Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-02-23
An Ideal TT de In Coal.
Barnet Phillips, In Harper's Weekly.]

what 1s the use OF lnVe1gh1ng against
that useful class, the middle-men, tina
is to say, when they are contented with
an honest and everyday profit? Blu
when the middle-man takes advantage Of
the situation, turns the screws, insists on
an exOrbitant advanc on prime cost, Oh
when what he peddles l. one Of the neces.
stiles of life, as is csal then the mid
dle-man wrings the virals of the poor
for he extracts from their scantily lined
pockets the very last penny. The late
arctic two weeks In New York was the
coal-peddler's and small-grocery mans
opportunity, and the sufferings of many
honest, deserving people were intense
for coal in small way had risen to mon
strous figures.
Mr.. Nathan Straus does not pose as a
political economist. He is simply kind
hearted man, with u rapid receptivity
when an object-lesson is presented to his
notice. 1t so happened that during one
of the coolest days of this month Mr..
Straus paid visit to poor man who
was i'll. A pail of coal was brought into
the room, and third OF it was used to
replenish a small stove. "What does
that much coal COST" asked the visitor.
Fourteen cents" was the reply. Mr..
Straus Is no lightning calculator, but he
figured it up that at fourteen cents a
pail coal was costing not penny less
than $l4 ton. At once he hire a wharf
at the foot of Third Street, East River,
bought a bcat-load of coal, costing 81 so
ton, built shanty, put at work II num-
Der of hands, and established something
apparently absurd-a coal business en-
tirely in the interests of the consumers ;
OF in other words he was prepared to
peddle out coal at prime cost. On Fri
day, the Goth of January, just as soon as
the first barge was made fast, her cargo
being nut aud stove, coal trade began.
At the grand opening nobody knew any
thing about it, but in few hours the
business advertised itself. ga chump as
sells full pail for five cents" just took
down that east side.
The measures of coal are five. Twenty
pounds cost five cents; forty, ten cents !;
sixty, fifteen cents; eighty, twenty cents !;
and quarter of dollar fills up hun
dred-pound measure. The re is no skimp-
ing. After the basket is filled up, then
comes the extra shovelful, and that de-
lights the purchaser. In just as polite a
manner as if they were behind jewel
er's counter the young men in charge of
the coal shanty carry out the business.
! hO SodA 10 hoO given away puu a
changed for coin, but on such a basis
that if the coal does not quite pay for it
self, the difference is but slight. Y our man
who gives away thing for nothing rare
ly stands any nonsense, and well-meant
benefcence is sometimes rather top-lofty
and exacting. The really nice thing
about it is that the coal-receivers feel no
humiliation. For the five cents that OLD
woman passes to the clerk she Re ceives
in exchange red ticket marked "good
for twenty pounds of coal She may
have made a shirt or more for that
money, and been undelp paid. She smiles
as she has the measure of coal dumped
into her apron, for she thinks she has
equalized her chances.
The great run is for the five and the
ten cent tickets, but the tive-centers are
most in demand, and Pactolus of pen
MES pours through the ticket-hole.
Half-dollars are rare coins, and so are
quarters, and SO far only two bills have
been taken. The scenes are amusing,
for the coal mart is Overlooking with
good-humor. Here is strong lusty
German. He is millionaire; he wants a
twenty-cent ticket, which entities him
to eiEh ty pounds. 1t is a weight beyond
his capacity. 81 have worked all day.
am tired. 1 tell you what l do, l fetch
my wife; she make nuddings of it,
The children come in fiocks, particularly
after school hous. Said little rosy
checked girl to her companions: "Oh,
have had such q lufly time. MOmmer's
got huff coal for ter-day and ter-morrer
all for ten cents, and gent guy me five
cents fer standin' still when he took my
pigshuie''-for our artist made photo
Qraph of the little woman
Methods of transporting the Goals are
numerous. A soap-bOx on wheels or on
a pair of runners was the favOrite.
There was Meet & Chandon champagne
case, very MISUNDERSTANDING, on the
running-gear of velocipede; goat
cart, With fairly we'll put up,bi!ly, drove
up IN spanking style. Several boys, not
one over ten, had peddler's handcart,
and with their combined Efforts showed
of 100 pounds. A dish pan, tin basin,
clio, hes boiler, a colander, market
basket, anything but scuttle, moved
the coal. The Italians used shee is (there
was no color contrast), and one little
Sicilian woman laid once gaudy bed
spread on the wharf, and had turned in
to it sixty rounds of coal. Ste tied it
up tight, using her viii teeth to fasten
rope knot. Then a gallant outsider
heaved 1t all up on her black coil OF hair,
and she marched off, tee tering as if it
were feather weight. There was also
a procession of baby-carriages, coal
laden.
Suppose there were some middle boys
who earned penny in FIJI lighting? Such
an enterprisipg urchin might become in
time railroad magnate for future coal
barons. Well, that was none of Mr..
Strauss business. He got his coal.
There are charitable men and women,
members of regular organizations, who
were helping their deserving poor
through the medium of Mr.. Straus, buy
ing tickets, as they had a perfect right to
do. AS long as there is coal 1t can be
had, only not more than dollars worth
can be bought at time. The business
will continue until cold weather is over,
say until the end of March. just as
soon as one boat-load is carried away
another will take its place. All Mr..
Straus does is to approximate values. or
to bring closer together cent and a
lump Of coal. In that general scheme of
future economics (belon ging to the gold