Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1883-04-14
The Reasons WhD.
APRIL 18th, 1888.


You will oblige by giving space to
this article, as it may be of interest to
the majority Of the readers of your
paper.
My obj ct is to answer as we'll as l
can the questions I hear asked many
times day. What is the matter on
the canal? Why are the mines not
working bsttsrf Why is it that no
echooDers come to Georgetown to re-
ceive the coal from the canal boats ?
have often wondered while pillow
ing the waters of the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal what it was that the min
er, the boatman and ship captain did
not have some institution in the shape
Of corresponding bureau to keep
each other posted as to the real causes
OF dullness of the coal trade, such as
we are experiencing. By this means
all of us interested in the coal traffic
would know what was the cause of
dull times in the coal trade. Because
the miner, railroader, wharfmsn,
ship owner and merchant, ale
equally interested. The occupations
are of course different, hut the inter-
est the same, and | would ike to see
movement to form some kind Of cor
responding bureau, reports of which
to be published once week or month
for the information and benefit Of all
who are depending on the coal trade
for livelihood. Since such thing
is not in existence, I beg space to
give small sketch of the handling
of coal that comes from your region
and goes east by water:
The coal is dumped Tito the canal
boats at Cumberland then nsvigated
down the canal to Georgetown, D. G.,
and Alexandria, Va, both on the
shores of the tide-water Potomac.
There the coal is transferred from the
canal boats by means Of large steam
hosting derricks and tubs into sailing
vessels and steam ships. The coal is
then carried by these schooners, as
they are called, to the various east
ern markets. These schooners carry
from four hundred to twelve hundred
tons of coal per cargo. The average
cargo of canal boat is about one
hundred and ten tons.
Now, you will remember that the
companies that rule prices Of digging
coal with you, also rule prices of
hauling with us ON the canal, and
With the men that transfer the coal
from the canal boat to the schooner.
But they do not control prices with
the schooners, as they are generally
owned by companies that are not de-
pending entirely on the coal trade for
busn ness. The schoouers are given
out to experienced captains on per-
centsge or salary, and when the prices
Of the coal don't suit the captains
they raise sail and steer for other
quarters ehere they gill get osrgos
that pa them better. When tie coal
companies are not very anxious to
ship coal they tffer very low prices to
the schooners for hauling coal aud the
consequences Is .hey stay away. But
when they are anxious 10 ship coal
they don't spit hairs with the schoon-
er captains, and there are always
plenty Of schooners at hard. The
coal is taken directly from the canal
boat as l have said and put in the
schooner, and when there are no
schooneis The boatmen are kept wait
ing on their own expense until
schooner comes to take the coal from
their boats. | have waited on such
cccasi ions from five to ten days. and
at this writing there are over fifty
boats lying at tide water, waiting for
schooners TO come to take the coal. A
boatman will ask the shipping agent
-"what is wrong, and why don't any
schooners come to port p He is told
"the wind is unfavorable," or some
thing of that sort, just to lot the
boat captain down easy. The agent
will tell him sin day or two there
will be plenty OF schooners, &c.
This is an old saying, a very expsn-
sive one to boatmsn, and has been
told until it is thread bare.
AS | do not want to take up too
much space I will close for the pres
emit by saying for the information of
all CONCERNED that there is nothing
wrong on the canal-only poor work.
The beats are not unloa1ed at tide
water as they should be. There is