The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-30

The question Of the added danger from /
the use of untried fuel will be taken up !
by the board OF fire underwriters at an /
early meeting
Fires Will Be Frequent.
The insurance men generally are in /
cHned TO the belief held BIZ the Fire De-
partment. that the general use Of coal /
oil, and the use Of soft coal by people /
unfamiliar with it. viii be likely large
Iy to increase the number Of fires in the |
city
Opinions differ as to whether an in
creased rate should be adopted immedi- |
ateIy. 10 provide against these added
risks. or whether the old rate should be
until frequent fires prove the
danger.
The use Of coal oil does not invalidate
many existing policies, If any.
The Grand Army Crowd
The seriousness of the local coal stu
alton viii he aggravated next week by
the presence here Of the Grand Army OF
the Republic. II the crowds prove to be
as great as are anticipated. coal fam
inc cannot be averted. in the opinion Of
Mr. J Maury Dove. one of the largest
and most important dealers in the city.
The railroad officials have had the
matter under Amusement for some time
past, and are exerting every energy TO
avert the trouble 1t is possible to keep
the big Government plants going and
the powerhouses in operation only
through the daily receipts Of soft coal
It has been Impossible TO secure a suf-
fcient supply 70 lay aside a reserve for
the time Of the eneampment. and with
the cessation OF shipments. many fur
uaces will have 10 close down.
Suspension Of Freight Traffic.
Heretofore it has been the practice Of
the railroads 10 announce beforehand
the suspension of 4teight traffic into the
city on the occasion OF all gatherings OF
a large character This has been made
necessary by the limited trackage and
the lack OF facilities TO safely handle
the traffic in connection with the regu-
lar business.
The average attendance al an fnaugu-
ration has been in the neighborhood Of
10000 people. The handling Of these
crowds has also been greatly facilitated
by the fact that the greater portion Of
this crowd is made up Of organizations
under military control. enabHng them to
be handled with facility and dispatch.
At the coming encampment the crowd
expected is variOusIy estimated at from
100000 10 100000 people. The weather
conditions viii have a great influence
in determining the attendance. II the
weather IS favorable there viii probably
be hundred thousand people more than
will come if the conditions are other
wise.
Must Haul the Passengers.
The condition that presents itself to
the railroad officials is that they must
attempt to haul all passengers present
ing themselves for transportation Even
200,0 600 passengers cannot be hauled into
The city in safety within two or three
days without the suspension of freight
business. If the freight business is sus-
pended It viii precipitate a coal famine
and result in the closing down Of in
Vulnerable plants throughout the city,
including the heating and mechanical
plants in the Government departments
Aside from the coal brought into the
city over the rail lines under present
conditions about 1900 tons a week is
about the maximum supply Of the city
This amount is brought over the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Cana from Cumber-
land. The boats on the canal are NOV
ing with great irregularity owing to the
low water in the canal and their loads
have as consequence been cut down
20 Der cent.
No Labor Trouble on Canal.
There now exists no trouble among the
owners Of the boats and the boatmen. the
matter having been settled a fortnight
ago. It has been customary whenever
the low water in the canal prevented
the carrying Of full loads for the own
ers 10 grant the boatmen an increased
percentage to cover the decreased ton
mage for which they were paid. This in
crease was granted TO the boatmen
about two weeks ago, without any fric-
ton OF suspension Of business.
Another matter that threatens seri-
Gus hardship to the people of the coun-
try Is the prospective increase in the
price of wheat and corn. In the West
many Of the farmers have taken to burn
ing both OF these commodities. finding
them at their present figures cheaper
than coal at the prevailing figure.
IN several States the farmers have en-
tered into an agreement 10 burn these
products instead OF coal. with the pur-
pose OF decreasing the supply Of grain
and forcing Up It's price. In this manner.
they claim. they viii get as much for the
reduced supply that they will place on
the market, as they would for their en-
tire crops. and at the same time secure
their fuel without cost The. effect of
this action viii be TO increase the cost
OF breadstuas, for which the people Of
the land must pay
President Baer's Offer