The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-06
CHEAP COAL COMING
Some Good Out of the Mon
opolistic Nazareth.
WAR OF BLACK DIAMONDS.
Better Than the War Of the Roses,
For 1t Means Fuel at Lower
Prices Than Ever.

For the second time in the history OF
this State, the residents are going TO de-
rive financial aiu from railway corpora-
tious. Governor Leon Abbett's great
fight for the people against these corpor-
ations. to make them bear fair share of
taxation heads the list, and now comes q
coal war between two great railways, the
Lehigh Valley aud Central. This war is
likely to benefit the residents Of Hudson
county more directly than the residents
of other parts OF the State for short
time. but the prospects are that it
will soon assume such pro-
portions tnat everyone will be
benefited. Both the railways mentioned
are building immense coal pocketS In
this city with the intention of selling
coal at retail and unless the retail deal
ers a,e able to compete with the corpora.
tions, it Is not improbable that several
firms will go under and that future trade
will be controlled by the companies.
This war is the outcome of the fight the
companies have been waging for the past
year or two.
The fruitless attempt of the Lehigh VAL
ley to reach the Zinc Works and secure
the freight of that concern is still fresh in
the minds of NEWS readers. Having
beeE beaten in this scheme by the Cen
trail the Lenigh Valley decided to steal a
march on it's adverse by erecting i'm
mense coal pockets ou Grand street to
catch the retail trade, and thereby derive
a revenue which would equal, IL not ex-
ceed, the receipts from the Zinc Works.
PLANS OF THE WORK.
Plans were laid at once, prepared by
Chief Engineer Walter G. Bird.
An approach to the pockets was planned
from the National Storage trestle across
that portion of Van Horne street ex.
changed by the Street and Water Com
missioners for piece of property equally
valuable in the immediate vicinity. A
large force was put to work erecting the
pockets, which are 300 feet long aud so
feet wide, with a storage capacity of 3d.
600 tons. The will be modelled on the
same company's pockets at South Plain
field, which have storage capacity of
300 600 tons. The work of completion
was being pushed with all haste with a
view to secresy, but the job was too big
for that.
The pockets are to be kept filled with
coul from the compaDy's colieries, aud
delivered in quantities from u hundred
pound bag to as many tons as may be
desired. and at rates, it is said, which
will make consumers happy.
CENTRAL'S RIVALRY.
The erection OF tle Valley pockets was
about half compile! ed wnen the Central
Railway officials OWNED the scheme of
their opponents and determined TO secure
a snare Of the retail trade also. Division
Superintendent Pedal approved plans
for the erection of pockets 275 feet long and
tweuty weight feet wide, with the same
on the south side of he Morris Canal. A
force OF about two hundred men was put
10 work laying the necessary tracks, and
pile drivers were set to work preparing a
foundation.
The Central officials are pushing the
work with all haste, aud the probabilities
are that the pockets of b6tn corporations
will be completed about he same time.
The Centrai's structure Is hot SO we'll
built as that of the Lehigh Valleys, but
it Will answer the purpose, say the
oficia s. Within three weeks thousands
of carloads of coal direct from the collier.
les of both companies VIII be dumped
here and then the war will begin.
The Central officials are on the lookout
for the coal trade of Colgate & Co.,
Woolsey, Leo, the box manufacturer, aud
all the factories along Grand street aud
| ether parts of the city. They claim to
have the fiDest grades Of coal in the mar
ket and they intend underselling their
opponent in every grade.
LEHIGH's DEAL.
The Lehigh Valley folks are catering
to the trade Of the Jersey City Paper
Company, Mills oakum factory and
others. The Valley officials say that they
intend retailing coal In rs small quan-
tities as desired and at rates below the
Central.
In furtherance of the plan the Cen
trail is erecting a trestle from the
Newark aud New York Railway to
| The Ziuc Words IL will also run
through the Griffing Iron Works
The rail lway officials anticipate having no
| trouble in reaching the works. Superin-
| tendent Pedal stating tnat the trestle
| would be the height established by law
over the street grade. which gives clear
auce of fifteen feet. The work OF cross
| ing the avenue on a trestle is being
pushed and will probably be completed
within the next>three weeks.
The fine coal now used in the Zinc
| Works Is dumped in pockets near the
| Lafayette station of the Central Railway
| and carted from there to The works. 1t is
| to obviate this difficulty. aud the com
| plants of residents in the vicinity that
| the trestle is being built.
is stated on good authority that the
members of the Coal Dealers Association
| i'll this city intend petitioning both com
pauies to sell coal to retail dealers only,
as thev greatly fear the effect on the coal
market of competition between two
such wealthy corporations.
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