Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-12
COAL SHORTAGE IMMINENT
RuDor that Alarming D,arth Of Fuel
6Onfronts Unisn Paoifo.
NO LOCOMOTIVES to MOVE THE SUPPLY
Plenty nj Coal Mt Mines
but strikers Believe that Motive
Power H. insufficient
TO Move IL.

with a coal famine staring It in the face.
In addition to and primarily as a result of
uhe strike in its shops, which has been in
progress since the middle OF June. the
Union Pacific doubtless has felt the force
OF the trite saying that "misfortunes never
come single-handed."
On what Is regarded as reliable authority
pIe statement is made that the Union Pa
feihc is confronted by an alarming dearth
'of coal, relief from which seems utterly i'm
possible so long as the present strike on it's
own system lasts. This predicament is not
attributed to the great anthracite coal mine
strike, though that probably will have some
ehect before the needs Of the company are
satisfied. Che actual cause Of the lack OF
coal is traced back to deficient motive
power. due to the strike. It is not main
1ained that the company has been unable
TO get coal or operate its own mines. but It
is stoutly urged that engines cannot be So
cured with which to transport the coal that
is available to places where Il Is needed.
Rock Springs, the company's greatest source
of coal, is said to be surrounded with loaded
cars which cannot be moved for want OF
engines. and therefore Il has been found
useless to mine more fuel until what is al
ready on hand has been removed and cars
are thus provided.
A reporter fer The Bee was informed by
"a gentleman who claims to have a knowl-
edge Of the situation that the company ac-
tually had accessible Friday on an average
over its entire system one days supply Of
coal; of course in some places there was
more than that, in others less.
OmciaIs Are Evasive.
oficials OF the company refuse to confirm
this story. One of them in the motive
power department said:
II know Of no scarcity of coal which
ought to give US any alarm. ! understand
there are thirty-hve cars Of coal over at
Council Bluffs and that many times that
humber are out at Rock Springs. Our reg
ular daily output at Rock Springs is about
700 cars, and with that supply we ought not
experience any coal famine"
An official in the purchasing department
was equally as evasive and nothing more
definite could be learned in the coal supply
Office. From the hrst Of the present dim
oulties the officials have maintained that
their motive power was being kept up as
good, and some have even gone so far as
TO say better than before the strike, so that
they do not care now to give out different
statements. It still remains a problem how
the company can maintain its standard mo-
tive power with it's shops either tied NJ
WIN q StTlh6 OF ullou Will uoNs II
many cases unskilled. laborers.
The Union Pacihc's custom has been ia
get its coal from the nearest possible point
Rhus making the haul as short as possible
1t has been in the habit of using Fort Scott
and other Kansas and Missouri coal for itf
Kansas division and has drawn mostly upor
the Rock Springs and other Wyoming
sources FOR its main division supply. But
at the same time, according to the com
pany's statements. a great deal OF the Roci
Springs coal has gone to Salt Lake City and
other places IN the west for commercial
purposes. TIE company has been Using thu
,Henna coal in it's freight engines. Now I
Is said efforts are being made to get Goa
from Iowa and even Illinois, but owing Il
the enormous demands already pressing
upon those mines by reason of the anthra
cite strike, which naturally increases tn
pressure on bituminous coal. no great sue
cess is being achieved along this line, s.
that altogether the gravity Of the Union Pa
cihcs condition is daily increasing.
Raises s~trikers' Hopes.
Although the information regarding tn
Union Pacihc's pending coal famine come
from sources entirely foreign TO the striker
Ehe latter doubtless will base now hopes c
success upon this new misfortune which hs
befallen the company. Their only hope G
winning the strike has been the ultimat
collapse of the motive power, which the
have maintained all along was inevitabl
and therefore their victory assured. Viii
the company has been able to import con
sieerably over 1000 workmen into Its shor
over the system since this trouble bega
only a moderate proportion Of this numbt
have remained and now the importation
appear more ~dificult, which lends som
polor IN the assertions OF the striker5 this
The company is engaged in hiring over me
who have been imported before. Time an
again officials of the Union Pacific have a,
serted that their shops were full of men an
no more would. therefore, be employs
Such a statement with reference to Il
Omaha shops was made at headquarters
Wednesday by William Canada, chief Of Il
secret service, and yet twenty-seven ne
recruits arrived yesterday morning and al