The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-03
The Coal BarOnS Send Up
Prices Once More.
ExtOrtiOnate Practices of the
Small Coal Vendors.
Six Cents for a Human Life--N0
Horse Meat Sold In This City.

the price of stove coal In order to increase
their profits. Their Representatives,
known as the sales agents, met In New
York the other day and without discus
sion or dissent on the part OF any one
tackled on an extra 30 cents TO the price
of each ton, the increase TO go into effect
Immediately. What the result will be Is
easily understood by the family man who
wasn't fortunate enough to lay in a sup
ply sufficient To carry him along until
warm weather comes again. An advance
Of 80 cents a ton In the wholesale price
means just that much advance on the
cost to the consumer, and In many cases
even a greater one, for when tie whole
sale increase Is 80 cents, as in this In,
stance, the retailer frequently makes it 90
cents.
To the man who hugs bis coal in ton
lots this advance viii be burdensome
enough, but how Is IL with those unfort-
innate ones who have to purchase IL by the
basket? Ii is simply ruinous, for the
pedoler Of coal In small quantities has no
compunctions about lacking on an extra
10 cents to the price Of each basket when
The dealer charges him 30 or 80 cents
more n on. Nor is that the only extor-
tion to which the ANAL buyer is forced
TO submit. 1t Is a notorious fact that
many persons who reddle coal by the
bushel do not rse bushcl taskets ut all.
Their baskets are so c)nstructei that out
of a ton the grasping and tricky dealer IL
able TO get from 80 to 35 baskets. Thus
fer a ton which costs him not over IS he
receives from $40. 80 TO sl2. %, and this
vast profit, tie IL remembered, is realized
from the people who can least afford 1t,
from the poorest OF the city's poor.
A . lls.n e..t t.a a. 49, -. -t.,s tk.A
extortion is practiced IL Is only necessary
To refer to a case which fell under the
observation of the sealer OF weights and
measures some time ago. Coz. Pettis
noticed a man delivering a basket of coal
TO \ poor widow. lie saw that the basket
was under size, and on examining ii he
found that this poor woman was raying
for her coal at the rate of $40 a ton. A
heartless practice, OF COURSE, 1t was. but
there was no way to reach the dealer in
this case. lie insisted that he didn't sell
coal by the bushfl. but by the basket,
while the poor widow could not he pre-
vailed upon TO prosecute him, even when
the gross extcri1on OF which she was tue
victim was made plain to her. The coal
barons are erasping enough, but the
basket barons are infinitely more extor-
t~ionate.
The Gosslper Is asked what are the
horns of the moon SO frequently referred
to In almanacs and articles dealing with
celestial bodies. What are calico, but
not very autly, il would seem, tue horns
are the peaks of the moon, which ale 10
he Observed in the crescent shape, imme-
diaiely alter 'tull moon."
These horns are turned from the sun
and gradually grow fuller until in seven
anf a quarter days the crescent becomes
a semi.circle OF white light. Then Ii is
said that the mOOnfs horns are fulI
On the north wall OF tie Office of the
Secretary OF Stale in the old state House
on North Main street Is a life size
painting in oil Of Washington, exc
cuied by the famous ~Brtist, Gilbert Stuart.
Although this picture is familiar to fire.
queDtsrs OF TIE office very few OF them
ass 1t by vi, hout seeming 1t closely.
il is regarded MS one OF the mcst faithful
counterfeit preseutments of the father OF
his country as well as ore of the hest ex-
anples of the artists skill. And yet that
artist, once the pet and pride CT fashion,
able America, and the warm personal
friend Of its foremost statesmen, lies
hurled, according To the Boston Traveller,
IN an almost unknown grave.
"No 81" cut into the upper surface of
the curbstone supporting the iron fence
that separates the ole Central burial
EiOuhd " u IVY i7NOh otItCt hin III
the Boston Common, is the only epitaph
OF this nee famous artist. Indeed, for
many years bis place OF sepultnre had
passed entirely from the public mind,
Smart was poor end practically f~riendless
when he died at the age Of ~ years, and
his body was placed In the vault hat had
been built In 1891 and afterward the pre-
cise location OF ii was forgotten.
'rhe value which jur!es sometimes place
upon haman life Is often the cause of
wonder ard surprise. One ofthis kind is
now before the conrts in New York and
Is attracting a good deal OF attention.
Some months ago n policeman, while of
duty, took his two-yesr-old child out for
o walk. Meeting an acquaintance on the
street he stopped to chat with him. The
little girl, while the father was thus en-
cages. ran across the street and was struck
and killed by q cattle car. The father
brought suit against the cable car COM
pany and at the end OF an exhaustive
trial the jury awarded hin six cents dam
|nges. There hnve been cases growing out
Iof the killing of human beings, In which
TO damages at ell have been awarded,
but in these instances the result was
brought about by this fact that the negli-
gence of the victim contributed to the
fatality. Ibis award Is rronably the
lowest price for a human life ever fixed
~ a jury, however, and 1t IL not %surpris-
6ng that the father is seekiug TO have this
Fidiculously small award set aside.
Within n few DAYS reports have heep In
circulation to the effect that lsrge guam
ties OF horse meat were being sent to
New England cities from Canada where,
according to the rumor, II was purchased
or three cents n pound. Inquiry among
I've large dealers in Providence fails to
how that any horse meat has been re-
lived or is being scld in this market.
me dealer was most emphatic in his
cnial of the report. "The idea. "he said,
that horse meat could be sold In his
barket even trough II is of, red Is n nom
%ensical one. The people wouldn't buy
/. nor Is there I'M reason why they
hould, since they can buy beef at such a
bw price. This story from Canada is q
anard. and I don't believe there has been
pound OF horse meat sold anywhere in
Few E~nglsnd."