The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-01-17
The COAL SITUATION.
While the Supply is Short There
Will be no Famine.
WHAT THE DEALERS SAY OF tT,
As the Mercury I'm tho Thermometer Goes
Down the Figures on the Dealers Price
Lists Go Up-A Comparison of Prices
and Amount of Consum ption.
Coal ! More coal I

Coal More coal
Everybody is calling for coal. The
housewife sees her store dwindling rap
idly, and despairs at the thought of the
bill. The poor man gathers his family
around the kitchen fire, and grudgingly
adds few pieces of fuel to the fire. Fire
he must have. Poverty is bad, but chills
and creeping flesh are worse.
The grimy fireman at the great fac
tories heaps up his wheelbarrow, and
draws load after load TO the mouth of the
fiery furnace. The mills must be kent
warm, even though he gets no rest night
or day.
The great grandfather tells his storie,
OF drawing in the fire logs through eight
feet or snow, but the economical man of
1898 begins to calculate how much more
coal he will need to carry him throueh
the season, aud how much larger his
bank account must De in order TO meet
the demands OF this frosty youuglwinter.
A few opinions OF the coal dealers were
obtained this morning. At the office of
the Pomroy Coal Company it was learned
likely to cause any approach TO a coal
famine. The city dealers are, with one
or two exceptions, fairly we'll supplied.
aud enough coal is on hand TO supply ali
present needs.
lis there any way Of estimating the in
creased consumption due TO the recent
cold snap" was asked.
Only by inference" was the reply. "a
half-dozen men standing around the
store considered the matter aud these re-
suits were arrived at; The increase
in consumption depends largely upon
the wealth aud household of the
consumer. The average winter tenn
perature is from 30 to 40 degrees
Fahrenheit. The past month has
averaged nearly as low as Is Taking
these figures AS a standard. the large mills
during the last month must nave used
from 10 TO 10 per cent more coal than
usual The man of means who thinks of
his coal bill but does not care enough
about 1t to economise uses more than
double the usual amount OF coal in such
weather as this. TIE poor man who has
TO be careful of his coal aud who lives in
one room is sure that it uses from Is to
25 per cent. more. Two or three Offices
which were visited acknowledged that
instead of using two hods they now use
three or four hods of coal.
At the Providence Coal Company IL
was estimated that the increased con-
sumption will average 80 per cent.
Jonn X. WhiIe spoke freely upon the
subject and said that the demand was
greater than usual but coal dealers would
not feel 1t SO much in hard coal for some
time to come Most of the large private
consumers lay in a stock OF coal for the
winter. The present cold weather will
use that supply up and they Hill need
more along in February aud March.
Then will come the pinch. Everybody
will call for coal AZ once, but the fore
warning now will enable ali dealers to
prepare for IL.
All dealers were of the opinion that
there Is no need for a scare. No coal
famine is imminent. The Providence
Coal Company has 5000 TO 10, 600 tons on
has three barges on the Sound. The
Pomroy Coal Company has a number of
barges between here ana New York. One
OF them will reach Newport to-day IN
tow OF powerful tug aud her owners
expect that she will make
her way up to her pier In a day or two.
John Il. White q Son have also a num-
Der of steamers Ia Philadelphia and Bal
timore loaded and ready to start
There Is" said Mr.. White, enough
hard coal on hand now to last
two weeks or more. BY tbat time we
shall have a large additional supply. The
greatest trouble lies in soft coal Our
trade is heavy out OF town. With man |
ufacturers who use soft coal the supply |
OF this Is already short. We have noti- |
he'd our regular customers that the sales |
must be limited until more coal comes TO |
hand. / have on my desk now an order |
for soft coal, which l refused. My refusal |
was answered by request to send stove.
egg or any kind OF broken coal. This |
also, l refused, as our city customers
must be protected first of all
IF the present weather continues for n |
'ew weeks longer we shall be compel led
20 limit the sales, but there is no prospect |
II that now. | remember once few |
1ears ago when the workmen at tide |
water struck. IL was about this season |
II the year. All dealers except Hopkins
\ Pomtroy were short OF coal. The |
lrike was sudden aud we had TO cut
lown our sales to a few days supplyYp
Another dealer said. "No you need not
ear any famine. The wind is veerinQ TO |
he south and we snail have coal i'm be-
ore tho end of the weeS "