The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-29
B. & O. WILL KEEP OFF.
Chairman Solomon Says His Road
Will Stay on Land.


New York, Aug. 2s.-In an interview
William Solomon, chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee of the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad, said that that road is
not building ships to transport coal to
Europe He expressed the opinion that
the railroads generally would keep OF
the water" He said that the facilities
for shipping coal which were being con-
Structed at Curtis Bay, near Baltimore,
would be completed in about thirty days
and that their cost, including the cost
of improving the track and roadbed
from Baltimore to Curtis Bay, would
approximate 100000. These facilities
will be useful to the company said Mr..
Solomon, whether the prospective ex-
port coal trade of the United States ma
terializes or not. A large amount of coal
is transported by ship to New England
and other points on the North American
continent. If the European export trade
comes along we shall also be prepared
to meet it, but the business of the Balti-
more & Ohio will be, as heretofore, the
transportation of coal from the mines to
tidewater. All am willing to say re-
garding the possibilities of a European
market for American coal is that if the
price Of coal in England continues high
there will undoubtedly be a profit in
shipping American soft coal to the Medi-
terranean ports Of Europe. AT present
the difficulty is to secure vessels to
carry the coal but If the price of English
coal remains high new ships will I'M
doubtedly be provided"
1t is announced that many far-seeing
capitalists have invested heavily in coal
mines in Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia recently in anticipation of the in
crease of the demand for coal for ex-
port Among those who were reported
to have made such investments was Mr..
John E. Berwynd of the Berwynd-Wh
Coal company of this city.
1T is true" said Mr.. Berwynd, "that
/ am purchasing coal mines from time
to time as the growth of our business
warrants it. My belief is that there will
be a great future for American coal in
Europe. Coal expectation is an abso-
lutely new thing in the coal business
and like all new things should be taken
up cautiously and conservatively.
know that some persons believe the for
eign demand will probably be temporary.
I am not of their number think Amer
lean coal will always be a factor in the
European markets 1 think that in the
Mediterranean ports the American ship
pers can offer coal cheaper than the
English shippers, even if the price of
English coal should be reduced.
1.-The chief difficulty at present is to
secure transportation for coal from this
country to Europe. This is due in part
to the withdrawal Of many ships by the
English and other European govern
ments for the transportation of troops.
am told that 100000 tons of shipping
have been so withdrawn during the
past year. There is a prospect that this
lack of shipping may be filed in the
not distant future There has been
road companies building ships large
enough to carry coal economically to
Europe, and there has also been talk
of the coal operatives building such
vessels. So far as I can say, this mat
ter has not yet gotten beyond the stage
of securing estimates by boat builders,
but if the European market for coal
continues strong, there is every reason
to expect the creation of means to fill
the demand"
William L. Sweet, general sales agent
of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal cor
poration, says:
I'VE regard hopefully the possibilities
of opening up an extensive coal export
business in Europe. We have done no
exporting ourselves and do not antici-
pate such action in the near future, but
we have received, however, inquiries
for coal from Germany, France, Italy
and Egypt. These inquiries come from
coal dealers who supply the product for
manufacturing and domestic purposes
While we are not exporting coal our
selves, we are selling our product to
brokers and exporters, as it would re-
quire a great deal of capital to engage
directly in the export trade. A large
organization would be required and
there would be a risk in collecting
T17OnnUs