The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-09-17


cessively heavy, but II from auy cause Or
contingency the supply Of coal should 30
shortened. We learn from parties inleill-
gent in the trade that none Of the middle
men East, West or South are ordering IN
amounts large enough to justify the eonclu-
sion that they are counting on a certain de-
mand for the future, with chances Of being
mistaken in that expectation. They are but
taking what the immediate market relieves
them Of almost as soon as II arrives. Nor 10
This due to any delay in its arrival, tot the
complaints of scarcity ofvessels have ceased,
and there is no trouble in promptly shipping
whatever Is called for. There Is so much
more miscellaneous freight ecming East
over the railroads than there is going Wtst
that there is plenty Of opportuAity for in-
land shipments Of anthraete. The Western
consumer, howeTer, ia as lethargic as tho
Eastern about the future. Buyers in gener-
al have postponed their heavy orders till
October, and. even should the weather be-
come cool very soon, no great increase oftha
demand is confidently anticipated Nil next
month. 1t is truth that holds COED all tho
time, entirely apart from the fact tlat prices
are as hgh now as the trade will bear, that
the anthracite buyer is like the Wall street
sreeulstrr, and wont buy when there IL no
immediate prospect of prices going lowors
but, as soon as they begin to go up, then he
rnshes to lead up, aud oftentimes buys Of
the very top Of the market, when he might
have got all he wanted much cheaper If ho
had only had sense enough to tak he il then.
The Miners Journal, at Poitsville, holds the
same tone as for some weeks relative TO the
present condition Of the anthracite coal
trade and the future Of coal prices. The de-
mand being good prices are very well ihaihe
tained. The scarcity ofcoal carrying vessels,
which has been an impediment 10 the de-
livery Of the coal by water, has censsd, ami
there is now abundant transportation. This
improved feature has had the effect ofgreai-s
ly reducing the stock at tide-water points,
and dissipsiihg all tear Of glut. There 10
no talk of suspension, except by a certain
trade paper, which urges it as means Of
stiaening prices. The journal says there
was some enforced suspension last week,
owing to the scarcity Of water to run the
motive power at the collieres. The only
supplies at the majority ofthe collieries that
are not using mine water were transported
to them in TANKS, which, besides the incon-
| raniapaa oIda -, ~. .>f
mining yet every colliery that can be work
ed lie kept up to its fullest capacity. The
great fear now is that 40 enforced suspcu-
sion will be necessitated by the giving out
Of the present sources whence water is oh.
tanned. If there is not rain very soon one
half Of the colleries in this region will be
idle and, in view Of the threatened condi-
ton, everybody is eager to get all the coal
out possible while the water lssta. Like the
rest of the coal region, Shsmokin has begun
TO suffer from lack water. The question
there is, whether private families or coll
lieries shall be the sufferers. Two Of the
Mineral Compauy's collieries, tho camewu
and Luke Fidler, Henry Clay shat aud
Sterling collieries are supplied with water
from Trout Run. The supply has run so
short that the part ofthe town which is sup.
piled with water from this source has begun
to suffer, and will be cut off entirely unless
the collieries suspend. When the pattos
has to be decided in favor OF one or other Of
the parties, the town will probably 10 ftst
considered. shamokin, therefore, pfays for
| rain.
The total tonnage of anthracite coalfroin
all the regions for the week ending Sept. ..
as reported by the several carrying com-
panies, amounted to 550,l56 tons. against
GAL 1923 tons in the corresponding week last
year, decrease of Of ,e67 tons. The total
amount of anthracite mined for the year Is
1S,ll5,457 tons, against 1881, ,s5s tons for
the same period last year, an increase Of o.
763,6O4 tons.