The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-09-15

thracite cost the consumer SO and Sll
a ton. This city of all others will bear
the brunt Of any coal famine which
the .abor trouble may develop. The
amount Of coal now in the hands Of
New York dealers OH the way 10 the
city and in the hands Of the coal COM
panies above ground is estimated at
only forty-ive days supply, which
means about 1.l25,eOO tons.
The representative Of mining and
commission house which mines three to
four million tons a year. besides handl-
ing coal for the railroad companies,
says there will be an advance in four
days.
''on Monday" said he. 1--WE shall
rise our prices 81 ton and I pre-
sumo that there will be a general rise
Of at least that amount"
Dealers are busy in completing ar
rangements for getting in stocks Of
coal. but the big railroad companies
are proving how thoroughly they ap-
preciate the situation by shutting down
on the dealers. All but the Phnadsl-
ria & Reading have refused to take
further orders for eoal. and the Phila-
delphia & Reading are taking orders
only against stocks on hand and with
the understanding that these orders are
to be cancelled in the event of a strike.
The dealers have only Oeen awake to
the threatening situation for about a
week. but in that time they have been
scrambling furiously to buy, and water
freight rates and wholesale rates for
coal have already risen sharply. This
advance simply presages a much larg-
er one.
"The dealers" said Mr.. Wells. of
stickney. Conyngham & Company.
have filed every boat in the harbor
With their coal purchases. Not only
is it the case that practically all avail
able boats have been taken for coal car
r,ers. but hundreds OF them have been
tied up to coal docks and used for
storage purposes because OF lack Of
room on shore. Coal yards are so
crowded that big dealers are paying 50
to s. day for the use of each Of these
boats, one man alone having sixty Of
them at hand. That dealers are will
ing to nay these heavy charges shows
What they think of the prospective
market"
Rates have risen to circular prices"
that is to say. week ego the prices
named in the circulars We're being
shaded fifteen to twenty-five cents a
ton and since then they have stiffened
up to the full nominal rates. Good
anthracite coal. egg. stove or chest
nut costs the jobber S4.05 free on
beard at South Amboy or $40 free on
beard at Weehawken or Hoboken. The
water freight rate from South Amboy
is nominally twenty cents and from
Weehawken fifteen cents a ton. so
that the price Of the staple to the job
ber is A.25 alongside dock In this
harbor.
Ten days ago coal was being sold
twenty-five cents cheaper at South Am
boy than is now the case. and freight
rates had been shaded several cents
a ton. In some cases freight rates
have risen to as high as twenty-five
cfnts ton. in view Of the extraordl-
nary demand for coal boats. And all
this four days in advance Of the day
set for the formal institution Of the
Strike. @,fr ....arl e.
A fair estimate Of the coal now in the
hands of New York dealers and ahoat
and consigned to them is thirty days
supply. This would mean seven hum
dred and fifty thousand tons. New
York takes, according to the estimate
of f. Seward, a total Of about twelve
million tons a year, Coal men agree
that II is safe to say that we consume
at least nine million tons Of anthra-
cite coal here Some bituminous coal
is used in spite Of the health board.
Big railroad companies, the Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western. Pennsylvania,
New Jersey Central. represented by the
Leb:gh and WilkestaTTe Coal Company,
the Lehigh Valley. Delaware & Hud-
son, Erie & Philadelphia and Reading
and other operating concerns are es-
tipiated to have in their yards in the
neighborhood Of the collierlers an
amount equivalent to about fifteen
days supply for this city.
II cannot speak for other compan-
les" said John Edmonds, sales agent
of the Philadelphia & Reading. "but
our stocks at present are light. The