Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-08
A LEGAL SHUTDOWN.
Coal Operators Plan to Get Even With
the Railroad Companies.
BINDING CONTRACTS TO BE MADE.
A Determined Effort to Break the Forty.
Mile Radius Rule, or
TAKE ALL OF THE CARS OUT OF SERVICE

The Pittsburg railroad coal operators are
threatening to shut down their mines. 1t is
not an idle threat, but the action will be
taken in legal way. The mines will be
| tied up in such shape that it will be be-
yond the power of any individual operator
to start his works. The cause Of this shut
down is on account of the alleged unjust
treatment in the matter of rates the opera
tors are receiving from the railroad COM
panies. The operators say if they can close
down the majority of the mines and take
their cars out of service, the railroads will
soon be glad enough to make lower rates in
order to get the business
A full meeting of coal operators interested
in mining the Pittsburg vein of coal and in
favor of reducing the 40-mile radius, SO as
to include only the true Pittsburg seam Of
coal, was held yesterday at the rooms of the
Pittsburg Coal Association. D. Reisinger
was elected Chairman, and G. W. Schlue-
derberg. Secretary. After the meeting a
DISPATCH reporter gathered the following
facts:
AGAINST THE NEW LAW.
Some two or more years ago, when the
interstate commerce act passed, it came
into operation just at the usual yearly period
for naming the rates of coal for the year
following The coal competing with Pitts
burg in the lake markets is hauled to the lakes
from the Ohio mines, an average distance
of about 100 miles. The distance from Pitts
burg to lake ports is 150 miles. Now the
railroad people, having the Interstate
commerce act suddenly sprung upon
them. and not fully understanding its
scope or bearing and to be on the
safe side, believed it necessary that
the rate on Pittsburg coal should cover as
many miles as the Ohio competing coal was
hauled, and therefore added 40 miles to
Pittsburg's 150, making 100 miles the aver
age distance of Ohio coal from the lake
market. This ungeologized the district,
and brought unfairly into competition with
the true Pittsburg vein the seven-foot vein
of coal which is produced at less cost, of
from 25 to 35 cents per ton, than the true
Pittsburg seam, and which had always be-
fore borne higher rate of freight to the
markets.
CAPITAL WAS STIMULATED.
This even rate of freight on coal from the
two seams gave such an undue and un-
natural advantage to the thicker vein that
capital has been stimulated to develop the
thicker vein before the markets naturally re-
quire it, and ultimately to the exclusion
from the market of the thinner vein of coal
which had deservedly held the market be-
cause of its natural and geographical posi-
ton.
In order to cure the evil which resulted
from the aforesaid inadvertance of the rail-
road people, the operators in the thinner
vein have been laboring for the last two
l. G.1a H.
railroad company's self-interest solely, leav
ing in the BACKGROUND the questioned JUS
tice to the coal operator, but without being
able to remedy the evil, or to obtain a
sound reason from the railroad people why
the evil should not be abated.
A meeting was held between the thin
coal men and the railroad people in New
York on last Friday, at which the repre-
sentatives of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, Pennsylvania Company and the
Pittsburg and Western Railroad Company,
attempted to reduce the railroad grouping
to one having geology as its basis. They
were opposed by the representatives of the
Baltimore and Ohio and the Pittsburg and
Lake Erie Companies, and finally ad-
journed to meet at the Baltimore and Ohio
Offices in this city, on the 14th inst.
ANOTHER MEETING ON FRIDAY.
The meeting of the thin coal operators
held yesterday. was for the purpose of gath
ering data to present to the meeting next
Friday, and further, to take such steps as
would protect their interests in case the dis
senting railroad companies do not reverse
their position, taken at the New York meet
ing. From speeches made by Chauncey II.
Andrews, Henry c. Bonnell, f. L. Rob-
bins, William P. De Armit N. F. Sanford
and William P. Murray, of Pickands,
Mather & Co., of Cleveland, it was strongly
apparent that but little hope existed on part
of the speakers that the injustice would be
cured by further appeal to facts or reason,
and therefore by a unanimous vote the
meeting appointed a committee of 10 to take
up the question OF closing down the mines
in the thin coal seam until the railroad
companies guarantee them fair, equitable
differential between rates charged on the
two Goals and rate of freight for the thin
coal no higher than that charged on Ohio
Goals to the lake front.
THEY WILL SHUT DOWN.
The meeting adjourned to reconvene at
the call of the committee. Immediately
after adjournment the committee met and
organized. electing W. P. De Armit, Chair
man, authorizing him to take legal advice
as to the best method of procedure to render
the contemplated shutdown legal and bind
ing, and putting it out of the power OF, any
individual operator to run his mines until |
the questions at issue are satisfactorily |
settled.
1t was rumored yesterday that one of the
members" was invited to leave the meet |
ing. This was incorrect A certain oper-
stor who has small interest in the chin
vein" coal and larger interestin the thick |
vein" coal was denied admission to the |
meeting. He came without invitation and |
his recent actions have been such as to
show beyond doubt that he is willing to |
sacrifice his ''thin-coal" interest to protect |
his interest in the ''thck-vein." His inter-
ests being thus antagonistic to those holding
the meeting, it was only proper that he be
excluded therefrom.