation with Philadelphia for the coal-trade of Shamokin.
A third line extends from Mount Carmel, via Centreville, Shenandoah, and the Quakeake Valley, to the Beaver Meadow Railroad, a short distance below Weatherly. This line—the Lehigh & Mahanoy Railroad—is 40
miles in length, and opens communication with the New York markets, via the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey Central Railroads. A fourth line leads from the Trevorton mines to Port Trevorton, on the Susquehanna, a distance of 131 miles.
Of this amount 210,360 tons passed over the Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven road to the Philadelphia markets, and the balance, 123,118 tons, passed over the Shamokin Valley & Pottsville road to Sunbury and the Southern and Northwestern markets.
In addition to the above, we must add the products of the Tre vorton Coal & Railroad Company, which sent to market during 1864 56,301 tons.
Amount by other roads 333.478 " Total from the Shamokin region 389,779 " The Lehigh & Mahanoy Railroad was not completed for last year's trade ; and it will be as much as the company can do to get it in operation in 1865. When completed, however, it will open an available avenue to the New York markets, with some advantage over the Lower Wyoming mines, and on nearly equal terms with the Upper Lehigh basins.