The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-01-07
STRIKE EFFECTS.
The VOLUME OF COAL DECREASING
Coal Higher ss the Mines-No Railroad
Coal O6ering- Reading Refuses
Cars to = Mine Owner.

PHILADELPHIA, January $50 far az
the running Of trains and handling
freight is concerned. there is no evidence
that can be discovered by the public that
any strike exists on the Reading Rail
| road. The passenger traffic was not at
any time involved in the strike. and the
company has been forming new crews
of freight trainmen, freight and coal
handlers, out Of employees who stuck To
the company. and such skilled and un-
skilled labor as has been offered them in
abundance. until now the company does
not admit that il is at all inconven-
fenced. This statement applies also To
its great coal depot at Port Richmond
and its coal transfer station at Elizabeth
port, where coal is not stored but is
merely transferred from the cars to wa
ter transportation.
VOLUME OF COAL DECREASING.
The great decrease in the volume of
coal carrying has helped t, bring about
this easy solution of the railroad strike
Only about one-quarter of the ordinary
supply Of coal is coming from the mines
perhaps less. In anticipation of n
scarcity in the near future, retailers
have all raised prices. There is a range
in retail prices for coal for household
use Of seventy-five cents, individual
dealers having raised from fifty cents To
$l.25, according to dealers views Of
what customers would stand.
ALL THE PUBLIC CAN DISCOVER.
This disturbance in the coal trade and
the presence Of Pinkelton men around
the Reading buildings and wharves, con
stitute about all the public can discover
that is unusual. The Pinkerton men have
had nothing to do SO far, except show
themselves prominently.
COAL HIGHER AT THE MINES.
READING, January 6.-The coal deal
ers have been informed by the individual
producers that the prices OF the smaller
sizes of coal used for domestic purposes
would be advanced 81 per ton at the
mines, but that they would be fully sup
piled il the Reading Company would
furnish cars. Upon this latter point
there is considerable anxiety.
READING REFUSES CARS.
According to a special published in the
Eagle, one of the individual collieries in
Schuylkill County has shut down be-
cause its proprietors had been notified
by the railroad company that cars would
not be furnished il the advance of eight
per cent continued to be paid. The pro-
prietor Of this colliery in communica-
ting this information to his miners, de-
nounced the railroad management, laid
the entire blame there and offered to
continue work il his men would waive
the eight per cent advance until the
strike ended, promising them to settle
arrearages upon the basis of wages
finally agreed upon. The men rejected
this proposition and the mine shut down.
NO RAILROAD COAL OFFERED.
Some few Of the railroad company's s
mines are working with a reduced force,
but it is reported that the company is
stacking up coal at the mines and is not
forwarding it. None is being offered
here to-day by the company's sales
agents. One large mine at Ashland sus-
pended to-day because Of the scarcity OF
surface employees. II was paying upon
the December basis pending the settle
ment, but the strikers persuaded SC
many Of the outside employees to leave
that the coal could not be handled aftel
the miners had dug it, and stoppags
| resulted.