Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-19
Usually Shortage at Mines is Made b!
Stored Coal.
lever ABLE TO MEET SEASONS DEMANDS
Consumption Always Exceeds Supply
During Gold Months of Year.
PRICES WILL STAY HIGH INDEFINITELY
Increase Declared in October VIII
Last Into January and May
Rule During All Coming
Twelve Months.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Dec. 1s-Oficials
OF the Reading Railway company hold
out no hope for relief in the anthra-
cite coal stringency this winter despite the
efforts OF the company to mine and ship
to it's full cr pacity.
''Under normal conditions" said one Of
the oficials. "the anthracite production is
never equal TO the demand during the win
ter months and the Reading and all the
other anthracite companies have been
obliged to draw upon the stock at various
storage points to help out the demands
OF the trade
This year there is not a pound of coal
at any OF these storage points and con-
sumers are dependent entirely upon the
daily output Of the mines. The big dealers
In New England who usually have in stock
at this season OF the year from $4,000 to
100000 tons, are dependent entirely upon
what is being shipped to them by the vari-
Gus companies.
Practically all the Reading company's
collieries are In operation. The company
shipped from the mines during the last
two days nearly 1900 cars Of coal. This
means a daily production of nearly 60 900
tons"
II is stated that the Pennsylvania rail-
road has 1900 of the Reading company's
coal cars on its tracks in the western part
OF the state. as we'll as $500 belonging to
the Central Railway Of New Jersey, and
these are urgently needed in the anthracite
trade. Their non delivery, It is claimed, is
causing much delay in the shipment Of
anthracite to points west Of Harrisburg.
Reading company oficials decline to dis
cuss the question as to whether the ad-
vance Of so cents a ton made in October
would h0Id ht1f 1hax
admit that It will certainly rule beyond jan
uary 1, 1908. the date fxed by Mr.. Baer for a
reduction to the old rate
An operator, who attended the meeting
OF the operators in New York stated that
the advance would be retained during all
next year.
Disepse spreads I'm Washington.
WASHINGTON. Dec. ia material I'm
crease In the number OF cases OF pneumonia
and severe colds among the people Of this
city is attributed by physicians to the coal
famine.
They say that in most Of the houses they
visit only a few of the rooms are heated
and even many well-to-do residents have
abandoned their furnaces
The price OF hard coal from Che inde-
pendent operators today was s12 a ton.
Soft coal at retail brought ss a ton and
many Of the dealers are unable to furnish
even small lots to regular customers.
stop Sales from. Cars.
BRIDGEPORT. Conn, Dec. 1s-At a
secret meeting here today Of the Retail
Coal Dealers association OF New England
plans for protecting the members were
discussed.
The secretary, @. w. Sears Of Arlington,
Mass, said:
I'VE are discussing plans to protect the
legitimate dealers against the encroach-
ment Of companies and men who propose
to sell coal direct from the railroad cars
We, with expensive plants. cannot compete
with them. Our association starts from
Chicago and takes in the entire east We
propose to notify members OF the associa-
tion OF sales to companies doing business
from cars direct and they will be guided
accordingly. 1t is move for protection
pure and simple"