The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-27
IN DEFENSE OF THE POCAHvNTAS
GOAL COMPANY.

To THE EDITOR OF THE ROANOKE
TIMES: While not feeling that my in
formation on the tariff question will
justify my attempting public discus
sion of the matter in the newspapers,
and Judging from their appearance and
general character that Mayor Trout
and Mr.. Miller are fully able to take
care of themselves in any attack which
may be made upon the genuineness of
their Democracy, I do feel that there
Coal Company, and through it at the
Norfolk and Western Railroad Com
pany, in the closing paragraph Of Mr..
CrabilPs communication, which ap-
peared in the issue of THE TINES of
December 81, which it was not neces-
ssry to bring into the discussion.
1 was never in Norfolk but once. and
that was before o ton of Pocahontas
coal had ever been seen there, and
when the town had taken on more OF
the life, am told now exists there
since this coal business has been opened
up, and so do not know how correct
Mr. Crabill is as to the price at which
the article is sold in that market, but l
do know what it costs in Roanoke BY
my own experience, and / know Of no
advantage possess in purchasing over
that of anyone else. Two thousand
two hundred and forty pounds of lump
coal delivered at my residence costs ne @
SO S5; allow for carriage, Is cents;
dealers profit, IS cents; leaves for cost
to dealer, SO 80. The firm at which it
is claimed. it is sold in Norfolk, and /
do not know who they are who pay $3.50
in Roanoke, unless it be those who buy
in very small lots, and if the price is
advanced on them the blame lies on the
dealer, and not the Pocahontas Coal
Company. though it may be claimed
that the 257 miles, which the coal is
hauled in reaching Norfolk, should
proportionately enhance its cost to the
consumer, or purchaser then, and this
would hold good if no competition was
| met with there, and doubtless the rail
road company would gladly avail itself
Of the situation to make those Norfolk
| people pay full prices, but when the
coal from the Chesapeake and Ohio rail-
road, the Cumberland region and the
| Chesterfield region, is met there, the
| Norfolk and Western has to take what
| prices it can get.
| And to show that there is no extor-
| ton pract iced on the people of Roanoke
in the matter, will say what l know
to be fact that while the people of
| Memphis, Tenn, are about as near the
| Pocahontas, and with the coal Of West
ern Kentucky not far off, and with al
most a nominal freight by river from
| Pittsburg, they paid, when | livod there
| four years ago, 81 so for every ton Of
1000 pounds of Pennsylvania coal used
| by them, and while, il the Republicanism
Of the owners of the Norfolk and West
| ern would prompt them to assist in in.
tlicting upon tho Southern people the
tx,;1 81 -
| they would find in nae an open enemy.
I am not prepared, when discussing
question of such wide bearing as that of
the tariff on coal and iron, to bring the
rate schedules of that corporation under
review, and certainly in no acrimonious
spirit, believing, as do, that we are
not paying in Roanoke any eXorbitant
price for coal, and believing further
that, but for the development of the
material resources of South west Vir-
GINA, which has followed the purchase,
by the Norfolk and Western, OF the
WORKOUT, bankrupt Atlanta, Memphis
and Ohio Railroad Company, that this
| secsion would be now just where it
was twenty-five years ago, and il there
is in the Wilson bill the discrimina-
ton against our product and in favor
| of that of New England which is
claimed by W. G. Bullitt, in letter
| printed in THE TINES of December 16,
am prepared to join any number Of the
citizens of Roanoke in protesting against
| it's PASSAGE and il Mr.. Crabill wishes
cheaper coal in Roanoke / will call
his attention to q scheme now on foot
looking to the only available means
open to us for securing that end, which
involves tho signing, by every RESPONSE
bic citizen or property owner of the
community, OF an obligation for an
amount, to the utmost of his ability.
payable on the com pletion of line of
railroad connecting US with the Chesa-
peake and Ohio, the only other pro-
Queer of coal, except the Norfolk and
Western in this section
This 1 consider the only proper way
to fight a monopoly get from under
its control, even though it may require
q sacrifice to do it, and if Mr.. Crabill
and others, who agree with him, are
not informed as to tho method by which