The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-27
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.

Buffalo, March 2G.-The New York Cen
tral railroad has decided to change It's mo-
tive power on the Niagara Falls branch
from steam to electricity and the trolley
system viii be used. orders have been Is
| sued to begin making the change at once.
The report of Mine Inspector William
Stein, of the Sixth anthracite district, FOR
1894 is as follows Total number of en'-
ployes inside the mines. including miners.
forcmen, bosses, drivers, doorboys and
helpers, ll,227; total employed in and
around the breakers, S.SS2; grand total of
employees. 90 100, or ,S65 less than in 1893.
The fatal accidents I'm 1894 exceeds the
number of 1898 by 10. Number of fatal ac-
cidents, 49, number of non-fatal accidents.
81; number of widows left. AZ; number of
orphans, l7G. Tons OF coal produced, $685.
SSl. Tons of coal shipped, 5,SsS 800. Pounds
of dynamite used, 323 l4S. Kegs of powder
used, 5i,iO2. Steam boilers in use. 1,eSi.
Number of horses and mules, l,9G2.
Philadelphia Press: The anthracite
coal companies are now just where they
started when the movement for harmony
began last fall. They have not squared
| the percentage circle as some of them ex-
peoted, and the whole problem is as un-
| solved as when the presidents first met.
| What Is to be done Is to divide up the
| coal tonnage among the coal carriers on IL
| basis which will be satisfactory and put
| the agreement in force. This don't look
| like a very big job, but it has never been
| accomplished for any length of time yet.
Mr.. Mcleod did about as well as anybody,
| but his scheme did not last four months.
1t is proposed on Thursday to enter upon
| another of these periodical agreements
which We're so familiar in Mr.. Gowens
days. which Mr. Morgan once brought
about and which have been made several
times in the last three years 1t is not
| known yet what terms will be made. 1t Is
probable that in the end a very general
| scheme will be presented as a number Of
| the interests involved are aVerse to max
| ing contracts. Such an agreement would
| not be carried out three weeks by all the
companies, but it would serve a good pur
| pose, perhaps, in putting an end to the
runous war of prices which is going on in
New York and elsewhere. During last
year the coal companies worked on the
faith cure principle. The representatives
of the trade would meet monthly and
soberly give their judgment as to the de-
| mand of the trades for the succeeding
| month, and each company would agree to
keep within the limits prescribed. The
| agreed upon tonnage was overshipped
from al, Az tons in February to 23l2 ,S52
tons in June, and in October and July the
production above the judgment of the sales
agents as to the wants of the trade was
more than 100000 tons each month. The
absolute indifference to the agreed upon
| tonnage is the cause of the late and pres
ent Generalization in prices, which fell in
| 1894 from 36 to 80 cents per ton. The pres
! ent price of stove coal ranges from S225
per ton to 81 .95. and not only can coal be
bought at these figures for present deliV-
cry, but some parties are willing to make
future contracts. The latter is the most
demoraliEing fact that has yet become
| known.
Notwithstanding the embargo placed by
| the Reading railroad upon coal from the
| Lehigh Valley and Jersey Central roads
| through its recent increase of freight
rates upon shipments destined for points
| in Philadelphia and along its lines, large
quantities of Lehigh coal, according to the
| Record. continue to reach that city
over the Readings tracks and at the old
rate of freight. Indeed dealers along the
| Readings lines find that there Is no
trouble whatever in securing all the Ie-
| high coal they want. This is due to the
| fact that connections have been made be-
| tween the Reading and the Beaver
| Meadow, Treskow and New Boston rail-
| road, controlled by a. S. Van Wickle the
largest individual operator in the Lehigh
| region except Coke Bros. Il Co.. by which
coal from the Coleraine coliery, in the
very heart of the Lehigh region, now
finds It's way to market over the Reading.
The connection is made at Treskow, where
the Beaver Meadow, Treskow and New
Boston road taps the Tamaqua, Hazleton
and Northern branch of the Reading,
opening up route over which large guam
titles of Lehigh coal have been shipped in
the past few months and will continue to
be shipped In the future 1t is Mr.. Van
Wlckle's intention to push his road on to
New Boston, when he will have connections
with all the ratlroa's in the Lehigh re-
gion and will occupy much the same in
dependent position as that now held by
Coze Bros. x Co. AT Beaver Meadow,
whore the Coleralne colliery is located, the
| Lehgh Valley tracks pass under the
breaker, and by means of the Beaver
Meadow, Treskow and New Boston roads
connection Is made with the Reading and
Jersey Central lines. At Mllncsville, whe"e
another of Mr.. Van Wickle's collieries is
situated, the output goes over the Penn
sylvania, and near st. Clair, where the
Roberts colliery, also controlled by him,
Is situated, the Pennsylvania Is reached
again. The quality of the coal from the
Coleraine colliery, which has a capacity
a .IA II. T..Iy.