The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-05-25
GENERAL NEWS
OF INDUSTRIES

III INDUSI KILLS.
Earnings of the Philadelphia, Read
ing and New England railroad ure i'm
proving, the "lean" p~eriod-from No
vsmber to March having passed.
During the latter month gross earnings
amounted to $51. 1856 SO while operating
expenses were $3S, 644. 90. thus leaving
net earnings Of $12, SOL 81, or about
SO, 900 more than +, quired to cover
rentals and other leased line opera
tons, taxes, etc. The company is
olding its own very well, not only
meeting the a~bove-named charges
promptly, but also paying floating debt
interest, etc. The next five months
should be good ones for thu road,
as special efforts are being made
10 expand the volume of summer
t%raffi,, u number Of beautiful resorts
being located on it's lines. 1t has az
ranged with the New York Central for
the transportation of through passsng.
ers to and from New York city, and in
addition it is working on friendly
terms with the New York, Ontario and
Western, the New York, Susquehanna
and Western, the Delaware aud Hui
son. and the New York and New Eng
land. The management is watching
very carefully the reorganization of
the latter, and it is also keeping an
open eye on the Beading. expecting to
secure advantages or n substantial sort
from both when they are again in
shape .--PhiladelphiG Stakeholder.
In n Of the Smithsonian publica-
tons Professor Orion argues that the
natural gas supply Of Ohio and Ildi
anR-which exists in the Trenton lime.
stone rock Of II porous nature-is forced
out of the rock by sGlt water which per-
~colates through the latter, being held
back by gas in its natural state until
the gas pockets or cavities are tapped
by wells, when, as the pressure is thus
reduced, the water p9rcOlating through
the rocks continues to keep up the
pressure of gas through the wells and
in the mains. According to Professor
Orton's Investigations. the salt water
which is found beneath the gas usually
RIGGS IN the wells to q height CORES
bonding with the level OF Lake Super
Tor, and there is. no thinks, Il connec
ton between the water penetrating the
porous rocks in which the gas ia found
and that Of Lake Superior.
An Engliah electrical paper published
the following article on the Jex over
head system Of electrical propulsion.
1t is an overhead System III which the
overhead wires run transversely across
the street at intervals equal to about
the length Of a car; above the middle
of the track the wires are cut and
joined with an insulator, all the wires
at one side being positive and those on
the other negative; there are two con,
iraet devices on the car. n for each
polarity, and they are of sufficient
length to touch one wire before leaving
the other; by this means no ground
return is required. Ia another issue
Of the same paper n modification of
this system is described in which an
insulated conductor is surrounded by n
conducting tube in insulated sections
with means for connecting these Sec
tons with the conductor, operated by
a magnetic device carried by the car;
tits Suggested that this device would
be of great use in temporary military
lines 10 be laid in case Of war; neither
OF the methods has yet been used in
practice.
A telegram from Duluth, MINI, says
that Q very uuusual iron transaction
has just been closed here between the
Minnesota Blast Furnace company, of
Duluth, and a leading Piltsburg steel
maker. The latter has bought from
the iron company about $50, 900 worth
of pig iron, to be shipped ut once by
rail to Pittsburg. There will be be-
tween three and four full train loads of
iron and the first lot has already gone
forward. Satisfaction is expressed at
tho price. Tuis sale is directly due to
the coal strike in the east, but it is the
first time that any company so far west
has been patronized by eastern manu-
facturers,
Nearly all the collisrios in the Halle.
ton region remain idle with q large
body of water to contend with. Evans
colliery is reported to be in o very bad
condition. Two pumps were lost in
Coxe's No. l nina. Van Wickle's No.
2 slopes are we'll filled. The Beaver"
slope pump was removed and the dia.
mond drilling machines covered. The
Wharton slop, is being filled rapidly
and no pumping is being done, since
the water in the big vein is so very
high. GAINESVILLE slopes arc in good
condition, their pumping facilities be-
ing the best in the region.
'
1t is probable that a crisis in the hi.
luminous coal strike Will he reached
early next week, and present indica.
tons point either to a settlement or to
bloodshed. Operators in this state will,
early in the week, announces to their
mihsrs that they cannot afford to ad.
vance wages at present, and will insist
upon the men returning to work on u
given date, probably June 1, or lose
their positions permanently. The
miners regard this threat" with some
incredulity, and hold that it ia a final
effort to weaken their ranks. The i'm
portation of labor from other states
means one Of two things: either the
miners will recognize that they have
been defeated and voluntarily return
to work. or they will endeavor to pre-.
vent the new men from taking their
places, in which case scenes of riot
witnessed in the coke region a few
weeks ago will be repeated. IL is clear,
in any event, a crisis will be reached
in the situation next week.
A number of Scranton capitalists
have organic a company for the put
pose OF utilizing the waste culm from
the coal breakers. This company with
N. Dolphin, formerly Of the Hillside