The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-10
COAL PRICES
WILL GO UP.
Recent Disastrous Storm is the
Cause, Dealers Say.
FREIGHT RATES ADVANCED.
Have Just Touched One Dollar a Ton From
Southern Shipping Points.
ARE LIKELY To GO STILL HIGHER.
Destruction Of So Many Vessels In The Recent
Blizzard Has Caused Big Shortage In
Number Of CoaI-CanyIng Graft.
ARE LIKELY To GO STILL HIGHER

The consumers OF coal in Providence
will probably soon have an opportunity
| to reckon at some of the cost of the
| late disastrous blizzard, as then is every
| indication OF rise in prices all along
the line, and at very early date.
| Freight rates from Southern shipping
points To this city have gone lSiting,
ton and there is likelihood of exceeding
that figure very materially inside of
| another week or ten days. This will
come out OF the consumer and applies
with equal fine to the buyer OF the 100
ton factory lot of bituminous and the
five and ten ton domestic supply of
anthracite. 1t Is not definable as yet.
exactly what the first advancement
will be, but anthracite went up 20 cents
a ton in New York on Wednesday, and
there is talk of marking up soft coal
at least Is cents a ton. Leading coal
merchants of Providence are free TO
predict a rise and they anticipate that
a good stiff price will be maintained
until the breaking up of winter.
Coal always goes up in the winter.
when the difficulty Of water transpor-
tation here in the North takes many
vessels out OF commission and causes
an advancement of transportation cost,
but the terrible storm of last week
wrecked a large number or coal craft
and the pressing need OF coal all along
the North Atlantic Seaboard, has re-
suited in an unprecedented jump In
freight charges. Many oarges were
disabled, or lost in the gales, and num-
bers OF sailing vessels met the same
fate. The Atlantic Transportation CO.,
which furnishes the steam tugs used
i'm towing barges to and from the South
is unable TO meet the call for steamers
and the masters of schooners are i'm
urgent demand They are reaping
veritable harvest The average rate
from Norfolk, Newport News or Balti-
more 10 Providence and Boston Is GO
TO 20 cents occasionally 15 and so cents,
but today the Providence Coal Co, is
unloading a cargo upon which the
charge was 80 cents, and another COM
pany has just paid a dollar. In Boston
n contract was made by prominent
firm with the master of sailing. vessel.
from Baltimore to Boston at $l50, along
side.
Mr Myron II. Fuller of the Provi-
is paying 30 cents from Newport News.
Barges are getting steam and sailing
vessels are hard To secure.
The recent advance i'm rates viii hold
good for two or three months TO come.
Much depends on the weather, but IL
conditions are cold and more or less
stormy, the high figures Will be likely
To rule all winter. The rates from New
York to Providence are on the upward
course the figure now being 60 cents
strong-a ton. f'
Charles Olney of the firm, Joseph
Olney 4 Sons. says that great many
schooners and barges have been lost
and that IL is difficult 70 get coal i'm
any form OF water transportation. His
latest figures We're 81 90 alongside from
Norfolk. He looks for high rates. all
during the winter. and with the tom
mage so scantily available, he considers
his belief well founded