The times., 1899-11-26
The CITY'S USE OF COAL
Half a Million Tons Burned An
nHally in Washington.
s DcnIer Explains the Advance in
the Prices of anthracite and BIZ
luminous Fuei-ShippinE Facilities
Said to lie Unequal to the De
mnnd - The Miners Disseminated.

The average amount of coal annually
consumed in Washington was estimated by
a prominent dealer the other day as about
800, eco tons of anthracite and 200, 600 tons
of bituminous. To haul this would require
train Of coal cars over $50 miles in
length
1t was stated that all the pure anthracite
coal in the United States lies in pocket
in eastern Pennsylvania about sixty miles
in length and about eight miles wide The
softer grades received here come principally
from the Cumberland district and the New
River district of West Virginia.
This year the price of anthracite coal is
about dollar higher than il was last
year, and the bituminous article has ad-
yanced about 80 cents per ton. There has
been no advance in coal since September l,
but it was explained that it is likely to go
higher if the miners should leave their
employment in any numbers, as has been
feared to take up work in the shops all
over the country, where they can earn
higher wages. The present shipping facili-
ties at some mines do not, it was said,
permit the employees to work on full time.
and they have demanded higher wages to
compensate for the lost time This must
be added, if allowed, to the price Of the
COAL
Coal dealers say that the advance in the
price of fuel this year is due entirely thus
far to the higher freight rates. Twenty
five cents per ton was added to the rate for
soft coal, which represents the advance in
price to the consumers.
1t was stated by the secretary Of the
Washington Coal Exchange that the whole
sale price CT white ash hard coal at the
mines, on board the cars, is $2.95. The
freight rate is 81 per ton, and it costs %
cents a ton to haul it to the yard and
screen it. Fifteen cents ton must be al
lowed for waste in screening, which raises
the cost to the merchant to S5.35 per ton.
The cCal retails at Sc a ton. and thus Go
cents remains fer profit and delivery,
1t frequently happens. it was said, that
q team cannot deliver more than four tons
per day, which enables it to earn 81 So.
Labor. horse feed. wear and tear, etc. must
come out of that. and little remains as
profit. OF course, it was said, a team
will often deliver enough coal to net a rea-
sonable, profit; but in the past two years.
twenty-five coal dealers in Washington
were forced out of business by the close
margins.
The secretary of the coal exchange also
explained the shortage of supply of fuel
by saying that after the cold weather Of
last winter, nearly the whole country was
bare Of coal, and especially the West. All
the anthracite coal comes from Pennsyl-
vania, and 10 supply the demand from the
West six or seven thousand cars must
daily leave these mines. 1t often takes a
month before these cars can be returned
and loaded again, and, as the supply of
cars is inadequate to such a demand as
now exists, the trade suffers generally.
Several prominent coal dealers stated
that supplying the Government with coal
has always been a losing enterprise to
them, and a number have declined to bid
for the work in recent years. Supplying
coal to the Government has been consid-
cred something of an advertisement, and
is supposed to give prestige to the supply
ing firm; but 1t was stated that the bids
must be made so low that the margin for
handling is the minimum, and often be-
low actual cost. The storage capacity at
nearly all the departments is so small that
the dealers can put in only a few tons
at time, ana the business becomes d
retail one at wholesale prices.
The demand here for bituminous coal
is greater than the present supply. With
the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal facilities
it would seem that enough coal could be
brought to Washington to meet all needs,
hut it was explained that the demand for
this coal elsewhere is very great, and
previous contracts require that large part
of it be sent away by boat from George
town.
In Washington all sizes of coal are in
demand. and some dealers report that there
is quite call for pea coal for domestic use,
while at the same time there is a sale for
the smaller sizes OF hard coal to take the
place of the soft article formerly used
Throughout the South and West-in Vir-
ginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama
all steam Goals have advanced % cents
per ton and the domestic Goals from 80
cents to 81 per ton. There is a marked de
lciency of soft coal in the New England
States The mills and factories have on y
small quantity on hand. Coastwise
steamship operators have taken courage
rom the business conditions and advanced
the rates, which the dealers are declining
to pay in any larger amounts than actually
necessary. The coal question Will be more
or less a serious one during the coming
winter.