Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1885-01-31
Eastern TieiCs of the Coal Trade.

Soft coal is quiet, awaiting the pc
riod when new tolls are to 60 into
effect. There has been any amount
Of rumor on this question of pooling
and 30 far a. the truth can be had,
at present, it is admitted that a pool
has been formed for division of the
tide coal over the B. & o. and Penn
sylvania railroads. The details of
it's workings are not yet given out,
but pool commissioner is to be had,
and there is penalty attaching to
any operator who ovsrrides the in
tent and purpose of this arrangement.
There is to be such an allowance IN
tonnage made for the other Goals
that the price will not suffer. 1t is
fair to suppose that when tho man.
ufacturing industries of the country
to revive there will be An increasing
demand for coal, and as We have noted
time and again, soft coal is bound to
be the steam raising fuel. Its mar
ket therefore will be widening one,
and can well take in the outlying
districts of supply, such as the Po-
cahontas and Peale Goals. There
will be room enough for all, when
trade revivss.-Coal Trade Journal.
Bufalo.-Bituminous coal is dull
and nsminally unchanged. The flu
ture of the anthracite trade will be
the keynote for business ventures in
soft coal. The return of prosperous
times in manufacturing Industries,
long hoped for but constantly defer
red, is awaited with anxiety by thous-
ands, from the employer to the en-
ployed. 1t is distressing to see able
bodied and skilled workmen wander
ing almlessly about, willing to work,
but unsbls to find employment to
support themselves and families.
Boston.-This market is just now
devoting moro of its attention to BIZ
luminous coal. The important ru-
NOR, if true, that the Pennsylvania
and Baltimore & Ohio railroads have
made a pro rata pooling arrangement
on the basis Of As per cent. to the
former and IS psr cent. to the latter,
reckoned at tide water, is much dis
cussed. This would be a desirable
arrangement, and would in a great
degree steady the trade by putting an
end to the secret-rate business of the
past two years. 1t would, in the
opinion of this market, benefit both
producer and consumer. This cry
Of pool! pool! has been raised 50
many times that the trade is full of
skeptics who will need the very best
of evidence to convince them that it
is not the same old game. 1t does
look, however, as if both roads had
tired Of the past two years of business,
and really desired change. The
rumor that pool commissioner was
to be appointed and heavy penalties
agreed upon, and so on, has a re-
assuring sound to it. Such an ar
rangement would infuse a little con-
fidence into the market, and those
scattering ones, who have been will
ing to make contracts, but who have
not dared to do 80 on account of the
unsettled state of affairs, would give
the market some business to start
on.
Philadelphia.-Chief interest is
now centred in the bituminous coal
trade. A great deal of competition
is inevitable. The anthracite man
ayers admit that the competition
from this source will be heavier than
ever before, and, in view of the dull
condition of the manufacturing in
dustries, involves more serious con-
sequences. The formation of q pool
between the Pennsylvania and Balti-
more and Ohio companies for a di-
vision of the bituminous traffic has
been substantially completed. The
Norfolk and Western road is to have
100000 tons. The new branch of
the Philadelphia 4 Reading railroad,
called the Beech Greek, Clearfeld 4
Southwestern, is to have 100000 tons.
The price to DO maintained is to be
1925 alongside in New York.-En-