The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-10
Commissioners Secure
1000 Tons of Soft
Coal and Coke,
ENOUGH FOR TWO MONTHS
Price Paid High, But Mr.. mcfarland
Was Forced to Pay Them in the
Emergency-Fear That Oven Coke
Cannot Be Obtained

Commissioner Mcfarland who has
supervision over the public schools, has
succeeded in providing a supply Of fuel
10 last until Thanksgiving Il has re
CURED much negotiation TO bring this
end about. and Mr. Mcfarland is graft
fed that he has been able to meet the
emergency when the prices of fuel are
very high. and when quantities aggre-
sating 2.O90 tons are difficult t0 OBJ
tain.
The efforts of the Commissioner TO oo-
tain bids for furnishing anthracite coal
entirely failed. There was only one
local dealer who offered to furnish 2,e6o
tons of coal. and that was subsequently
withdrawn. Mr.. mcfarland then ad-
dressed himself TO the question of using
combination Of coke and bituminous
coal
Use of Soft Coal and Coke Feasible
The furnaces IN the school buildings
we're examined BY Major B. D. SImn:
and he reported that all OF them would
admit OF using fuel composed OF one
half coke and one-balf soft coal
The next step was TO obtain the Goa
and coke and with reference thereto
Commissioner Macfarland today author
lied the following statement:
Apparently, il has been demonstTat
ed that coke and bituminous coal, prop
erlv burned in alternate layers. furnish
2 substitute for anthracite coal IN m
furnaces of our school buildings yleIo
ing satisfactory heating results Wllho1
violating the smoke law.
THE difficulty seemed to be 10 Qotali
coke in sufficient quantities 10 proyld'
v{fh an equal amount OF bituminou
coal for the immediate future IN IN
school buildings.
Hard to Get Coke.
The local gas companies and the loca
fuel dealers generally responded 10 IN
osiries that they could not furnish COX
EXCEPT in very small quantities. Tele
grams sent to all the principal coke-pro
ducing companies and sales agents else
where have thus lar failed to develo
ANYTHING except promises in one OF tw
cases Of possible future deliveries,
This morning, however, through IN
active assistance OF Mr. " J. Zen, an
quick work by Telegraph ana loLS gus
lance telephone, we have secured
thousand tons OF coke and thousan
tons OF bituminoUs coal which Wit
snail quantities Of anthracite for spe
ciaI buildings. ought 10 provide Tor IN
schools until Thanksgiving, according
the estimates OF the amounts require
which we have received from the secTe
tary OF The Board OF Education
Prices Higher Than Normal
..The prices at which Mr- zen is t
provide this coke and coal are the low
est market prices at this time, but, c
course. are much higher than the nor
nal prices There seemed. however,
be nothing else for US 10 DO in hi
emergency
The anthracite coal strike may b
settled soon. or il may not be II IT ]
settled soon II VIII be some time befor
anthracite coal can be delivered in guam
titles or at prices such as might be eS
pected under normal conditions "
are also informed that as matter {
fact The bitum coal strike has II
been settled and therefore that 1t
difficult to get bituminOus coal This
why il is also difficult to get coke. wbic
is. Of course. made from the bituminou
CrdE