The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-23
OUT OF COAL.
Fuel Famine at Lima, o., is Tn
precedented.
City Hasn't Had a Pound of Coal
Since Wednesday.
WOOD is SO A CORD.
Hundreds of People Walk Miles
Into the Country
To Get First Chance at Incom-
ing Supplies.
Toledo Manufactures Close For
Lack of Fuel.

Lima, O., Dec. 23.-There has not been
pound of soft or hard coal in this city
since last Wednesday,. The fuel famine
is unprecedented and there is no sign
of relief Wood has gone as high as ten
dollars cord and hundreds of people
walk miles into the country to meet
wagons coming into the city and make
purchases before others can get to
them Railroads report thousands of
carloads of coal between this city and
Cincinnati waiting to be moved.
FACTORIES CLOSE DOWN.
Toledo, O., Dec. 23-This city is in
the midst of coal fam inc such as it
never experienced in all it's history The
Milburn Wagon Works. Libby Glass
Works, Toledo L;corice Works and
scores of smaller works were forced to
close down for want of coal to keep up
steam. Upward of 1,500 hands were
thrown out of employment as a result
and hundreds of others must go. The
reduced to sore straits, and it will be a
miracle If their machinery does not stop
on them for lack of fuel
There are only 20 cars of coal in the
city and fabulous prices are offered by
the owners of big office buildings SO as
to keep up steam to heat their build
ings. The railroads say they are power
less to bring any sort of relief inside
and wood here, but that won't fill the
bill.
The present cold spell that has held
sway here week. with zero weather
ranging from 2 to 10 degrees below, COM
mission merchants say was the most
disastrous 70 business that ever crossed
the country. They say that shippers of
vegetables. fruits and other perishable
goods, are losers to the extent of mil
lions of dollars. They were caught un-
awares and business was paralyzed by
the continued cold spell, SO that there
was no chance to recover. Commission
m merchants who have been In business
here for so years say that they never
experienced such a prolonged cold spell
or one that has proved so disastrous to
their business
The railroads also say they have been
crippled by the cold and their motive
Tt is out among the oil derrickS where
the cold wrought terrible havoc and
loss. The cold has destroyed miles and
miles of pipe by freezing them until
they burst open. Wells had to be closed
down, and it will require months of ac-
tive operations to restore matters in
the oil fields to their normal condition.
The managers of the big manufactur-
ing plants are rushing about among the
various coal dealers actually pleading
and begging of them to furnish them
with coal so that the plants can remain
running, but the coal men say there is
only one answer to a1l mo coal, and
no hope of any getting there"
The rush for coal has reached such
a frantic stage that guards have been
placed on duty around the few cars in
the railroad yards to prevent its being
taken away. Offers of several times the
Goals value are being made, but all to
no purpose Coal men say that the
worst is yet to cone and that a general
shut down of every factory here will
follow inside of 20 days