Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-24
THELAKE SH0RELINE
Responsible for the High Freight
Rates on Coal to Chicago.
A REDUCTION OF FIFTY CENTS
Would Probably Treble the Shipments
From Plttsburg.
OF A COMBINATION
Which Would be Strong Enough to Secure the Needed
Concessions.

Hmcn Would be Strong Enough TO secure the Needed
Concessions.
Statistics show that the consumption Of
Pittsburg coal in Chicago has decreased
about 35 per cent in the last five years,
while the total annual consumption of
bituminous of all kinds in that city has dur
ing the same period increased over 20 per
cent. The Lake Shore road, controlled by
the Vanderbilts, is said to be the principal
opponent to decrease of the all-rail freight
from Plttsburg to Chicago. A combination
OF Plttsburg shippers and combination Of
Chicago dealers is suggested as a remedy.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArCH.1
CHICAGO. May 23-Mr. H A. Bischof,
OF the Chicago Black Diamond, is a walking
magazine Of facts and figures with reference
to the coal trade. For several years past he
has received at regular intervals reports of
the number of tons of coal brought into
Chicago from each of the districts from
which this city draws its supply, and they
are all so tabulated that the visitor TO his
Office can have access TO them at moments
notice. Mr. Bischoff's statistics for the last
five years, to go no further back, show more
forcibly than words the injury which Is done
to Chicago and the coal shippers Of the Pitts
burg district by the high all-rail route for
the carriage Of coal from Pittsburg 10
Chicago.
During 1885 the importation Of Pittsburg
coal TO Chicago was 423, ,02S tons. In 1850
II was 277007 tons. Up TO May 1, 1890,
H.B72 tons OF Plttsburg coal came 10 Chi.
cago, against S2,0i7 tons during the CORES
pondlng period o 1880. In the face Of this
falling of In the use OF Plttaburg coal, there
has been, during the same five years, a
steady Increase In the consumption Of soft
coal In Chicago In proportion 10 tho increase
OF population and tho growth OF manulac-
turing Interests.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES.
In 1885 the total amount Of btumlnous
coal brought 10 Chicago was 2Oli, ,6l5 tons,
OF which 23,69 tons came from Pennayl.
yanla. In 1885 the total importation was
2,D02, 726 tons, OF which $50, 775 tons came
from Pennsylvania. In 1887 the total i'm
portatlon OF coal TO Chicago was 3,s40, Os5
tons, Of which 4Jl, ,4l0 tons came from Penn
sylyania. In 1888 the total importation Of
coal was 4, l43, $40 tons, of which 4l3, 1914
tons came from Pennsylvania. In 1889 the
total importation was 8, 692, AT tons, OF
which PennsylYania--that Is Pittsburg and
Viclnitv-iurnished 277, ,007 tons.
In $780, up to April 30 the total impor-
tation OF soft coal to Chicago was 1,302, ,751
tons, OF which only 74,672 tons came from
Pennsylvania, and in the corresponding
period tor the previous year the total impor-
tation was /, LOG, Ill tons, OF which Pitts
n furn ahn hnh
figures it appears that, while the annual
consumption of soft coal in Chicago has in-
creased from 2,944, 6l5 tons in 1885 to 3,592,-
AT tons in 1889, or nearly % per cent, the
amount brought in from the Pittsburg dis
trict has, during the same period, decreased
from 423, ,628 tons in 1885 to 277, ,007 tons in
1889, or nearly 80 per cent, and that in
spite of the acknowledged superiority OF the
Pittsburg article. And it does not require
great deal of business sagacity to see from
these figures that the coal dealers assertion
that the railroad companies, by charging
81 20 per ton for freight, are cutting their
own throats is not very far from the truth.
MIGHT WORK WONDERS.
A decrease of 30 cents perton might easily
result in an increase in the coal carriage
from PIttsburg to Chicago from less than
300, 900 tons to 1, 500, 900 year; and, beside,
it would restore to Chicago the through
traffic to the Northwest which now reaches
its destination by way of Northern lake
routes.
The Baltimore and Ohio, the Pennsyl-
vania Company and the Pittsburg and Lake
Erie (with the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern) control the all-rail routes between
and Chicago. The freight rates
on all are, of course, the same-S2 % per
ton. Shippers who have tried to get lower
rates have found that the three companies
have made an agreement with each other by
which it seems no one is at liberty to de-
crease the rate without the consent of the
others. ALI efforts at Chicago to get at the
precise nature of that agreement have been
ruthless, the Chicago officials referring the
natter to the general freight agents of their
respective companies at Pittsburg.
But from outside sources it was ascer-
aimed that the Lake Shore and Michigan
southern officials have been the strongest
'bjeetors when any scheme of reduction was
,alked of. Without the concurrence of the
Lake Shore people the Pittsburg and Lake
Erie can do nothing. The Pennsylvania
Company objects to the reduction of the
through freight because of the loss that
would necessarily follow from the corre-
spending reductions which the Interstate
commerce law would compel it to make to
Intermediate points, and its traffic to inter-
mediate points Is considerable, and this loss,
IL is said, would be heavy.
A BETTER POSITION.
The Baltimore and Ohio Is believed 10 be
In better position than either Of the other
lines to reduce the rate, because II has COM
paratively few intermediate points for rar
shipment between Pittsburg and Chicago,
md It's loss from q reduction Of rates 70
bose points would be comparatively slight
The principal objection which It's officials
irge TO tho reduction is that the shippers OF
,oal from Pitisburg 10 Eastern points
would at once demand n corresponding de-
iroase In tho rates Of freight charged 70
hem.
A solution Of the problem which has been
uggested here, 10 that the shippers Of PItts-
lnrg coal TO Chicago combine and throw all
heir patronage TO the company which offers
he best terms. The greatest difficulty In
he way OF this scheme Is that the mines
re located on all 'he roads named. 10 has
lso been suggested that the Chicago
callers combine and agree to draw their
upplies over some one road, thereby in
uclng It to give lower rates to the shipper