Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-05-26
The Coal Trade.

The Coal Trade.
Shipments of coal from the mines of
the Georges Creek coal region were
in long tons
For week ending May 10, 1S94....... 13,737
Is year to same date. .............l ,241 1855
Decrease compared with last year.. 26S, COS
The latest news from the markets is
CLEANED as follows:
There is very little, lfany, change in the
soft coal market. The situation remains
practically as we reported 1t in our last weeks
review of the trade, only that some of the
features which we noted then have become
rather more accentuated.
There is practically no market and prices
are merely nominal. All producers are pro-
yiding for customers as best they can from
the stocks on hand and by means of outside
help. Available cargoes in Southern ports
have been taken up. English and Nova
Scotia coal has been ordered by those sellers
whose contracts had no strike clause" and
some anthracite coal is being used where
possible.
The strike situation is but little changed.
The only region not affected by it is the
Pocahontas. IT. the Georges Creek, only
two mines are working, the Hoffman and
the Eckhart. The Pocahontas region is
working on full capacity. Oyer 10000 tons
Of vessels are now waiting for coal to arrive.
In the other regions the operators are simply
waiting for the better judgment of the strikers
to assert itself. In those regions where the
men had no especial grievances, and struck
at the instigation of outsiders the owners feel
very bitter, and are contemplating the IN
stallation of mole mining machinery, so that
the number of men to be controlled in the
future be decreased. Eastern operators are
determined not to grant the mems demands.
The margin of profit on the prices ruling
previous to the strike was so made that an
advance in wages would wipe it out. The
strike does not hurt producers so very much
after all, since they are protected by the con-
venient ''strke clause" and besides, since
all affected alike one cannot profit at the ex-
pense of another in the matter of getting new
trade.
Considerable comment has been aroused by
the action of the Berwind-White Coal Min
ing Company i'll ordering coal from Cardiff,
Wales, and from Nova Scotia, in all about
$4,000 tons. The company did this to pro-
tect its steamer trade, although only morally
obliged to do so, since, despite the fact that
those contracts contain no strike clause, it is
not bound to supply something which cannot
be had. Other concerns are to lesser extent
following the example set by the Berwind-
White company.-Engineering and Mining
.Jsui3u1.
The bitumnous trade does not show any
great improvement so far as the ability to
secure supplies is concerned. The result of
the convention at Cleveland leaves every
thing to be arranged between the operators
and miners in their respective districts, and
agreement will be come to and that work
will be resumed. The fact that so many dis
tricts and States were not represented hardly
entities it to be called National convention,
The fight was and is so entirely between the
Hooking Valley and the Pittsburgh districts
that it was impossible to bring the operators
of Illinois and other Western States to help
the Ohio people win their fight against Pitts
burgh. The central Pennsylvania and the
southern districts shipping to the seaboard
have nothing in common with the fight west
of the Alleghenies, and for this reason the
operators from those districts were not repre-
sented, and in but few instances were the
men AT a meeting Of the central Pennsyl-
vania operators there Was a discussion as to
the possibilities of their being able under
normal trade conditions, to pay any more
than the rate of 40 cents per ton, as before
April Dist; it was the prevailing sentiment
that they could not afford to do so and an
agreement to this effect was ratitied-Coal
Trade .IDu,Unl