New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-24
Mr.. .PLATTS WITNESSES LATE
rrRTHER HEARING on THE KINGSTON
RAILROAD APPLICATION.

Hearing on the application Of the Delaware
valley and Kingston Railway Company for
-sr-,;t 70 construct railroad along the line OF
-, old Delaware and Hudson Canal con-
.s-yea yesterday before the State Railroad Com
,rsssioue-s sitting IN the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
IT, soulcariOn is opposed by the Erie and the
Ontario and Western Railroad and other roads
,,h,ch carry the products OF the anthracite coal
regions.
.z-ait,ng the arrival Of two he expected Mr. Plat
o-ered IN evidence a bundle of extracts from the
SArthractte Coal Operators Letter. the official
,-gs, Of the Industrial Coal Operators Associa-
,,on. Nj Carver objected on the grounds that
thev were not competent
Arguing for the admission OF the exhibit, Mr..
7.Ia-+ said they would show the attitude of
re individual operators. The extracts proved. he
said that the coal men complained that the low
rrtce OF coal during the last year was the fault
~ +he railroads which refused to combine ana
make q uniform rate.
The Individual Coal Operators. through their
chairman " s Fuller" Mr.. Platt said have
gwen testimony here absolutely at variance with
+hs,r utrerances in their own official monthly or
"a, offer the extracts 10 prove that MI Fullers
evidence IS not credible that his association has
no desire 10 cheaper coal 10 the general con-
s,-,er and that his statements 20 that effect are
deliberate attempts TO deceive the people and TO
hind the Commissioners. One Of the articles In
the Letter urges the formation Of a combination
RI
-he Commissioners sustained the objection Of
NJ Carver and M Plat had the extracts
marked for Identification and offered them one by
one and took an exception 10 each ruling against
them All the counsel agreed that matter
how the State Railroad Commissioners may de-
eide the case IS 70 be taken 10 the Court OF Ap-
peals
Z B. Crandau, coal freight agent OF the Erie
road since 1890 the first witness called. said that
the Erie carried about tvo-ffths OF all the
thracite coal reaching 1idewater. Nearly all the
tine the Erie had more cars than could be used
Replying 10 q question. Mr.. Crandan said the
consumption OF anthracite coal in the United
States in December last was 2s5o,oo tons He
believed that II the output increased IL would
result in increasing the stocks hand and not
in decreasing the price The Erie road, he said,
could enlarge its facilities meet any probable
M. Plat IN the absence Of a witness he ex-
pected, called Samuel D. Coykendan. OF the ap-
pEcant company. who said the output OF the
ttosenea!e ana Fon9o9i o alley cement olsLicts
little more than one-thiri went 10 tidewater by
the cana. The balance was carried by rat.
Of the Delaware and Kingston road, and manager
that Mr. BuchhoItz the chief engineer of the
Erie road, IN error when he said that less
built on The route Of the canal. The surveys made
for the new company showed that more than 63
per cent OF The road would be on the canal right
Questioned BY Mr.. Sherman. Mr. Thorne said
his coal company would live up the contract
estimated that the Erie road could suffer only
Sz9lgt di.ninuItOn of its yearly profits by the
operation II the proposed new road. The Penn
syiyaHia Coal Company, he said, was good for
lected # the courts adjudged the company liable
Z. L. Fuller, the next witness produced a dozen
or more contracts made wiki individual coal oper-
arors agreeing furnish the road 100000
tons or treiEht ADDITIONAL 70 the tonnage nov
mined and handled by ne existing railroads The
contracts were submitted Tor the examination OF
evidence. The hearing will be continued to-day