Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-01
ON GUARD ALL NIGHT
ANXIETY OF DEALERS TO GET
SHARE OF COAL.
Scramble for Fuel at the Distributing
Yard-First Come First
Served
Wake up boys. the days a-dawning,
Crawl out of your hole:

CrlDuIlnR ydFu L0IS morning at udyDTedh
Some of them had been upon the premises
since 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, while
others had appeared at irregular intervals
up to the time the men began singing to
arouse the few sleepers about the camp
fire.
Scenes and incidents in the vicinity of
the distributing yard were well calculated
to give an onlooker an idea of the coal sit
uation. The yard Is in charge of the firm
of Albright & Barker, and last night and
this morning it was nothing more nor less
than mudhole. The drivers who were
forced to remain there guard all night
because of the enforcement Of the first
come-first-served rule, had anything but an
enjoyable time, and If some of them do not
contract pneumonia 1t will be because they
are pneumonia proof. Two fires were kept
burning most Of the night, and the few
men who were early enough upon the scene
to get quarters in an abandoned cab near
one of the fires were considered to be par
ticularly fortunate.
During the long hours of the night and
the early hours Of the morning the coal
situation was discussed in all its phases by
the drivers What some of them would
like to do to the railroad company and coal
magnates was told in plain words. Nobody
could have convinced the gathering that
the railroad company was not holding
scores of carloads of anthracite coal on it's
tracks at other points and refusing to bring
them into the city.
'If you will just go a little way out of the
city," remarked one of the drivers to a
Star reporter, you will see enough coal to
make you think they have coal to throw
away. They tell me that there is so much
coal in one yard that it looks like there Is
a mine near there ::
Precautionary Measures.
AS already stated, some of the teams
were upon the scene as early as o'clock
yesterday afternoon, and they were still
reaching the yard at noon today. Most of
the horses were taken from the wagons and
carts and returned to their stables, but the
drivers were forced to remain on guard for
fear others would move their wagons and
morning would find them far in the rear.
At daybreak fully one hundred teams were
in the muddy yard, while the line outside
extended along G street northeast from
North Capitol street for nearly square.
In the long line Of vehicles were carts and
wagons of every description. Most of them
belonged to the smaller dealers. Seven
o'clock is the hour for opening the gates.
and they were opened almost on time this
morning. although there was not carload
of coal inside the yard.
On the tracks just outside the gates was
a car filled with splint coal from a West
Virginia mine. The coal was covered with
frost and had been there since Saturday or
yesterday.
eff they would just give the a little
shove and dump said one of the drivers,
you'd see some Of the liveliest moving
about here you ever saw in your life, but
you can't move these people. This is
very uneven world. and the poor man gets
the other end of, 1t every time. Three cars,
filed with coal came in here Saturday and
all the small dealers were sure of getting
one load of it after being about the yard
since Friday evening, but dealer came
along and took two of them away up the
track. Then we had to go away without
coal and come back last night"
When hpur of z o. clock arrived this
morning one of the men who had rested
comfortably in the cab walked out and re-
marked: -i~- f.r ..
Here's where you get your moneys
worth for being up; all night but he
showed his disappointment when he looked
through the opening and saw that there
was no coal in the yard.
A Gloomy Outlook.
In the railroad yard where coal consigned
to dealers is unloaded, there were a dozen
or more cars being unloaded. This coal
was transferred to the vehicles and hauled
away. Conditions appear to be such that
the employees of the smaller dealers will
have to spend many nights about the dis
tributing yard, uut there is no likelihood Of
any provision being made to protect them
from the weather.
IF snow piles up here as high our
heads" one Of the drivers remarked, I'VE
won't get any more protection than We had
last night"
Most of the all-night watchers had
brought their lunches with them, but 1t
was not until long after daybreak that they
were able to get hot coffee. In a shed in
side the yard was bushei basket filled
with potatoes, but these were not found
until the owner appeared upon the scene or
they would have found their way to the
capfires. A hotel wheels finally ar
rived the men made a rush for the hot
breakfast, and the proprietor was kept busy
avt,o cd sod
phase OF the situation was the appearance
on the railroad tracks before daybreak of
a number of women and children who
busted themselves picking up coal and Gin
ders. Both white and colored women were
there whenn 1t was almost impossible to
see the Jumps of coal that had been dropped
from the cars Some of them carried bas-
kets while others had sacks or boxes.
Three Children at Home.
One little woman who was poorly clad
told Star reporter that she had been out
on the tracks every morning since the
weather had become cold enough to demand
fire for her children. There were three
little ones at home she said, and while they
sleep in the morning she gets out and
usually picks up enough fuel to warm the
house by the time they are out Of bed.
An enterprising driver who was afraid to
leave the yard to get breakfast, made fire
and started to prepare something hot for
himself.
This business will be all right he said,
when his fire was well under way, ''if too
many men don't find out what's going on,
and then 1t will be case of the man who
said the smell of cooking chicken was
good. The man who was cooking the fowl
told him If the Lord would only keep the
smell of the chicken out of his nose he
would see that the taste of 1t did not get
into his mouth
Rev. Campbell Morgan's Talk to Men.