The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-09

The Republican Of yesterday stated
that Scranton capitalists and individual
coal operators propose to build new
railroad from this city to New York.
The men interested are probably the
best known and wealthiest in the upper
Lackawanna anthracite region.
An organization has been per-
fectcd as follows: T.. y. Sturges.
PRESIDENT L. a. Watres, president;
Thomas f.. Jones, secretary; Thomas
il. watkins, treasurer: Hon, William
Connen, o. S. Johnson, John Jeys yn,
j. j. Jermyn, John NJ. Kemmerer j. j.
Williams, c. u. Simpson, j. N. Rice
and w. G Payne. The latter resides in
Kingston. All the others are Scranton
men. The new company will be known
as the New York, Wyoming and Wes-
tern Railroad company.
Necessary charter applications will
be made at once in this state and in
New Jersey. No details as to route or
the time for building will be revealed
! by those directly interested in the en-
terprise. Although the project has
| under way for a long time. it was not
made known until Saturday 1t is
claimed, however. that preliminary
surveys have been made over several
routes where traCk-laying would be
necessary.
WHY IT is BUILT.
a weighty reason, and one not diff
| cult to comprehend, is given for the
| proposed road which is to be known as
| the New York, Wyoming and Wes-
| tern The project is suggested by pres
ent rates which discriminate in favor
OF the bituminous product and further
! discrimination by coal carrying roads
| in favor of their own mines
Individual operators in this region
| have been able to put on the market
| only 100000 tons of coal per annum
| They say the annual output would have
averaged 100000 tons more per year
| during the last three years but for eX-
orbitant carrying rates for anthracite
and low rate for soft coal
| Bltuminous coal is carried 300 miles
to tidewater at the rate of mills per
ton per mill, while II mills is charged
for carrying anthracite about half the
distance. The result is plain. 1t has
kept the anthracite mines idle half the
| time, has brought more or less misery
| upon mine labor and seriously affected
the success of hard coal operations. The
1
| legged, equals the cost of production and
! gives the soft coal an almost absolute
| freedom from competition at tidewater
although its mining is double the dis
| tanCe from the market.
| No combination rate on hard coal
can be maintained, although the rate
on the soft product has always been
held intact. The evil this condition
| works on hard coal capital and labor
| in this region alone can be appreciated
| from the fact that 2S per cent. of the
total output here is controlled by in
| dividual operators.
| WOULD BE INDEPENDENT.
| With coal carrying railroad of
| their own, operators would be indepen-
dent of the present companies. They
| could get their product on the market
at a reduced cost of mills per ton per
| mile and have q fair and open field to
compete with the bituminous article.
There is reason to believe this from
the knowledge that the 2-mill bitumin-
Gus rate is just above the cost of carry
ing. 1t could not be carried for less.
1t is hoped by the promoters of the
new road that their plans will speedily
materialize in which even their benefit
of 100000 more tons of coal sold an
nually would also benefit the whole of
the Scranton coal district. Labor and
mercantile interests would each re-
ceiVe its propOrtionate profit.
The peresent is considered a favorabl
period for promoting the enterprise on
account of the low cost of steel rails
an item which largely enters into the
estimated cost of railroad construction
| TUNED on.Dnc mr. x,ru,.c.