The evening world., 1894-05-28
MINE OWNERS LOSING
Southern Operators Getting Cen
trail Pennsylvania Business.
Prices Of Hard Coal May Be Raised
To- Morrow.
No Resumption Yet Reported In the
Clearfield Region.
tBy Associated Press.)

- 'NS
PHILADELPHIA, May 2s.-This is
the day fixed upon by the BIZ
luminous coal mine operators In the
Cleerfield and allied districts of Central
Pennsylva' ia for the resumption of work
in the mi, es. So far as heard from
there has not been any resumption;
neither has there been any trouble OF
sny sort. AS predicted by men in a posi-
ton to know. when the operators, on
Monday last, issued their ultimatum Of
~ cents a 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 coal situation. as far
as this region is concerned, grows more
serious every day. Soft coal Is extreme
ly scarce, and operators are compelled
to pay almost exorbitant prices In order
to fill their contracts. Agents who are
lucky enough to have control Of coal are
making profits of from 81 to sl.5O a ton,
whereas 10 cents was considered a fair
profit before the coal famine set in.
Another serious result of the strike that
promises to be more lasting In Its enect
Is the permanent loss Of business, be-
cause Of the Inability Of operators to full
III old contracts or enter into new ones.
The regions that compete directly. with
the central Pennsyivania bituminous
land, the West Virginia fields, and the
P~oeahoatas, In Southwestern Virginia.
Information from the Cumberland re-
to work every day and coal is being
turned out rapidly. Evidence Of this
Is seen in the releasing by the Baltimore
been conascated. and the delivery Of
Cumberland coal in portions of the East
that hitherto depended entirely upon
One reason for the return Of the Cum
berland miners to work is said to be the
fact that when the last great bitumin-
Sus strike Occurred, in 1881. the Clear;
they are now settling the old score.
In the Pocahontas region the mines
and men are being worked to their ut
most capacity, The Norfolk and West;
ern Railroad is said to have hired all
the locomotives and cars they can get
from Southern railroads, INT is at the
Stes sn un nme eddsntteds rote 'n From m0T nor.
folk this coal Is shipped by water to
points on the New England coast. Com
paratively little of it reaches New York,
FOR the reason that since the coal goes
by water 1t costs very little to carry il
further along the coast. and the prices
obtained In New England are much
better
The activity of the Pocahontas opera.
tors and the gradual resumption in tbs
Cumberland region Is a bitter pill fol-
the Pennsylvania operators to swallow,
The coal mined by them is brought In
direct competition with the Pennsylvania
coal. and yet the miners employed by
the latter ask for wage at the rate OF
10 cents a gross ton. whereas the Cum,
oerland miners work for 40 cents a tor
and the Pocahontas men, mostly ne
Eroes, receive only Is cents a ton, oil
80 per cent. less.
While the scarcity Of coal continues
the producers and shippers Of anthra'
cite are reaping a harvest. Shipments
have Increased enormously. and II !,
probable that the coal sales agents a
their regular monthly meeting in New
York tomorrow, will advance the pric,
IN all sizes a: least Or cents a ton. L
is expected that n large proportion o.
the ffty-two collieries controlled by tn,
Reading Railroad, which were drowned
out" last week. will resume work In &
day or two. They will be worked ter
hours a day for some time to come.
One effect OF the scarcity of soft Goa
has been the increased use of what II
known as washed culm." This Is tn,
fine coal, formerly wasted, which. by {
patented process, Is now washed free o.
dirt and utilized In connection with bi
luminous coal.