 They looked forward mainly to the agricultural products below the mountains, the lumber of Schuylkill county, and the grain and other products of the counties between the Susquehanna and Schuylkill Rivers.The first shipments of coal by canal were made in the year 1822, when 1,480 tons were sent down the line.This outlet for a regular supply of anthracite coal existing, public attention was strongly attracted to the southern anthracite coal field.