The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-03
COAL FAMINE
Is NOW ON
Extraordinary Scarcity Prevails In Biz
min6ham and the District.
AN UNEXAMPLED ACTIVITY
Furnaces, Mines and Railroads Taxed to
Their Fullest Capacity.
A FEW HOURS STOCK OF COAL
Twenty-Odd Iron Furnaces, the Rail
roads Buster Than Ever Before,
and Reviving Industry Make
Heavy Demands.
A FEW HOURS STOCK OF COAL

Birmin CHAM and contiguous territory is
confronted with a coal famine There is
not a pound of surplus coal on hand and all
industries, lroads, ETC., using 1t are
casting about for some means of getting a
new supply.
by Christmas l doubt if there will be a
pound of coal for sale in Birmingham" said
Truman II. Aldrich, the head of the Ca
haba Coal company.
There is a coal famine, so to speak, in
Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi
and Kentcky, and a scarcity all over the
country. Stocks have been exhausted.
Railroads short.
''The Alabama Great Southern railroad,
for example, has only fourteen hours sup
ply, and the railroads are actually confis
eating 30 their own use coal shipped by the
coal mining companies to their customers.
There are two large dealers from Mobile
here today trying to buy coal. The supply
in that city is exhausted. In fact, it is ex-
hausted everywhere in the five states and
as 1 said supplies are very light through
out the country
Accounting for the Shortage.
How do you account for this?"
Easily enough For ten years coal has
been going steadily downward. The mining
interests have suffered. There has been
nothing to encourage coalmasters until tn,
recent revival in business. This revival has
been SO spontaneous and far-reaching that
stocks have been exhausted.
Railroads Buster Than Ever. -
1.-The railroads in the Birmingham distric,
have never been so busy before in thel
history. They are worked to their fulles,
capacity, and all work is being done witt.
a rush almost unprecedented. -
Great Increase in Iron Output.
'In the recent dull times we had perhaps
five or six iron furnaces in operation. Now
we have tvtenty-odd furnaces running OF
full time. Where a furnace produced 81
tons a day formerly it now turns out 2sJ
tons. And the comparison holds good ali
the way. This industrial condition draws
very heavily upon the coal supplies.
Coal the Main Spring.
Coal is the handspring of all enterprise.
Upon it is based almost every material
endeavor.
Coal is the great force in civilization am
material development
"a source of real anxiety Is that from
before Christmas to after New Years the
miners will not work. They take holiday.
In the Birmingham district the coal out
put is 1000 tons a day. Work in it is prac-
tically suspended, and that means a loss
to coal supplies of 100000 tons; a serious
matter to contemplate even in dull times.
Demand SURPRISES Supply.
THE plain truth is, the coal supply is not
equal to the demand of these busy times
Private stocks are now at their lowest.
Some great corporations using immense
quantities have scarce half days supply
on hand"
"Have prices materially advanced?" was
asked.
Prices Have Not Increased.
mot at all. You see, the greater quantity
of coal mined is supplied by contract We
have our regular customers, whom we sup
ply at fixed rates summer and winter, and
we are bound to protect them. New GUS
toners we make different terms wi h. ThS r :
is little outside of our regular trade which
We are enabled to supply.
Must Be a New Scale.
ut comes to this, though, that upon the
renewal of contracts there must necessarily
be readjustment of prices. With all the
rush upon US, taxing our every energy, We
are really enjoying nothing in the way of
increased prices for our products.
1.-The world must have coal, and it is de-
handing 1t now in louder voice than has
been heard before in these ten years. But
our regular contracts must be complied
with, our regular customers supplied and
protected.
Better Buy Now.
"I would advise any one needing coal to
supply himself as quickly as he may. The
supply in Birmingham will certainly be ex-
hausted by Christmas. We are face to
face with a coal famine, as the facts given
you amply justify me in saying -
"This condition not only prevails here
1t Is practically national in its scope, and
is brought about by the phenomenal re-
vival in trade and industries"