Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-09-20
OUR COAL IN EUROPE.
Great Chance. Abroad For the
American Product.
INTEREST IN IT NOW GROWING.


Sales of Millions of Tons >to Euro
pean Countries - Many Requests
Made to Him In Paris For Data.
Ships Are Much Needed.
'fWithin the next two years we
should be in position, with fair OPP
portunities for transporting our coal,
to sell 100000 or 10000, 900 tons Of it
to European countries annually"
This is the fashion in which Presi-
dent G.. ]. Wittenberg Of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Coal and Coke compa-
ny sums up the conditions indicated
by the present foreign demand for
American coal, says the New York
Herald. Mr.. Wittenberg returned from
Europe on the Majestic a few days
ago after a two months trip in Eng
land, France and Denmark. He dwelt
forcibly the other day on the prospect
for extending our export fuel trade in
the near future. T..
I'm $780," said Mr.. Wittenberg,
"England's shipments of coal to coun-
tries which we can reach exceeded
100000 tons. Up to ten years ago
she had about all the West Indian and
South American coal trade, most of
which we have taken from her. We
can now get our share Of the worlds
trade if we can get the ships. But the
coal men of the country need to be
aroused on the matter. ~.-."..s..
"While I was abroad noticed re-
markable inquiry for American coal.
The number Of people who called
upon me in Paris to obtain data on the
subject was astonishing. And In Den
mark there was special interest in
the matter taken by the big gas con-
Germs. The American coal exhibits at
the Paris exposition are attracting q
great deal Of interest, but they are SO
poorly accommodated in out Of the
way quarters that they are not shown
to best advantage.
Enquiries are being>made for Ameri-
can coal by both the French and the
Italian governments for their respect
i've navies. About July there was
bill introduced in the British parlia-
ment to prohibit the expectation of
smokeless coal from Great Britain. It
was argued that smokeless coal was
like smokeless powder and should be
regarded as too precious to sell to 9th
er nations. No decisive action has
been taken on this bill, but the French
government, in alarm, at once placed
large orders for smokeless coal in Eng
land. Still fearing that it may never
be able to have them filled, 1t isfsnow
on the lookout to get it's coal from
America, if need be. y * =. =.
"The principal points to which it
would now be advantageous to us to
ship coal would be on the Mediterra-
mean, of course, because the low freight
rates from England to other European
with Great Britain. AS far as quality
goes, the best American coal can about
equal the coal from Cardiff, Wales,
which Is the best In Great Britain.
Our coal is not so lumpy as the Cardiff
coal, but that is really nothing in ia
there is prejudice for lumpiness in
Europe. The British coal costs $3.50
at Cardiff and can be delivered at $40
ton on the Mediterranean. Ours costs
$3.50 at Newport News and can be de-
livered at about $3.50 on the Mediter-
ranean. But we are sending very little
thither because we cannot get the
ships.
Most Of the interests owning coal
carrying vessels are interested also in
the British mines, and then there have
been at least Is vessels diverted to
England's transport service and IL to
that of Germany fhree each from the
Hamburg American and the North
German Lloyd, while at least ten have
been chartered by the United States
for various purposes. If we could only
have a subsidy measure passed which
would encourage the building Of Amer
lean ships, we could quickly build up q
coal carrying trade. We could build
fully as good ships as they have abroad.
I think even with the vessels diverted
to transport service back at our dispos-
al that coal freights to the Mediterra-
mean would come down from SIS to 81
or $3.50 ton and enable us to under
sell the British in Italy from $3.50 to
81 ton" 49,. - Hill
us the British price likely to remain
as high as at PRESENT. Mr.. Wittenberg
was asked. .....- 3.
''The owners Of British collieries
with whom I talked" he answered,
declare they would not reduce it.
They said they had raised the price in
the face Of refusal Of old customers to
make contracts at increased prices, and
they certainly would not lower it when
there was a prospect Of coal scarcity.
told them they would meet q crash
such as occurred in the iron business.
They declared so long as the British
government had trouble in South AZ
RIGA or China there was no fear Of coal
going begging. The government would
rather buy the surplus than let 1t get
into the hands Of foreign countries.
In fact, the government did run the
price up from II shillings to 81 shil-