The evening world., 1894-05-28
MINE OWNERS LOSING
Southern Operators Getting Gen.
trail Pennsylvania Business
Prices Of Hard Coal May Be Raised
~ To-Morrow.
No Resumption Yet Reported in the
-. Clearfield Region.

PHILADELPHIA, May 2s.-This is
h day fixed upon by the BIZ
luminous coal mine operators in the
Cleo rield and allied districts OF Central
Pennsylva.i ia for the resumption of work
In the mi. es. So far as heard from
there has not been any resumption
neither hasr there been any trouble OF
n sort. AS predicted by men in a posi-
lion to know, when the operators. on
Monday last. issued their ultimatum of
Il cents q ton, tn. strikers have re-
manned away from the mines. and the
commencement OF the sixth week of
their strike finds them apparently as
determined as ever to await the orders
Of President Mcbride. of the United
Mine Workers. before resuming.
Meanwhile the Goa situation. as far
as this region Is concerned. grows more
serious every day. Soft coal is extreme
~ scarce. and operators are compelled
to pay almost exorbitant prices In order
to NIL their contracts. Agents who are
lucky enough to have control of coal are
making profits OF from 81 to $3.50 a ton,
whereas 10 cents was considered a fair
profit before the Goa famine set in.
Another serious result of the strike that
PIOIIiiseS 10 De more lhslluk III It's tlltCl
Ii the permanent loss OF business. be
cause of the inability of operators to full
nj old contracts or enter into new ones.
The regions that compete directly. with
the central Pennsylvania bituminous
miners are the Cumberland, in Mary
land. the West Virginia fields. and the
P~ocahontas. In Southwestern Virginia.
gion is to the effect that men are going
to work every day and coal is being
turned out rapidly. Evidence OF this
Is n,s seen min IN the releasing by the Bai,imors
been. confscated. and the delivery of
Cumberland coal In portions OF the East
that hitherto depended entirely upon
Central Pennsylvania for soft coal.
lone reason for the return OF the Cum
oerland miners to work is said to be the
tact that when the last great bitumin-
field miners failed to stand by them, and
they are now settling the old score.
IN ~ region the mines
most capacity, The Norfolk and West;
ern Railroad Is said to have hired all
the locomotives n cars they can get
from southern railroads, and Is at the
at an unprecedented rate. From Nor
folk, this coal is shipped by water to
points on the New England const. Com
p For nv Esa Little LITTLE Of i reaches New York,
by water II costs very little to carry II
further along the coast. and the prices
better ~
The activity OF the P]ocahontas opera-
tors and the gradual resumption In the
Cumberland region is a bitter pill for
the Pennsylvania operators to swallow
The coal mined by them is brought in
direct competition with the Pennsylvania
coal. n yet the miners employed by
the latter ask for wages at the rate OF
80 cents a gross ton. whereas the Cum
berland miners work for 40 cents a ton
and the ~Pocahontas men. mostly ne
gToes. receive only IS cents a ton, or
90 ner cent. less.
While the scarcity of coal continues,
the producers and shippers OF anthra-
cite are reaping a harvest. Shipments
have Increased enormously. and IL Is
probable that the coal sales agents at
their regular monthly meeting In New
York Tomorrow, will advance the price
on all sizes at least q cents n ton. II
Is expected that n large proportion Of
the ffty-two collicries controlled by the
Reading Railroad, which were drowned
out" last week. will resume work In a
day or two. They will he worked ten
hours a day for some time to come.
One effect OF the scarcity of soft coal
has been the increased use of what is
known as washed culm." This Is the
fine coal. formerly wasted. which, by a
patented process, Is now washed free of
dirt and utilized in connection with BIZ
luminous coal.