Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-17
MORE CARS WANTED.
Lack of shipping Facilities Still Stum-
bling Block to a Prosperous Coke Mar
ket-Consumers Suffering.

Lack of shipping Facilities Still Stum-
bling Block to a Prosperous Coke Mar
ket-Consumers Suffering.
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH:
ScoTTDALE, October 16.-The stumbling
block to a prosperous and almost unprece-
dented coke market is still the lack OF shipping
facilities. Trade is becoming more and more
perplexed by the scant car supply. The efforts
of the railroad companies to furnish liberal
supply have been unavaiing. and it is readily
conceded that the famine. Instead of abating,
is growing gradually worse. Shippers and con-
sumers are suffering in consequence with
the former there is too much coke and with the
latter not enough.
There is still danger of the interruption OF
the operation of a number of furnaces by
reason OF their small receipts of fuel An
operator defined the coke trade as follows to
THE DISPATCH correspondent:
Orders for production are abundant, and,
while the productive capacity OF the region Is
fully equal to the demand it cannot be met be-
cause OF that old barrier. poor car supply. One
OF the causes of the car famine is that when
coke is shipped West the cars are utilized in
the shipping of grain East.
In that way it invariably takes two and three
weeks for the cars TO come back to us again.
Under The old pooling agreement between the
various railroad companies whose lines tap the
coke region eacn company supplied stlpu-
lated amount of cars daily for the coke traffic.
That has gone asunder now and the company
with the largest number of cars gets the most
traffic few weeks ago the Pittsburg and
Lake Shore Company enjoyed tremendous
boom, as when the cars were scarce on the Bal
timOre and Ohio and Pennsylvania Rail-
road lines they had plenty and about
met all the demands. The New York
Central strike played havoc with them though.
and the Lake Shore supply is row shorter than
that of the other two roads. We anticipate an
improvement In transportation OF course,
sooner or later. and only hope our expectations
will be realized. l believe the brisk demand
will keep up"
James Diilinger. the iovlal Pennsville coke
operator said to-day that he was looking for an
improvement in car supply afer Pattlson was
elected. Production is still being restricted at
many plants according to the car supply, which
on the stock yards. At several plants dis
appointments in cars necessitates the stocking
of coke. Orders are numerous from all dis
tricts. Works are still operating five and six
days per week There is a complaint of lack of
motive power by some operators.
AnO, her railroad. connecting with the coke
regions, would probably relieve the urgent ne
cessities OF the coke companies. The fire is
still burning in the Charlotte mine here. The
Mahomng plant of Isaac Taylor is still idle,
account of water in the pit. The Leisenring
No. plant is still idle. 1t consists Of 800 ovens
Z. A. Humphrey has opened mine and will
erect works at Red Bank. Fayette county.
There are only about LOO idle ovens in the
region. The total number of ovens is 1910
Shipments last week averaged about l,077
cars per day, against l.07l cars for the week be-
fore. The total increase in shipments over the
previous week was only S5 cars. They were
consigned to points Of consumption as fol-
lows: To points west of Pittsburg, 3,9O5 cars to
Pittsburg and river points. us cars; to points
east of Pittsburg, $50 cars. Total, 6.460 cars.
The following is the record of the preceding
week: To points west of Pittsburg. 1906 cars;
to Pittsburg and river points, l,600 cars: to
points east Of Pittsburg, 900 car. Total, g, AS
cars. Prices are as follows: Furnace coke,
S2 10: foundry 81 IS: crushed 81 65; all +. o. b.
cars at ovens per ton of 1000 pounds.
FreiOht rates