Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-20
DEALERS BESIEGED
COAL MEN KEPT BUSY BY THEIR
PATRONS.
Usual. Amount of Fuel Received Over
the Railroads-Sales Necessarily
in Small Quantities.

The fact that tomorrow the offices Of the
local coal dealers will be closed had ten
dency to increase the number of appHca-
tons for fuel today. Every office was be-
sieged, many Of the applicants being anx-
ious for enough coal to tide them over Sun
day.
IN the office of an F street dealer a wo-
man became hysterical. She has at home a
child sick with diphtheria and is practically
destitute of fuel. A ton Of coal was prom
Used her Thursday, but 1t had not been de-
Iivered She saw coal being delivered at a
neighbor's and forthwith went to the
dealer.
He explained that the person to whom
coal had been delivered had been waiting
for nearly a month to have the order filled.
The woman's plight was recognized and a
hurried order was given to have her sup
piled.
The usual amount Of coal was received
over the Baltimore and Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania railroads today, and 1t Is expected
that considerable quantity will be brought
here tonight and tomorrow. Prices are the
same as those quoted yesterday. The deal
ers are trying to deliver as much coal as
possible.
Supply for Georgetown Dealers.
The freight trackage of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company at Rosslyn, Va, just
across the Aqueduct bridge is greatly con-
gested with cars laden with coal. Cargoes
are being received at Rosslyn faster, 1t is
said, than the Georgetown dealers, to whom
it Is consigned, can unload it,
The tWo-masted schooner Samuel WOOD,
loaded with coal from Philadelphia, is in
the river below this city, and will arrive
here today. She has aboard cargo of
about $50 tons Of coal consigned to the
United States army engineers battalion, at
the Washington barracks, and will unload
at the Eastern branch wharf
Fort Washington, Fort Hunt and the
Washington barracks have received por-
ton of their supply of fuel for winter use.
A schooner is now lying at the engineers
wharf at Fort Washington unloading coal.
Capitol Will Economic.
During the holiday recess of Congress an
effort will be made to conserve the coal
supply SO as to get few days ahead. The
lighting and elevator service will be cur
tailed to a great extent. One elevator in
each end of the building will be all that
will be kept running, and the lighting Will
be cut down almost to nothing. This, 1t is
estimated will reduce the consumption or
coal at least tWo-thirds.
The House end of the building has been
heated with wood during the present ses-
sion with the exception of two or three
days.
A contract for oak and pine wood was
made last summer by Chief Clerk Brown
ing which calls for 80 cords, more or
less" at 81 per cord for pine and Sc per
cord for oak. These prices are not coal
strike rates, and Mr.. Browning has been
availing himself of the contract. The lights
and the elevator service are run with coal.
and something like ten tons are used daily.
Four carloads of anthracite which were
recently shipped to the House have gone
astray, and Mr.. Browning is figuring on
tracing these up, and, besides saving his
daily receipts of ten to fourteen tons, hopes
to get considerable fuel ahead before the
holidays are over. With matters remaining
as at present the failure of days receipts
would necessitate shutdown in the power
plant of the House wing.
The Senate has been faring somewhat
better than the House in the fuel situation
ever since the session began. The ship
ments to the Senate have been made
through the Reading company, and have
been larger and could be relied upon. For
this reason the Senate coal bins are in a
fairly well-Stocked condition.