The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-18
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
Regarding Bltuminous Coal in New
 England and Its Decreased Cost as

Regarding Bitumiuous Coal in New
 England and It's Decreased Cost as
 Compared With Prices of Years Ago
 Of Interest to Steam Users,
 There seems to be no doubt but that as regards one commodity at least manufacturers are better served and at less cost than was the case several years ago, and is shown by the follow ing article clipped from the Boston Commercial Bulletin, which is of inter est to all Connecticut users of steam power:
 The increasing use of bituminous coal for steam purposes in the past fifteen years and the great reduction in cost brought about by improved shipping, loading and discharging fa- cilities, have been simply amazing. The benefits to our manufacturing indus try have been inestimable. Looking back at the conditions that existed if | teen years ago the progress made dur ing that period Is strikingly illustrated. At that time the vessels ranged from l 400 to 800 tons burden. In those days | 1000 tons was an extreme size and | loading was uncertain.
 | To-day craft average fully 2,000 tons and schooners run as high as 5000 tons | and barges between 4,0OO and 5000 tons. | The coal carrying schooner to-day is | built and equipped with especial con | sideration for the line of work in which | it is to be engaged. As a rule they are four masted schooners and by the use of steam power the sails are work ed and the anchor hoisted. The rate of | discharging these modern vessels is 200 l tons per day at the lowest, and vessels | of 5000 tons have been discharged ill one day. A decade and a half ago the work was done with buckets, while at the present time three or four towers are put on a craft and worked auto | matically.
 l MARKED REDUCTIONS IN FREIGHT RATES.
 The system of towing now so general | ly in use was practically unknown as | short time ago as ten years, while at | the present time the business is done largely that way. The effect on water freights has been marked. From south | ern ports to Boston, New Haven and other points some fifteen years ago | lIty averaged SlsiO per LDllr lO-uSy, OO and 75 cents. Under the towing method of transportation quick trips are made both outward and inward, while loading and unloading is prosecuted with the greatest possible dispatch. accounting for this heavy reduction in transpor- tation rates
 The benefits have accrued directly to the New England mill man and has better enabled him to compete with foreign manufacturers It has also | been the means of maintaining the in- tegrty of our New England manufac- turing industry against that of the new
 industrial south. The marvellous growth | and development of the bituminous coal trade within a few years is cer-
 tainly a matter of much concern to every consumer in New England. Should the Cape Cod canal ever become even the present low cost of coal from the south to New England mills. Such a waterway would enable vessels to
 gain several days in transportation in
 stormy weather and the advantages TOW enjoyed by southern mills in being
 near the source of supply, would be
 relatively reduced.
 GREATEST TOW ON RECORD.
 A remarkable instance of this latter
 day transportation is witnessed by a
 recent trip of the steamer Saturn.
 which left Boston November 20 with
 the barges Mead, Oakland, Monarch
 and Lone Star in tow, arriving at New
 port News November 23 The entire
 tow was loaded with between II, 900 and
 12O00 of New River steam coal on No
 vember 25 and sailed from Newport
 News November 26. passing Cape Cod
 November 29, thus making the round
 trip in nine days. The Saturn had a
 cargo of 2S35 tons, and the barges had 1,429, 1860, 2,242 and 2s3S tons, respec-
 lively. This was the largest tow that
 ever passed through the sound,
 At the dscharging end of a tow of this sort the steamer is unloaded ir twenty-four hours and immediately l sails for Newport News again with oth-
 CT barges in tow In the days of smal
 sailing vessels at least thirty days were
 consumed in making a round trip, and
 even to this day large schooners figure on about twenty days.
 STARTLING COMPARISON IN PRICES.
 The best proof of the benefits of these , improvements in the cost of coal laiC down here, as compared, with. say two decades ago, is the cost of coal now ant
 then. Coal costs from $3 to $3.25 pe1 ton in Boston. New Haven and OtheI , points in summer, and $40 In winter against s5 twenty years ago. The de , creased cost of mining has certainly
 played it's part in this phenomenal re
 duction in prices.
 A good evidence that there is a muCl improved feeling among the mills sine 5 November l is shown by the fact tha there is at present writing over 34,00 3 tons of the above mentioned New Riv l CT steam coal either at the Mystic t wharf or due there for distribution ove the line of the Boston and Maine rail t road system to such large corpo' 4tion
 as the Arlington, Fremont and Suffolk
 Washington, Hamilton, Appleton anC l Boott mills the Boston Rubber Sho company. the Russell Paper company 7 and other large manufacturers on tn r line of the road. In this connection i , is interesting to note the size of craf
 bringing this large block of coal. The! are: The F. F. Briery, 2,6S0 tons; EVa