The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-18
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.

A prominent sales agent states that
weather like the present makes "a differ
ence of 100, 900 tons Il day in the consump-
ton of anthracite coal throughout the
country.
A better demand for domestic sizes of
coal is reported both in the local market
and in the eastern and western coal trade
1t is due to the extremely cold weather,
1t has not advanced prices and has hardly
the effect of steadying them.
Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre railroad Off
cials are taking initiatory steps to prevent
the deluge of their mines. Antlcipatlng
the nearness of thaw Il large force OF
men Is opening all the bitches in the vicin-
ity of the collieries. which have been to-
tally blocked by snow for some weeks.
The American Steel company's works at
Thurlow are very busy, and more men
will be needed to Keep pace with the or
ders. one of the largest castings ever made
there was the bed OF the gun carriage cast
on Monday. Its weight is 5000 pounds
and Is for the Cramps. Owing to the press
of work 1t has become necessary to place
the plants at Norristown and Sharon III
operation.
The bureau of anthracite coal statistics
reports shipments of anthracite coal for
January at S,063, ,5Si tons. an increase OF
375, ,5l3 tons as compared with the same
month of last year. The total production
for the twelve months ended Jan. 81 was
3.O63jSi tons, an increase of S75,1lS tons as
compared with the corresponding period
of the previous year. The stock on hand
ut tidewater decreased 79,737 tons during
January.
The fire in the Halle mine is making
hGadway. The third bore hole has beer
completed, but the great trouble that nov
confronts the fire lighters is a scarcity
of water. The fire RACES ilercely ana sew
eral times during the past forty-eight
hours the men We're driven from the
mine on account of the intense heat The
damage done already is estimated At go
600 As Il last resort 1t may be necessary
to wall in the fire and prevent the spread
ing of the flames to the solid beds Of Goa
adjoining.
The Plttsburg and Eastern railroad has
taken the necessary legal steps TO increase
it's capital stock from S2,75OOOO TO $1,000
600 This is the company which was
formed some time ago b. the consolida
tion of three companies contemplating
the construction of railroad lines through
the western portion of the state, an
whose united roads are to form line
from Mahaffey, on the Beech Creek rail
w
McKeesport and Youghiogheny. Work
upon the new line is TO be begun in the
spring.
The coal trade editor of the New YorE
Engineering and Mining Journal thinks
that the prospects for an Improvement IN
that trade-from the point of view of the
producers and the railroads-are moi
very bright. "Only the impossibe-name
ly, an iron-clad trust-Can make 1888 Z
prosperous year for them, and the impos
sible unlike the unexpected, never hap
pened At this writing 1t does not LOOK
probable that any new plan will be agreed
upon. The chances are that after more
or less squabbling the companies will ac'
cept percentages which Will foot up about
1l5, and try to make the best of ii, trust
ing in Providence to escape the utter lie
moralization of the last quarter of 1871
A leading coal producer said recently
within the rearing of the Philadelphia
Times: "All this talk of the Reading be
ing able to increase its tonnage by smash
ing the market is nonsense. Parties wnC
are indulging in that kind OF prattle dis
close a deplorable lack of knowledge oI
the physical equipment of the various
properties AS matter of fact, If eacf
interest should produce to its full capac
ity, as Reading threatens TO do, Reading
could not, under any circumstances, pro
duce more than its present quota of 20
per cent. of the total. The greater it,
output under artificial conditions the
greater would be the incentive of compel
itors to keep pace. The result would be
no change in the proportions and bank
rupt prices"
The Railroad Gazette makes the follow
ing summary of railroad accidents las
year: