The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-08
COAL FAMINE IS ON
Situation Said TO be Getting
Serious in Wichita.
WEIR CITY is UP so CENTS
One Dealer Is 500 Cars Be-
hind With His Orders.

The coal situation in Wichita is getting
serious. Not only is the price rising with
almost every quotation received by the
local dealers, but the scarcity of the fuel
is becoming alarming. One dealer showed
a reporter for the Eagle, yesterday, his
bookings from the month of August, and
the books showed that the dealer is be-
hind in his orders over 500 cars. and 1t is
doubtful If he will be able to I'LL the
orders that are coming in at this time.
The scarcity Of coal is what makes It
necessary to advance prices, though a
great many buyers are apt to think that
the combination rules the prices. The
combine often fixes prices but no sooner
are they fixed than they are cut to
! pieces again before the month is out. It
| is quite certain that the price this fall is
| based on the scarcity Of coal, a scarcity
that has never before been so great as
| now.
The price of wier City, one Of the prin-
cipal Goals used in Wichita. is now SO
! cents ton higher than it was this time
| last year and winter is not yet at hand.
| All other brands Of coal are correspond
ingly higher. A letter from the operators
yesterday stated that the government
had prohibited the mining of coal in the
Cherokee nation, where the Klondike coal
comes from, and it is probable that that
brand will be off the market entirely this
winter
The local statesmen are bothered con-
siderably at this time by customers who
demand an explanation Of the prevailing
high prices. One of them was hoarse
last night on account of having talked
50 much. The trouble with the salesman
is not so much how to make a sale as
how not to sell too much. They prefer
light orders, so they can more readily
supply them.
In Wichita almost 8 third more coal is
used than formerly. There are more resi-
dences to warm, more stores to heat up,
more manufacturers to keep going and
more trains to traverse the southwestern
territory than was ever known before IN
the history of Kansas. The fact is there
is not enough coal to keep all the big
establishments supplied with enough coal
to run their engines two days ahead. The
small consumer who buys few tons at
a time is often asked II he can get along
with one ton for a few days. The dealer
makes no effort to hide the fact that he
has no reserve supply. In fact, he is
willing to let the consumer know that
the supply is short.
Then there is the fact that the Pitts
has cd
from 10 to 20 cents to the cost of mining
a ton Of coal and putting It on the cars.
Companies that did not sign the con-
tract are paying the same prices as those
that did.
81 make no promises now" an operator
told a local dealer the other day. when
I start carload from the mines there is
no telling which direction 1t will go. 1t
is billed for Wichita but it is just as
likely to show up the next morning in
the tender Of railroad locomotive in St.
Louis. There is an old law or custom OF
common carriers that when they need fuel
they may take 1t wherever they find 1t,
so long as they pay the owner. In the
steamboat days a steamboat on the river
could take wood wherever the captain
could find It, but he must pay the market
price for It. That applies to railroads
helping themselves to coal now. We have
a big contract here and we are in hot
water over II seven days in the week. be-
cause. for the last ten days. we have not
been able to keep our promises. Half the
railroads that run into Wichita are help
ing themselves to coal and having US to
fight 1t out with the small ldealer and the
consumer.
The only trouble is that more coal IS
needed 70 supply this territory than U.s.
uaL There are more trains in service
hauling cattle and grain than usual.
There are more manufacturing plants
that require coal by the carload every
day and the number Of houses in Wichita
that have furnaces in them seems to
have increased considerably in the last
year All of these things tend to use
UP coal and as there are no more min
ers at work, the shortage is natural
consequence. Besides, the long strike
forced the operators TO sell all OF their
reserve This leaves the market short
and makes 1t very easy to maintain a
high price.
The Central Coal and Coke company
saw the trouble coming and sunk three
shafts last summer. But the miners to
man them are not 50 easy TO find Miners
have been brought into the Kansas dis
t~ict by the carload. The strikers still
maintain a committee with plenty OF
money to keep up the strike fight. As fast
as the companies import men the strike
committees ship part Of them out % the
country. The union conductors and brake
men on the railroads. It Is asserted. help
them to get out of the country into other
mining districts where men are needed