Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-02-15
SEAiI-LOCAE NEWS.
The Coal Trade.

Shipments of coal from the mines of
the Georges Creek coal region were
in long tons
For week ending Feb. s, lS96....... 10, 232
{" year to same date. .293, 79i
Increase compared with last year. -. 3l,6l7
OF the New York market the En-
gineerlng and Mining J0urnal says:
There seems to be Il few more orders in the
market, but the greater part consist Of extra
cargoes which contract customers have been
induced to take The balance is transient"
trade. This has merely relieved the dull
monotony of business which during the past
few weeks has been practically nil, and has
nccessarially increased shipments somewhat.
There has been Il slight shortage of coal at
shipping ports with number ofthe shippers
caused by The loading of the one or two
orders that consgners have been to procure
charters for. In most of the orders from old
contracts prices are made "deiVercd,' and
thus are favorable to consumers who being
apprised of the advance on railroad rates to
go into effect April LIST, take advantage Of
present rates to get cheaper coal with which
10 ltIleIlSll lIclI StOCkS. lItStHl COlullltIS
are not favorable to sellers who are beginning
to look forward to the early opening of the
season, when contracts commence to be
placed.
Most of these new shipments on old con
tracts come from the far East New England
ports which makes that particular consum-
ing territory seem more active in contrast to
,l.,t IL o. l,t,
Sound ports have fallen off slightly The all
rail trade is about as steady as usual though
slightly reduced in tonnage. In this line of
the trade some contracts have been figured
on, and the fact that the figures mentioned
are no better than last years, is not en-
couraging to sellers, and does not augur well
for the probabilities of a combine"
In reference to the much talked of com
bination of soft coal interests, the usual crop
of rumors and reports circulated among the
trade this week. The statements about it, if
anything Were even stronger than they have
been. Some producers who will be included
in whatever plan is decided upon, and who,
therefore, should know, state that there is a
very strong probability of its effectiveness,
cured of the co operation of the main line
roads. If this is true some sort ola Com
bine' may be looked for, though such de
tails as have been given out, make it look as
if the plan will be of too complicated a
nature to make its success likely with the
diversified and in some cases conflicting in
terests of the companies concerned A
ppn of no will Ia, III
in Philadelphia on February llth, at which
the affair will probably be decided one way
or another.
The Philadelphia Finance and Conn
mare of Monday says:
The efforts of the anthracite coal companies
to put that trade upon Il more profitable basis
has encouraged the bituminous coal pro
ducers to do likewise At the last operators
meeting. on January 2Sth, the situation APP
peared to he encouraging. There was a dis
position ON the part Of all the representatives
to settle matters on fair basis. After re.
viewing the situation it was agreed to hold
another meeting about the middle of Feb
ruary, at which operators from all the various
bituminous coal mining sections should be
represented. 1t is suggested that the total
output be fixed at a given amount, which
will be pro-racd among the various roads,
and these roads will then fix the output for
each mine on its line.
These paragraphs are condensed from
the Coal Trade Jou,Hai::
Acm York.-The soft coal pool proposal re-
mains in stain QHo
IHiiadelPhia.-Demand small and market
unsettled.
BoSto".-Market unsettled and demand
small.