Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-14

, temperature. The driveTs--in nearly every
! case negroes-bundled up from head
| to foot in most grOtesque fashion were
half frozen. 1t was a general thlhs Ior
! them 10 walk along the narrow, halt-
! beaten. path on the sidewalk, trusting TO
! their teams 10 keep the carts and wagons
! anproximatclv I'm the track. Carts sell
! dom had only one mule attached. TWO
three and even four were necessary IN
order to draw the usual one-mule load.
All the firms worked until late last night
| filling orders.
1t was very cold work, and i'm every IN
stance the dealers gave their drivers eN-
! ira pay, in many cases double the usual
| amount. Several of the firms had not
ooree for iheis men whenever they got
| back to the office. and for those at work
| I'm the yards. IL was a kindness hishly
! commendable and greatly needed.
PLENTY OF FUEL IL THE CITY.
! The fear of a coal famine I'm Richmond
was general. but unfOunded. Unless pres
! ent weather conditions should prevail ten
! davs or two weeks. of which there Is no
| likelihood. there will be no scarcity OF
! fIel so far as the dealers are concerned.
! ono or two firms report short supply OF
| furnace coal. and several say the same
! of their stock of wood.
Prices were advanced only to cover
| the increased cost Of delivery. ms was
| in some instances considerable
| Many consumers hauled their own coal
| from the yards Teams were hard to get
anywhere BarrOws. sleds. even bags ana
! baskets. were used by those who were
| out of fuel.
| one Of the lauehable instances OF the
| dov was the sight of one of the we'll
| known merchants of Richmond ridlns up
| Main street. perched on a sack of coal
| across the back of a dilapidated mule.
! Neither love nor money could get the iuel
| home i'm a better way. and his cOal-pln
| was empty. The dealer could only furnish
| the mule alM sack, and the merchant
/ took these
! In many houses lack Of coal created a
| very serious situation. Fires IN many
! rooms had to be abandoned, and entire
/ families occupied a common liVlng-room'
! generally the dining-room or kitchen
| RarreIs and boxes made good fuel. At one
| Marshall-street clearinghouse the fence
was torn away and burned, there being
no other fuel to be had.
| THE SUFFERING POOR.
| II was families in the condition OF tnesS
| who were most insistent at the coal ledl-
| ers' offices. They had the money 10 buy
| the only difficulty was in securing trans
| portation. There was something OF humOi
! i'm the situation. But in many nous =
there were naked coal-bins ana empty
z wood-closets. and arctic cold, and no pros
( pect of warmth until the sun came oul
/ and the ice and snow went away. Iher'
was. and is. a great deal of suffering
among the poor. Every eHort i De''s
/ made 10 relieve it,
The Citizens Relief Association is heip'
| ing many families. At the headqudt'ei
/ of the association at the security i'diih
Yesterday. many stories OF suffering WEI
told. Throuehout the day the society
had wagons and carts running delivering
supplies. chiefly coal
a great many cases were relieved. i-dcH
of fuel creates tho most suffering no"
ever, there is much general destitAtl2h
The society relieves such cases but ue
votes itself chiefly TO making IT'S pehe
fciaries warm. It is realized that never
before in the history of the society h''
such need Cf rapid and efficient Work tN
listed. No effort will be spared TO hel
those who cannot help themselves. MANY
citizens have informed the police OF ihei
readiness TO contribute TO the rellei
cases of destitution discovered
MANY REMARKABLE SCENES.
While the lack Of fuel and efforts TO re
ueve this condition were the most salient
ana probably important features of con
! unions I'm Richmond during the prevalence
: - tho Storm there were many ihlns
| ,,o,,el and remarkable GrOcerymen de
! liyered goods until noon Sunday. Man!
articles purchased Saturday night Wer
not delivered at al. The milkman WA
many hours late Sunday. Yesterday. Il
very many instances he ana not come
an Vie was always late. And hah frozen
"', Warteting vas very difficult II wa
bardlv POSSIBLE for housekeepers to ge
aI,n,, he streets Husbands ATTEMPTED
20 b8v the days supplies ana found II
! ion tbe size Of which they had not pro
nerlv estimated when they started.
,rho corkets had little in them Tha'
,r,,irh vas there was hard frozen. NJ
,nor,[et-carts came to the city Delivery
Of supplies purchased was almost inva
riablv late. Many honsehoid hau 1T
meat for dinner, though por'erhou'e was
I ordered. ,...t.... ,,,,,,
There was never more inatheuhs uo'l' %
by phone The great trouble Was ma
I so many lines were deransed' oupurpSi
residents were almost comp'e,ey % uo
privod of telephone connections. bo'h 'n'
telephone companies had FORCES AT "D,N c,
throughout the day repairing Dreahs' III
Southern Bell Company had twenty s~us