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

trade TO Gne present. Ulme, the impression
is created that their present business
yields vast returns for the slight atten.
ton given to it. The fact is, however,
that in probably no other line of business
| is it necessary to handle SO valuable
stock for SO small an amount of profit
We know of instances of retail dealers
turning over in the year upward of $780,
600, and having as surplus at the end but
about per cent of that amount, and this
| they run the risk of losing by a single
unfortunate move in the succeeding year.
| But the fact remains that each year se.s
d swarm of new dealers beginning opera
lions in an humble way and making COM
| petition more and more keen.
SMALL DEALERS DISADVANTAGE.
In the larger cities it is not possible for
these smaller concerns in the trade to Sc
cure the waterfront privileges or the rail-
way connections that they can have with
in their means at other places. The con-
sequence is that they hire vacant lot of
small dimensions and combine upon the
premises coal yard, office, stable. and
| dwelling.
| AS a general rule the best retail coal
yards are to be found in the cities where
coal is received by water, and at these
places ingenious machinery is utilized
for taking coal from the vessels in which
1t arrives and storing it IL places along
the wharf. The reason for this is that
the places accessible by water during the
shipping season are frozen up in the win
ter and it is necessary to lay in large
stock of coal in the fall so that there will
be enough to last until the first of May.
A rail yard being to all intentssand pur-
poses accessible at any day in the year
and moreover, it being possible at almost
any time to hurry forward by Geographic
order whatever cars Of. coal may be needed
the tendency is to carry a small stock of
each size and quality and consequently.
with few notable exceptions, the retail
rail yards Of the United States are not
imposing in. appearance. 1t is no doubt
an advantage to dealer in some respects
to have rail yard He is customarily
assured of supply of coal at a certain
fixed price, and he can rely upon this and
make his plans as to selling price acoord-
|
| falling supply of coal in all but the most
wintry weather. snow blockades being Of
course an obstacle which he must guard
against. On the other hand, the largest
water front dealer with his elaborate
machinery and large storage capacity Is
in position to take advantage of ali
fl uctuations in the market price of GOAL
and often becomes confirmed speculator
in this commodity, sometimes with great
profit to himself, at the same time run
ming the risk Of large loss.
EVOLUTION IN CARTS.
| The carts in use in the coal trade give
evidence of as much evolution as any feat
ure Of the trade. Years ago the coal was
delivered in small two-wheeled carts.
drawn by a single horse. and holding
little over..2, 900 pounds.in. a box nearly
cubical in shape, the coal being dumped
by loosening the back end and tipping
over the body Of the cart. Many dealers
who handled other material, as the ma
jority do now in small communities, used
a four wheeled wagon with a longer body,
low sides, and drawn by team of horses,
from which the coal was taken out by
shoveling The chief aim has been re-
cently..to so.elevate the body Of the wagon
that sufficient height will be obtained
to enable.the coal to pass through q chute
and be landed some distance back of the
curbstone. 1t Is found, however, that
these wagons, being chiefly Of iron, are
heavy in proportion to the load, expen-
,ir jEaIv TO nf
| The present tendency seems to be
toward large trucks. simply constructed
of wood, and with the back part lower
| than the front and provided with
properly hinged door, so that when it Is
loosened the coal will fall out. Starting
| with trucks to carry two tons, this style
of cart has been so developed in this city
that carts carrying as much as seven tons
may be seen. Although three horses are
required for anything over three tons,
this style of cart possesses great economi-
cal advantages over the smaller carts,
and its use has enabled retail dealers to
estimate much more closely upon the
cost Of filling large retail orders.
Another new feature of the retail trade
in cities is the use of canvas bags. This
is an adaptation of an English idea,
which was adopted on a small scale sew
eral years ago by dealers supplying the
poorer classes. The bag system presents
great advantages to the retail dealer who
delivers GOAL in flats or In small houses
where it is necessary that it shall be
| taken through carpeted hall or inhabit-
4 ed part of the house. The decidedly COM
pressed style of some city architecture
makes such places common. There are
many places where the architect has ap-
parently omitted to provide adequate ac-
commodation for the coal, and in such
cases the coal bags, which may be stood
in any small corner possess great advant-
ages, and people have even been known
to require an entire ton to be delivered in
this manner.
f. E. SAWARR.
A Clever Trick