New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
ANTHRACITE HEAPS UP.
SLOW NOPEWENT Up BAY
EIGHTY Thousand Tons at Perth Am
b9y-RcfaH Price SO 80.

Coal is heaptng up at Perth Amboy. n. ].
The problem there has become one OF handling
the sleetbound coal and of shipping it speedily
10 this city The gangs of men are now working
longer hours, and this VIII bring much relief
10 this city.
Any wanting coal can get it at Perth Am
boy The Lehgh Valley Railroad Company will
welcome ans one who VIII take coal OFT its piers,
for il has more than $4,000 tons of anthracite
its tracks and In its stock bins which il
cannot get transported to this city. Coal Is
arriving there daily at the rate of almost 10000
tons. and TO keep the tracks clear and get the
cars hack TO the mines it has been found neces-
sary TO dump for storage.
Large gangs of men We're busy yesterday on
the Perth Amboy piers dumping coal into boats,
barges and steamers or anything that would
float coal to this city and Boston. A large fleet
Of vessels. carrying from 1000 TO 5000 tons
each is at anchor in the sound awaiting a
chance get under the coal chuteS. The coal
comes in frozen solid In the cars and sometimes
il takes an hour dump one car, the coal hav-
ing 10 be broken out with picks.
The company from on will have two shifts
of men at work and the dumping of coal will
continue day and night Last week the men
worked seventeen hours a day From now on
work will continue the twenty-feur hours seven
days week.
A VARIETY OF RETAIL PRICES.
The price of coal at retail in the city yester
day was extremely variable 1t depended upon
several oondftions.~@Tfse lowest price for an
thracite Of domestic sizes was 81 ton. PAID
by consumers several days ago who were
regular customers of dealers getting most OF
their supplies from the coal roads Consumers
who were not regular customers, who were
obliged 10 buy of dealers trading largely with
-he and Individual operators, and
who were in such need of coal that they were
willing 10 pay an increase on account OF 1nrae-
date delivery, paid as high as Sl2 ton. There
were various prices in between TO consumers
who were not in too great hurry or who had
some claims on dealers
Retail dealers who talked with reporters OF
The Tribune Yesterday confirmed the statement
made on Sunday that all the coal roads were
delivering coal at tidewater to the dealers at 80
q ton for anthracite of domestic sizes and send
ing il TO the city as fast il could be mined.
Why then they We're asked. were they charging
81 a ton and upward for coal? Why were
many charging IS and 50 a ton to regular
customers? Their replies were all alike Said
one of them:
The simple truth is that We can't supply our SGS-
II the roads could give all the coal We feeded ~
the schede rate we could sell sell @ fSe barain - t The
coal roaGs selling at tidewater at . a Ton 70,
TO the mddlemen at any price, and are delivering
al the coal they bring here to the dealers ahd
keep up With the demand What happens. then?
the indiyiduai operators or the jobbers who ship
coal from abroad. We have 10 pay Sil a ton 1I Ior
coal we have to buy OF the individual operators
s. s2s ta Us IN % @r & yaf f At r iRn an Jaree or course
We make so on The Coz coa w we EH fS eoa we sa haTe Eaa
70 buy of the Independent operators That Is the
case Ia nutshell
Another dealer said:
One thing about the coal trade at present d7 wheh e3
expect 10 hun coal and have IL delvered immedi-
ateiy Every coal yard has orders ahead Tor & seE-
fY e ot # doaI T bfor 3a giving h their orders
WITH ats 10 mex II q % t le rdeFa Of regular custom
ers, The extreme cold weather and the snow in
M M S5 Tees haoe made r c944 4 erfP hhdre f
a O. S9s 70 badly y F9za @ bhs ad 5e l f29 Is hni the to ooa s
from the washeres that was wet When IL was
mestic anthracite the cold weather inteTferes con
sasra Here in the city me she~ endinp Il T half the
number of out with double teams TO-DAY oe-
a representative of a coal road said:
I The gassion Of G e,heT f d b pPsfr tsdr T must
II each coal will restraint ana nave d
coal fbe i1 need ms dnri5g fhe winter But if great
aunber Of consumers try 10 lay IN teF frgnp for
many others If the man who needs ten tons for
everybody else will be cared for as Well as hihseil
Thai is the sit',at lion The public make the
conditions good i'll for itself
CONSUMERS sf5OrTI.D NOT BE GREEDY
Several dealers said they were trying to pre-
Vent an unfair distribution of coal among thelr
Customers but many consumers go from dealer
TO dealer getting a small supply from each
Until their cellars are filled. In order to prevent
this and TO see that everybody gets ms 1alr
share OF coal many dealers are refusing to ac-
cept customers 4 representative OF one or
The leading coal roads placed the blame 1or the
pfesent situation largely at the door OF those
who caused a reduction in the retail price from
- TO Sc 20 when the strike ended He sald;
IT was bad judgment and directly brought ABOUT
me coal panic that suffering from no" me
Reduction Of the price that time. when tnefe
was coal had two results il caused every one
70 tr- t. huy q at the low prlce-it cfeaIto
Sn unnatural demand. When every one rusheo 10
Guy and could get coal the result was scare d
panic. II was like a run bank. me coal sit-
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