COAL OIL.
The manufacture of coal oil from the rich cannel coal of the Kanawha was extensively carried on in that region before the war, and practical men who know the cost and have calculated the profits by experience state that, as a general rule, more money may be made in manufacturing this oil from the coal than by boring for it and obtaining it in a natural state. The one is certain and continuous, while the other is uncertain and precarious. The first depends on skill and capital ; the second, on a fortunate " strike,"— which, unfortunately, is not the rule, but the exception : far more blanks than prizes are drawn from oil-wells.
. But when the manufacturing of oil from coal is conducted with the proper skill and judgment, the results are certain. And in no place can this be done with more success than in the Great Kanawha Valley, because in no other locality are there richer coals or a more abundant supply, while timber for barrels and other accessory means are abundant and available. The best cannel coal, when properly treated on the large scale, will yield 60 gallons of crude oil to the ton; and the cost of the mining and manipu lation ought not to exceed $2.50 per ton,—which, at even 10 cents per gallon in the tanks, would leave a large profit on the oil produced.
There is great improvement to be made in the manufacture of coal oil from the coal, and the cost of producing it may be reduced nearly one-half from the present estimates, which is from 25 to 30 cents per gallon for re fined oil. We have noticed, particularly, several large items of expense
in the production of the crude article which may be abated, but which in this connection we shall not discuss : it belongs properly to the depart ment of Petroleum, which will be found in another part of this work.
It will thus appear that the Great Kanawha Valley is not only a great natural mining and manufacturing region, but one that may enjoy the greatest trade that ever flowed from the mountains or the inland plains and valleys to the sea. The coal, iron, oil, and salt of this region are inexhaustible, and may be produced with the minimum of labor and ex pense, and, consequently, the maximum of profits.
We have long beheld the vast mineral resources of this part of the Great Alleghany coal-field with professional admiration, and have fre quently called attention to their value. If we now seem partial to West Virginia, we can prove that our affections have always turned towards her unlimited stores of coal and iron with an ardent desire to be able to pro nounce the "open sesame" which should expose her treasures to the world.