Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-02-22

Es II 80
II Is . frand, therefore, to furnish and
sell all coal from any locality at the high
est price. because the first coal from that
region, be it ''Lehigh" or ''Pittston" or
any other, was of high quality, or be-
cause the general supply from that region
ls OF superior quality. Those who in
good faith purchase and consume the
one'fourth or one.halt. more or less,
which is of inferior quality, are by so
much defrauded. s.... >..
The West is much swindled in this mat
ter OF hard coal supplies from the East.
With the great expense of transporta-
ton, and the combinations" making
hard coal cost the consumer IN Chicago
$500 per ton now and from that up to
$lO, $12 and $14 or more, as we go farther
West, none but the very best should be
shipped this way. The cost of transport
ing ton of coal half clay, ashes and
Stag. is the same as for ton of pure car
bon. Yet according to our observation.
the coal sent West averages good deal
lower in real value than that used gener-
ally in the East, where consumers are
more experienced, and therefore more
careful in exacting good coal from the
dealers. The fault largely rests upon
western coal dealers, who are not careful
enough in their selections and purchases
sometimes due to ignorance and not
unfrequentlY to cupidity.
REMEDY.
The only Immediate remedy, is for all
consumers to thoroughly understand and
comprehend this matter; to express them
selves to the coal supplyers; to test half
ton or ton by actual trial, and then IN
| sist that their supplies for the season shall
be of the same quality as the tested
sample, if found good, or better quality
be furnished. There should also be a
general agitation of the subject and the
Legislatures stimulated to provide in
spectors to examine and grade the prices
| OF all coal sold in each State. The fol-
lowing letter enforces what is said above:
SOME PEOPLES COAL. COSTS TOO MUCH.
CfduSVllcs r Gu IL, 1000.
ED'R PRAIRIE FARMER: Your last win
ter's articles on coal, and that of "Citi-
zen, which appeared in the Evanston
Index, led me to think and observe on
the matter, and will give your readers
bit OF instructive xperience-instructive
to me. at least. My annual consumption
of hard coal should be pretty uniform,
viz: to 10 tons tor the furnace, 3 to 4
tons tor chamber stoves, and tons for
the kitchen range, as we use an oil cook
ing stove during four or five summer
months. This amount of good coal sufficed
for the severe winter of 1SS45, and for
all the year. A little less answered for
the following year. We laid in an equal
amount for the next year. but it was all
gone by the middle of January, and the
house not kept comfortably warm. The
coal, from the same dealer, and promised
to be of the same quality as the previous
year, gave almost as much bulk of ashes
and Stag as there was of unburned coal.
1t seemed to be half clay. and the carbon
in it, though burning freely, would
hardly heat the mass to bright red.
Even the top of the fire would show the
white ashes and clay. I had to pay $35
extra for coal to get through the year,
and yet the house was far less we'll warm
ed, though the furnace and stoves were
put in good order. and the house better
protected with double windows, etc., than
before.
For the present winter. being busy and
absent, l left friend to lay in 16 tons
for me. including tons of furnace coal
He gave the order for myself, and tor
several hundred tons in all believe, for
Others. Result: It was half or more
ashes. with large masses of Stag, and
would not warm all the rooms comfort
ably. Though we supplemented it with
two good oil stoves in the most used
rooms, which are kept burning on the
the colder days and nights, and though
the furnace was put in first rate order
and on account of using the oil stoves it
was not started until four weeks later in
|
very nearly all gone before the middle of
January. 1 then bought a trial ton of
another dealer, and it was APPARENTLY of
the same poor lot and lasted only eight
days. then went to still another deal
er for a trial ton, and it has lasted IS
days, giving much better heat all the
time, in these past coolest days of the
year. Had l been supplied at the first
with this last kind of coal, it would
have saved me at least $40, would have
given us vastly more comfort, and saved
taking care of three tons of ashes and
Stag. Comment is unnecessary. I pity
my neighbors VINO have, like myself, lost
so much of comfort, and lost many thous-
ands of dollars in the aggregate in this
town alone, because the dealer sent us
such stuff. hope they will join with
me the coming year and know before.
hand what coal we are to get.