Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-06
Communicates
THE FACTS ABOUT COAL.

EDITORS SENTINEL: In your issue of
June 4th appeared an article headed
mo Depreciation" published by re-
quest. The party who made the re-
quest, and on what authority, I will
consider afterwardsj but, first OF all,
the statement that, owing to the de-
mand for coal exceeding the supply,
the Richmond Mining Company has
been forced to order a lot Of coke to
run their furnaces, but as soon as coal
men can supply a sufficient amount OF
good coal the shipment Of coke will be
stopped. Now, as most of the COM
munity know, that statement is so abso-
lutely false, not having the least color
of truth in it, that no mi but q fool,
IDIOT or a knave would, in the face of
existing circumstances, make any such
assertion. The facts of the case are
these: When coal-hauling commenced
this spring there was considerable coal
that had been laying over since last
winter, and Ivy laying exposed to the
weather had d~e,eriora:ed in value. The
Richmond Company purchased some
of that coal at Irices ranging from 20
cents upwards; but for the last two
months coal OF as good quality as has
ever been brought to this market has
been produced and brought III in suf-
ficient quantities 10 run all of the
Richmond furnaces The truth Of the
matter il, that the coal brought in has
averaged much tetter in quality than
is generally the case, because coal men
knowing that, with the exception of
the Atlas (Which is managed by a gem
tleinan, but who can only take a cer-
tain quaint Y of coal), the Rict mond
Company had it all their own way;
and knowing also by experience the
well-established principle OF the mon
arch Of the Richmond Company Of
'.kick him, he has 10 friends; hit him
again, he is tied and can rot bite yOu;"
| say, knowing all this, they, as a rule,
have been far more cautious in sacking
their coal than is generally the case
when tho demand Is nearly equal to
the supply.
The party further states hat the
company does not want to reduce the
prize Of coal below 30 cents per bushel.
rhaa statement Is as glaring a false
hood as the about the scarcity OF
coal; but the way they whip the devil
around the bush, az stated 10y men de-
livering coal there, is in the following
manner: Sacks containing samples Tor
different rates are set out on the dump
to regulate the price by. Class No. |,
30 cents per bnshel, from the size OF a
mans fist To as large AZ the wood makes
the same; classes No. 2 and No. 3,
smaller sizes and less rates. Now,
everybody possessed of common sense
knows that in the first place small
wood, although it will produce as
good coal AS large wood, will not make
the coal any larger than the wood it
self; and, furthermore, that even II
coal is burnt eVer so we'll, and you
draw the same from the pits in the
whole shape of the wood as the same
is put in, that in sacking, loading and
hauling the same it is bound to break
up. and more or less fine coal accuimu-
late. BY thus classifying the coal they
yet as good coal in quality, though not
so large in size, for less than 30 cents;
and | do not think that any argument
that conld be produced would convince
the public to the contrary. On
! than one occasion leans had to drive
| out because they refused rs cents per
bushel, and after being driven out have
taken their coal to the Atlas furnace,
the same being pronounced No. ! coal
AL that furnace, and 80 cents per bushel
paid for the same.
Now then, ii the article in your is
sue of June 4th was inserted Mt the re-
quest of the e~xperimenter in coke and
| ruler of The destiules of the Richmond
| Mining Company, it is only n sequel to
the paying off of their laboring men in
deprecated money. In n ease he is
cutting down the price of labor, in the
| other ease the price of coal; trying in
either case to galvanize his action that
he has not the honesty to advocate nor
the manliness to defend, and to shit
| the blame somewhere off his Shout
ders, where it really belongs, and
where an intelligent community has
| fastened it long ago. If not made dl-
rect by him, it has undoubtedly been
! limited to some n Ut his employees
ready to do his bidding, no matter
what the same may be.
CoALBURNER.