The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-29
Nav Be Called on for an In
creased Output.
EFFECT OF coNTRAeAND ORDER
Government Has Heretofore Patron
ix~, british Columbia Col.tcrtes,
Despite Cheaper Prices ~ seattle
Fortunate Phase at the htondtke
Mosement-Mny Enable COsnPa-
nies to Meet the uessanO.

II II should so happen, as now seems
proisa Ole. that The government OF the
United States viii have to depend entirely
on the coal mines Of King county Tor is
supply Of fuel on me Pacific coast. the
government Will have only Itself and San
Francesca 10 b.ame.
The government, has almost uniformly
and exclusively diserim mated against King
county miass in favor OF those o. British
Columbia. United States war vessels on
Puget sound have been suppdsd with
British Columbia coal, in face OF the fact
that ample coal suitable for steam from
the mines al Franklin and Black Diamond
aas available In this city When. for in
stance, the batt.e ship Oregon was On Puget
sound she took on a fill supply Of British
Columbia coal at 500 per ton. when
Franklin coal was offered IT, her In this
city al s. per ION.
This . all the more mysterious when it
appears from the latest Fspctt Of the ma
tionai bureau Of equipment that there Is
q very slight difference, ii any. IN favor of
Canadian coal In not single one of the
various tests rspor5ed is the percentage in
favor of Nanaimo or Rossiand coal greater
than 10 per cert. while in some Of
them the balance S on the other side Of
tho sheet.
Tbs discrimination has caused the King
county mines TO develop only TO that extent
which has been found necessary 10 meet
The demands Of the regular commercial
market. They have adapted themselves
to certain output IN ebedlebee 10 the
ordinary law Of demand and supply That
demand has nol included coai for the
navy. If ;he navy now should suddenly
call for coal from these mines. any ade-
quate resp9nse 10 the call would require
one of two things-viz.. ether thai the
regular contracts OF the coal companies be
eur;ails,i. or that the work of develop
ment be at once er atty charged. In the
judgment az the best posted coal men in
the city. both results would follow.
seattle a. u Coal tratrr.
Statistics shew that Seattle receives
more coal, uses more coal and ships more
coal than any other city in the state. of.
course Al the coal mines of King county
are tributary 10 her-Gilnlan, Franklin.
Newcastle. Cedar Mountain. Back D.a-
mend, Renton. panyfl,e and Lawton Be-
sides this however she handles great
deal or coal from other mines of the state.
The Carbon Hill mine in Perez county.
has bu:.t bunkels and established depot
in this city. The Seattle Coal and Iron
Company, after various legal struggles.
mas passed into new hands and is handbag
its output TO good advantage. The Pa
ciic Coast Company. successor 10 the Ore
gon Improvement Company, has no, only
ri. hs-
standardze its hitherto narrow gauge
tracks running out Ia Franklin and New
castle, thus vastly increasing lis facilities
for handling Is coal output. The re-
pts of coal from the King county mines
for 1897 were 472.3ii tons against 425 1903
tons in 1876, an increase for the year of
II Us tons or OF over II per cent. To
these r ceipts should he added the 500
tons received from IN mes outside of the
county. which brings the total receipts Of
coas at Seattle 20 .s2l tens. This. at the
rate OF 50 a ton. amounts 10 l.i5i.6s3.
Dur.ag the same psriod ths exports o.
coal amounted TO 2s7.s& tens. as against
I9i,7Tl tons the previous year, an Increase
OF So ll2 tons or about ~ Per cent. This
left total Of ~ ssS tons. which WIS
used locally by he manufacturers and
families Of the city and by the Hees Of
Sttafn> hlps steamers and tugs that sal
from Seattle TO al parts of Puget sound.
ne Cc4si and many foreign ports. The
Significance Of this local consumption can
be better understood whtn it is known
shat more than tvo-thIrds Of the local
fleet of steamers arc wood burners. and
that many of The mills ard factories con-
sumo wood entirely Yet The city is using
1885 scns a month. or more than 52i
tons every day Of the year. The value Of
he experts Of Goa; during the year was
9-5.62o. and Of that used locally ss2i sac.
4 total value Of 1857. sta including the
txptnse Of handling for export.
Fear Important Elements.
Tae market fer this output IL made Up
mainly II foGr dement's First. local con
sumption which takes up ahou. a oar
cent Of rho total oei;put and Includes ne
@o5l furnished 10 railroads running ont
- Seattle. Second a coastwist shipment
limited ;o abou; 25.esf} bushes per mou'a.
% san Fganclseo for house coal. This
does 70 include the output at Carbonate.
which il owned and controlled entirely Icy
The Southern Pacific ard Is shipped in itS
ent rely from Tacoma to San Francisco
Thlyd. d small foreign Shipment. mainly
fer fhe supply ~ transpacitic steamers
running 20 Seattle. Fourth. the supply
necessary for steamers running in ts2 :
afgle- Alaska t-ade
II j. thls last ~ the four elements that
mas uow help mere than anything else
To s1ste tAe proNit IN n ease the govern
Trs- should get yhe warm end cf rs own
yho.ce Of British C0tumbis ccal and be
forced - come TO Seattle FOR lie fuel.
Coal has been formally declared con-
,tabard CT war Rgi3:y construed ghis
means thar 80 coal can b. shipped from
Bri.fsa Columbia TO San Francisco or any
othrr American rarf u may be that ,ae
3omin or and prov meta. governments wi.i
30 20 further than she :mperia. govern
msat og Great Britain has gone and that
-c.Heyr wE ~ a..owsd free lngse&x and
egress ~ Canadian ports b8t a the E oyYn
Et~tj Even if ttsis should he sae ease
however. such vessels W. a. course, 8+.
itah,a "a seizure without fedreSs
Meanv hiie the rcsi Fn3afE - King com
~ have gons plc5d.us along sithout any
government subsidy or government patron
age untM fhev have reacAed proportions
THAR give hem cons dafse.s weight N the
commercial. world Through dii.l tir1s : saa
srs times sfsE nave gage steadily far
ward Scrac 90 tseF1 have PISSED fhfoJss
tbs hssds - receivers AuG some would
has saeen CAD % pass through arg hands
az al DESPITE al this. Jhs on;pas tsr
/ as YEAR showed 80 Increase Of nearly
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