The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-20

Carriage a Desirable Thing to Have.
IN. Y. Times.)
To the resident of nearly every city of
the United States the expression "fuel''
conveys to mind the idea of coal, for
there are few cities where other fuels are
used. In some of the smaller cities of
the New England States, in the extreme
South, and on the Pacific coast wood Is
largely used. In the Middle West there
are dozen OF fifteen cities which have a
large and apparently permanent supply OF
natural gas, which has displaced coal at
those points, but at other places in the
same vicinity the supply of natural gas
has ceased unexpectedly, and re-
turn to coal has been found necessary. In
the producing sections of the country
between Pittsburg and Chicago there is a
large amount of crude oil used for steam
generating, and, while the farmers and
residents of villages will probably con-
come, it may be accepted as general fact
| that the fuel of cities is coal.
| Those in the Eastern States probably
do not appreciate the fact that large
proportion of the coal used in the United
States is bituminous. Anthracite is so
generally used for domestic purposes at
all points within convenient reach of its
place of production that the fact Is over
looked that the production of bituminous
coal is nearly three times as great as that
of anthracite. and the proportion is in
creasing, 1t being used more and more for
domestic purposes by reason Of improve
ments In stoves constructed especially for
it, and by reason of the devices which
have been applied to make its use for
steam purposes in cities unobjectionable.
Statistics show that but nineteen Of the
fifty largest cities in the United States
use more anthracite than bituminous,
and these are all, with few exceptions.
in the northeastern part.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUEL.
Having noted what variety of fuel is
used, the matter of its. distribution may
be considered. This at once resolves IT.
self into two ssifcations-delivery by
water and delivery by rail. By far the
largest part of the coal production of the
United States is transported to it's desti-
nation by rail, large part of it being
of which has to go only a few miles from
the place of production to the consumer.
Anthracite coal Is carried from the mines
both east and west by rail for distribution
at what are known as cline points" and
delivery at loading ports for local use
and for shipment. The principal loading
ports are Baltimore, Philadelphia, and
New York for the East and Buffalo and
Oswego for the West. A large amount of
bituminous coal is also transported by
water, the chief routes of this business
being from the terminals Of the Norfolk
and Western. Chesapeake and Ohio,
Baltimore and Ohio, and Pennsylvania
Railroads at Norfolk, Newport News,
Baltimore, and Philadelphia to New
England ports, and from ports in Ohio
adjacent to Cleveland to lake ports. To
less degree coal is shipped at other
places, nearly every port in the United
States near to coal-producing sections
doing some shipping business.
Those buying coal for steam purposes
in large quantities commonly have ex-
tensive and more or less elaborate appli-
ances for handling it at the least expense
for labor, etc., and with the least amount
of breakage. If the coal comes by water,
as does nearly all of the coal for the great
railway and mill companies of the East.
| ern States, there is usually q fully
| equipped coal wharf to which the vessels
are moored and their cargoes discharged
with great rapidity, and In some cases il
is so arranged that the loaded coal cars
can be run directly into the boiler rooms
where the fuel Is used. Probably two.
thirds of the coal used in the United
States thus reaches its place of lconsump-
tion without the intervention of the re.
| taller
THE RETAIL BUSINESS.
tits with the retail dealer, however,
that the consumer of coal for domestic
purposes has to deal, and to.him goes also
the small manufacturer or the owner of
| small steam plants, who does not have
the capacity or the credit to allow him to
buy by the carload of cargo In the
smaller cities it is a simple matter to
start in the retail coal business. There
are no Dock Boards to decide who shall
or who shall not occupy space upon the
water 'front.' and there is mile upon mile
of vacant land adjacent to the railway
tracks on the outskirts of the city. Here,
then, a man can erect an office and put
I'D receptacles for coal and announce him.
self "A coal merchant. For some reason
the impression has been created that the
retail coal business is a particularly
profitable one This probably arises from
the fact that at the time of the war Il er
was a large profit in coal, as there was in
the sale of many other articles of mer-
chandise and many of those who were in
coal business at that time invested their
profits in the many lines of attractive spec
ulation which were then open, to theiI
great advantage. This caused them to
! hncOnlsl INV "A proItlinAnf NitizpnG