The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-09

Among the steel workers of this city
I'there is much speculation as to what
VIII be the effect here of the recently
formed steel pool of which the Lacka-
wanan Iron and Steel Company is a
member. 1t is the general sentiment
or the men that il cannot make their
lot much worse than 1t has been for
three wears during which period the
mllls of the company have been shut
down large part of the time. If II
ensures them steader employment they
are willing TO vote the pool good
thing.
Among the men residing here who
nave inside information about the steel
business and who make the condition
or the market a study there is but one
opinion and that is that an arrange
ment that will give the local mills
fair share of the rails to he manufac-
tured in the country and put an end
to the deadly slashing of rates will he
a good thing for the Dackawanna Iron
and Steel Company. That concern has
many advantages I'm the way of fuel,
water. etc. that other mills do not pos
sess but is haAdicapped to an extent
by its location, and the heavy freight
rates 1t must pay to bring to this city
the ores and other ingredients used in
the manufacture of a steel rail
The local company cannot. as now
situated, go into the market and COM
pete with any great degree of success
with some of the other mills OF the
country, notably the Carnegie. which
can probably make rails cheaper than
any competing mill. No specific infor-
nation has yet been given out as to
the manner in which the pool will op-
crate, but the belief iH that il will he
managed along somewhat similar lines
to the one which came to such an
inglorious end in January, 1897
one of the many changes that are
contemplated by the Delaware and
Hudson Canal Company is the aban-
doning of the Grassy Island breaker at
Olyphant. The company will not op-
crate this breaker after January L."
says the Archibald Citizen. 1T is the
intention to build a track by which the
coal as it is taken from the Grassy
Island mine will be conveyed to the
new klOndille breaker in the southern
end of Olphant and there prepared for
nave been on the ground and Il route
for the track is being laid out.
The closing of the breaker will prob
aDly mean loss of employment to
more than one hundred men and BOYS.
II the new breaker is equal to the task
of preparing all the coal removed from
Grassy Island mine it is not likely that
the old breaker will ever be operated
again. 1t is said that the reason for the
abandonment of the breaker was it's
unsafe condition. While this may be
true the idea of economy was upper
most when the change was decided
upon.
The fact that this breaker is to bc
abandoned strengthens the opinion that
there is a necessity for something to
take the place of coal-mining. The
policy Of the Delaware and Hudson
Company, for the past year especially,
has been one of retrenchment. In this
town alone during the period more than
one hundred men and boys have been
thrown out of work. Everywhere in the
territory of the company, whatever
changes We're made have been in the
direction of restriction and economy"
Victor L. Emerson, the Baltimore in
ventor who is now at Ottawa. is said to
have discovered a process for carbon
izing sawdust and extracting the by
products. A long series of experiments
in one Of the largest sawmills of thu
Dominion has just been concluded, says
the Baltimore Sun, and the Ottawa pa
pers say that they surpass all cxpecta-
tions, even those of the sanguine inven-
tor. The experiments are said to have
prOvea that the 500 tons or more of
sawdust and refuse that these mills
have been throwing away daily for
years are worth $50 tun--in other
words, equal in value To the highest
grade of gold quartz.
Mr.. Emerson went 10 Canada several
months ago on Invita- ion of the owners
of the Edwards sawmila there. who
had learned of his supposed discovery
The sawmill people had been ordered
by the government to discontinue
emptyng sawdust in the Ottawa river,