The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-17
A COAL SHORTAGE.
Immense Consump-
ton Due to Pros
porous Times.
PRICES TO ADVANCE SOON.
Worcester Manufacturers
Figuring on Big
Contracts.
PRICES TO ADVANCE SOON.

~ A. coal panic of far-reaching dimen-
lions is being. brewed by the demands
# manufacturing plants, foundries and
,rsersr of coal in large quantities.
Fne era of prosperity which political
leaders say is upon us, even if we do
moi. realize it, is borne out by the ex-
tensiye amount of coal being consumed
nv manufacturing plants. Local deal
ers in coal have caught the New York
wholesalers mapping, and Worcester
.noal pockets are filed to the brim with
soft and hard coal for winter supply
wholesalers have increased the price
+ Of hard coal for domestic use % cents
ner ton. but local dealers have STAYED
off an Increase in the price to consum-
ers by careful handling of the coal
and avoiding shrinkage.
Another advance of % cents per ton
&c expected by the retailers, and when
This additional cost is slapped on, local
buyers of coal will receive new quota
tons. 1t has been the policy of coal
dealers since trusts have been men
toned as the cause of additional cost
in other lines of necessities, to keep the
nrice of fuel down to rock-bottom
nriees. Local dealers say they can
stand it no longer. Coal which is de-
iivered at the cellar window and
dumped in the bin ready for use at Sc
per ton or whereabouts, costs the dealer
s. So per ton, not including the cost Oh
delivery ef,
Users Of soft coal have been notified
that the supply is limited, and hun
dreds of local manufacturers areSigur-
ing on big contracts for coal supply
Western coal is being skipped to New
England at 50per cent greater cost than
last wear. by reason of new rates on
the great lakes. Railroads and ocean
steamship companies have fallen in line
and coal shipping is now said to be a
profitable industry, and selling of the
fuel a lottery. By this state of the
trade conditions are reversed and deal
ers will be obliged to push prices into
the air or go out of business.
A record breaking year on soft coal
is predicted and Worcester dealers who
supply foundries and manufacturing
plants have been unable to secure soft
coal enough to meet the local demand
for use in large quantities. The wealth
er has not been such as to cause the
coal dealer to wear broad smiles, and
(. although the ice man has not yet gone
out Of activity, it is between seasons
in the ice and coal business,
Local dealers are going to make a
play into popular favor by quoting low
prices on coke. Coke from Cape Bre-
ton coal is being pushed as the sub
stitute for soft coal, and even users of
hard coal have been induced to pur-
chase a few tons of coke because of the
claims made for it as fuel. The de-
mand for coke has been so great by
the Boston and Albany, Boston and
Maine and other railroad companies,
that coke for domestic use has not been
generally introduced in Worcester, be-
cause of inability of local dealers to
stock up
Pennsylvania coke, or the real arti-
Gle" as local dealers allude to it, is
. much more expensive than the Nova
Scotia coke, and is thereby unpopular.
The tar pitch, gas and bi-products are
eliminated from the Nova Scotia coke,
yet it is claimed to be better than the
grade heretofore considered the best.
This is a claim which local dealers do
not enthuse over. Every dealer is
waiting until coke has been subjected
to the criticism of the thrifty house
wife before Growing over its remark
able qualities.
There is one point in the use of coke
which local dealers do not like. The
very mention of coke, and, in fact, the
only CHARGE it has of supplanting coal
for domestic use. is in establishing a
lower price for it than that charged
for coat. but this scale of prices is not
booked TO be popular with dealers. In
ten Of hard coal there are SO or IS
cubic feet Of fuel. but in the cheaper
coke IS or So cubic feet of fuel must
De handled before the coke is ready for
delivery.
AT Claims coal yard, recently, The
Spy man talked with the manager CON
corning the likelihood of increased
prices in coal There was no definite
answer although remarks indicated
lhat local users viii not feel the scar
city of coal as heavily as the dealers
themselves who viii contest in a live
scramble to furnish customers in
hopes of getting increased patronage
|hen the supply is better.
Al other local coal yards and offices
strict silence was maintained. although
many of the dealers who did not wish
10 De quoted, said that Worcesters coal
supply is not astoundingly large. No
uealer eortradicted the assertion that
prices will go up within a short time
out Tor policy's sake, publicity was
avoided in making statements.