The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-27
acknowledgement.
THE COAL QUESTION.
~, rom Mt. r. l.. Kimberly,

isaVS .O . At work and have without
ossS =, ENGAGED from fifty to sCventy.fivC
a ~ 10 run the mills than ever they were
~ v,r tn ~ employ before. This Is to be
Ga ,Uorn,sd for by the enlarged and In
'c ss"J capacity Of the mills. The dig
ass' made demand in tho carly part d
s,I .sasoD for more wages, which they
wi wi something never before heard OF In
,Sssummer season
'r ,Ijcame and still no cessation In the
n hanks. Increased activity, II any
n.y., was the distinguishing feature, and
I %'Ssii 4. Of course, iucreasedl business in
WIZ W. MERCHANT banks, involving the necess'
in' Il employing more labor, which, Of
" .,,s va short, owing TO the above
s.U',,of things. With tho month oIsSep
..."bera demand from the miners IN the
SssS,cbsnt banks for more wages came,
EuSicb had TO be acCeded TO, 10 the extent
', Ione.balf cen! per bushcl. Tho coal
u y.' Js were already selling coal too low
!" he market, Us was admitted by every
SoSv, lower than they could atTOrd, viz:
' wi, cents for nut coal and nine cents for
T .i'Sn Coal The halt cent allowed to
J Iirrers beginning on the LIST together
s ,"i,S The increased price Of hay, justified
'" advance Of one cent NIL round,
ri Il eight cents for nut and
IN cents for clean. 1t was asked for
s "" vol without . murmur. Speaking
n nm Tor myself only, ! desire right here 10
w. that recognized all through the
months Of July, August and September,
~Sat the situation would be in the tall /,
nd warned my customers, both city aud
country, Of what 1t would be, and advised
Ss1l 10 Inv in coal in view OF advanced
N,ices and scarcity when the rush would
:, 10. They needed me not, but instead
ofnsing advantage OF my advice still
I1,ged back. filed our bank with dig
gyrs in August, had the shutes tull OF coal
SIIhe time, invited my country custom.
"A 10 come and haul ii away while | had
i and the diggers to put out more, in or.
,e' that ali might be accommodated.
Thew would not 10 so; still attended mar.
vt done their ploughlng, &c, leaving
,heir coal hauling tor the last Of their fall
work. Result: before they came in or
began to come my diggers got out Of heart
lyipg ia the bank day after day and get.
lipg 20 coal out, pIybecause the teams
hi not cllne 10 take it away. When bet
Ie. times did set in with US diggers were
xrcc and hard to get. After the strike
and advance OF wages we succeeded Ia
getting about halt tho complement
We had at the same time last
yeG. Last year, however, the Coun-
nv trade was supplied; this year none
oft was.
thus matters stood when the excite
msnt growing out Of the near approach
Of the horse epidemic began TO take hold
D! the people. When the disease did ac-
!ually make its appearance in our midst,
no pen is capable OF describing the scenes
that took place at and around the coal
blaks The country people came rushing
il Tor coal-Qhe rule at all coal banks
where coal Is sold is, that everybody com
ing GETS his tlrn.) The country rush,
therefore, together With the rush from
citizens, who now tor the first time began
TO realize the situation, aud who found
that although they might so to the office
Of every coal dealer in the city in the
morning and leave their names on the
slate Tor coal, none would come, and the
the only answer they could get from the
dealers was that sit is impossible TO do
anything for you; | could not reach you;
ny teSms got SO little coal, owing to the
rush; it had to all go TO factories to keep
mills, engines, &c, running" BY good
iGcS and early rising those who would go
tnt got sometimes one and sometimes
two loads Of nut coal during the day, and
The balance OF the day would be made up
10 hauling fine slack or perhaps some
coke, Each OF those teams was capable
OF hauling not less than eight and from
that to ten loads Of coal for u days work,
Iii!could be got. ! have sat cross legged
IN my office ut the bank and watched
thse leans coming in after they had been
cut with their first loads, and saw as high
as eight and nine Of them accumulate
while other teams IRON country and town
we're being served.
Thus matters stood when the epidemic
came among US. So lar l have no apol.
og.es to make. l did the best and all l
could charged no man or factory q
!Nlhiug more than market or contract
price, although I could see with my own
eyCs and hear with my own ears every
Day OF my own customers paying to other
pGiies, fifteen, twenty aud as high rs
twenty-five cents per bushel for coal got
a!my bank, some OF 1t by parties who
were regular hsulers, Others only peddlers
Just starting, because OF the panic and the
opportunity Of getting high prices and
making big wages on little work.
This was the case up to Tuesday, the
18Th, when my horses were taken down.
On Wednesday l bought oxen and an.
aounced that the prices alter that date
would be as follows, viz: For dirt or fine
slack, at the bank, fifty cents per cart load
instead OF thirty-GvC; for nut coal, eight
ceaIs instead Of i've; for coal, ten cents
Instead Of seven, as it had been before;
aud that from and after that date, instead
Of forty cents per load for hauling loads
ct twenty-five bushels, I would charge
one tollsr and twenty-five cents per load.
Ibid this in order 10 induce haulers whose
horses, like my Owl, were stricken down,
70 buy oxen, in order that my men might
bekeptat work, and that a supply OF coal
might be had. Three days before this, how
s;yeF, had made arrangements with the
AGssTs. Hctherington, OF BellNire, for q
supply OF coal rom them by boat the frSt
.! which was to have been delivered on
Monday, before my horses were taken
Town. TWAS in view Of this case that !
'ook the order referred to by Mr. Hutch
lGi IN lls paper, The Iadez. and I so ez.
Planned 1t TO him when l took II, aud /
lOd him | could take no orders TO fill
Itom the bank IS it was already lar be.
lind and could not catch up. Mr.. Il. was no
customer OF mine; never saw him 10
Know him before, The boat did not come
% Monday; did come on Tuesday, but I
IId not get it. It was sold to the St.
James Hotel, for more money, probably,
" some cause that know nothing Of l
sOt no coal IrOm B1llaira mill ThuFaday,