The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-31
Goa L..
The Business During the Past Year.

The following is from the advance sheets
of the annual report of Col Sidney d.
Maxwell. Superintendent of the Chamber
of Commerce:
The business in coal during the past year
has exhibited some marked features In
January the miners in the whole Pittsburg
region entered on strike, which Continued
until ab ut the first of April, when an ad-
! justment was made. BY which they were tn
receive 2K cents per bushel, instead Oh
cents, as previously. Soon after this the
effects OF low water in the upper Ohio be-
gan to be felt and continued with little ILL.,
terruption until the last month OF the COM
mercial year. There were three runs IN
April. In May there was none, circum-
stance so exceptional that 1t is said not TO
have occurred before in a peri d OF twenty
eight years, if il ever occurred.
June passed also without the usual rise,
50 that with the exception OF the runs IN
August, which the rise following the heavy
storms late in July, allowed, tile summer
passed away with little occurring, as lar as
Pittsburg coal is concerned, t. relieve the
condition of coal exhaustion to which the
city was drifting. The railroads brought
larger quantities than usual Of the Onlo
Goals and some Pittsburg. but with their
present facilities for coal transportation
they are not equal to meeting prospective
wants The result of this state Of things
is, that with the higher prices incident to
it.. individuals have drawn on their Old
stocks Of fuel, and the winter approaches
with the cellars measurably empty and u
stock in the wards so small that cold weather
would soon exhaust it. The elements may
come to the relief of the city. If they do
not, the rich will procure their fuel at higl,
prices and the poor will BIZ left with the
most slender resources for the supply of
their winters fires.
If they VIII" are able would buy their coal
generally at the Col "nlmencenient Of the warm
season. instead of toward or al its close,
they woEld Sc nothing by the Operati IN
if they did not really gain, and would leave
their less favored neighbors in much more
comfortable position in tue event OF fuel
famine occurring. The causes named ol.
Grating throughout the wear, have resulted
III diminished receipts fir IN the PItlsburg
region, and in the tendency Of prices i'll the
opposite direction from the previous year,
when the drift, from almost the commence
ment of the commercial year, was steadily
downward In September and October,
Pittsburg coal, ahoat, was quotab.e at q
cents, a price without a parallel in Cincin-
natl since the midsummer OF 1878, ami the
years 1o60-61 and 1861 g. this coal, i'll the
latter years, having sou, respectively, at B
and 4 cents. Late in November, it ad-
vanced to SOLO cents; but soon receded to
7 cents. In January, Piltsburg, atloat was
q otable at S19 cents. Prices were easier
curing the remainder of the winter, ruling
at 1914 cents
In April, there was an improvement,
prices reaching 8 cents the first week Ill
May. Soon thereafter, Pittshurg coal,
ahoat, ceased to be on the market, until
the last month of the commercial year.
There having been no labor troubles in
the kanawla and Ohio coal regions, the
year has been there all active one, and the
aggregate receipts from those local ties
have increased. Prices for these Goals,
though more or less influenced by the
PlttsDurg cal, have been more equable.
The general average of the entire year. in
quotations, for all Goals. varies little from
io77-7S. Pittsburg, afi ,at, averaged 1853
cents per bushel, in comparison with 1856
in the previous year. Ashland was 6 cents,
afloat, compared with 6l2; Onio River
| 5.52, in comparison with 5.82; Hooking
Valley, at the elevator, 81. against Y.3;
Ray mond City, ON arrival, 688, compared
" itn 6.5; Muskingum Valley, OH arrival,
1892, in comparison with 9.l7 Canpbelrs S
Greek, aauat, 7.l6, against IL; and Camel,
af1oat, 1923, compared with IL. For coal,
delivered, the comparison is as follows:
Plttsburg 1879, ll.l2; l877-7S, IL; Ash
land, l87S-79. 963; lS77-7S. 962: Onio
River, 1888, 8 80; lS77-78. 9.22; Hooking
Valley, 1888, 1O4S; l877-7s, 1867; Ray.
mond City, 1S7S-79, 1919; l877-7S, lO.35;
Muskingum Valley, 1879, 1u.42, lS77-7S,
1852; Camlbell's creek, 1S7S-79, 1910;
1878. l0.45; Camel, 1879. 1850; 1877
7S, 1913.
1t will thus be seen that prices mainly
have been slightly below the previous year.
The most notable exception being Pittsburg
delivered, which was fraction above,
growing out of light supplies. The year
has been favorable to the railroad coal in.
terest. u Q aggregate receipts from the in.
terror Ohio mines having increased. The
year, taken as q whole, has been more en-
couraging to dealers. who prior to it, since
1873, had been subjected to all the unfavor.
able features incident to large production
heavy competition, general decline in val.
ues, dull times and a ceaseless demand for
lower prices. The whole period was disas
trouS, SO that, II the past summer has
shown. more favorable conditions and the
coming year presents an enc ,uraging field
to the coal men, it will be but partial com.
pensation for the trials of the past. The
shipments of coal from this city to the in.
terror have been the largest in the history
If the city, having aggregated G.49i, 60l
bushels, compared with 973, $40 bushels in
lS77-7S, and 5, 73S, 100 in 1S76-77.
The aggregate receipts for the year show
a material falling off, having been in 1873
70 81 2lO, 667 bushels, or 269, 339 TONS CON-
pared with 1892, ,229 bushels, or l,44l, 754
tons in the previous year. The receipts
have been the smallest in period of seven
years. The So, however. has been almost
entirely in Pittsburg coal, the receipts OF
which, in 1Y7S-79 aggregated 20,769. OPT
bushels, in comparison with 26,743 655,
showing a falling off Of 5974,628 bushels;
whereas TIE aggregate receipts exhibit q
reduction of 4.6Sl .562 bushels. OF the
whole receipts in the late year, there came
BY river 81, ,305, OCT bushels, or 9l.5 per cent
Of the whole, compared with SO, ,79S, 45l
b shells, or 94.6 in l877-7S and by rail 2,
9O5, 600 bushels, or 8.5 per cent of the
whole, compared with 2,O93,775 bushels, o.
5.4 per cent. in 1877-78.
OF the grand aggregate there arrived from