The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-07-22

agreement binding themselves by
heavy money forfeitures to a system
OF honest weighing, uniform screening.
and cash payments.
But the miners assert that the troll
Bile with Mr.. De Armttt Is that he is not
honest. The coal operators of this dis
trlct are emphatic in their expressions
OF opinion that the proposal to settle
the great coal strike on President De
Armfts plan is wholly impracticable.
Some OF them are frank enough to say
that they consider 1t an adrOit move
OF De Armitt to shift some of the re-
sponsibility for a continuation OF the
strike onto his competitors shoulders.
One OF the largest operators said:
President De Armitt is simply OPEN
ing up an old controversy that was set
tied long ago to the satisfaction of ev-
erybody but himself. Fully 81 per
cent. OF the coal operators in this dis
trlct agreed to accept his terms of true
uniformity but when the time arriv-
ed for us to sum up the percentage of
signers we found that he insisted upon
bringing In the names OF certain firms
and insisting upon their Endorsement
OF the scheme, when, as a matter OF
TACT, they had never been considered
portion of this district. Arbitration
has failed, and everybody knows why.
This strike must now be fought out to
the bitter end"
Rail coal sold for $l.8O per ton the
other day and was hard to get at that.
Before the strike it could be purchased
at seventy cents. River coal still sold
at four cents per bushel, an advance
OF one cent. The only source OF sup
ply for markets outside Pittsburg ia
the river The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company has confiscated for its own
use all the coal ready for shipment
along its lines. With the exception of
permitting the raii.'oad operators fill
ing orders for coaling vessels at the
lake ports, no coal from mines on the
pennsylvania Railroad is allowed to
leave the district. With the supply
limited to the Monongahela district the
prospect OF famine Is declared to be q
certainty. The railroad cOmpany's or
der is OF great assistance to the cause
OF the miners.
In the West Virginia district the out
look is very encouraging. The visible
supply at present will not exceed ten
million bushels, and this will not be-
gin to meet the needs of the Pittsburg
market for more than three weeks at
the longest. The entire supply is con-
fined to the Monongahela district The
statement that there is a supply suffi-
Client to meet all demands is rot. The
operators were caught mapping, with
no prospect OF replenishing 1t. With
the exception of one or two operators
in the MOnOngahela district. no single
operator has more than a half million
bushels of coal on hand. Under these
conditions famine of general extent
is sure to result, and coal may reach
fabulous prices.
1t Is whispered here in railroad cir
cles that the greatest system of rail-
road improvement ever undertaken In
the world is soon to be inaugurated.
This is nothing less than the re-equip-
ment OF several of the largest roads
centering at Chicago, and changing
the motive power from steam to cleo
Ticity. The recent remarkably sue
,essful experiment with electricity in |
.roduced by the third rail system. has |
the rumOrs of an enormous ex- |
penditure of money for the new sys-
EN-.
A gentleman was riding with Mr..
Edison on the Empire State Express,
lot long ago, when Mr.. Edison said: !
In very short time | will compel
ihe Vanderbilts to use electricity in
stead OF steam. The compulsion lies ,
n the prospect OF greater speed, and