The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-04
THEC0AL MAN'SIDEA
He Is Inclined to Take an Optimistic
View Of the Local Sit
. ( ~ 1912 -: t.}.i' = fE2,s> ".-. Fl
-. -. nation. .s.... 4 =. IL.
Fuel Shortage Is BAD Enough, but
Minneapolis Won't Suffer
81 -! : : Mach, He Says. p, ~.

1.-THE coal famine is bad enough said a
local fuel agent this morning, but think
the public Is unwarrantably alarmed.
That's usually the case when any sort Of
famine is announced. believe that II the
newspapers got to talking about Short
New Variety Patented Within the Last
Six Weeks we'd have clubs and commit
tees appealing to the government "
"Of course, there has been and will be
hardship. I don't want to pretend the
contrary. AS am an agent merely and
not mine owner, this shortage of GOAL
supply depriyes me of my usual business
and means big loss Of Income.
But IL people would stop to look at the
facts as they AFFECT us right here, in Min
neapolis-I'nn not speaking Of other COM
munities-they would not get so excited.
. In the first place, many people have al
ready contracted for all the coal they'll
need and have got 1t cheap. ANY number
of people make it a rule to buy. their coal
in the summer and not walt till fall.
The public schools will have fuel until
March at least, the city hospital and
most of the other institutions are provided
for. AS for the federal offices, they are
heated by coal bought last May at less
than S. ton.
MANY Of the big Office buildings are
entirely independent Of the coal supply.
change does, or bark and other mill
refuse. The Guaranty building, for exam
pie, has down-draught furnace that can
burn coal screenings, or shavings, or bark
and sawdust or even Ignite. The big
West Hotel is heated by shavings a good
part Of the time. The same things can
be said Of great many fiat buildings.
1.-THE real burden will fall, as usual,
upon the little fellows that is, upon the
ordinary householder. But II he's pre-
pared to burn wood, he can get plenty Of
it, though 1T is certainly higher. The
supply will be more plentiful as soon as
snow comes and the farmers can begin
to haul wood to the railroads.
And If the householder has been burn
| ing anthracite he can now burn soft coal
The soft coal makes a great deal more
smoke and ash, and tends to clog up the
CRATE and flue Of a hard-eoai furnace OF
stove. Still, with more work, soft Goa
can be used in such furnaces, or even
chunks of hard wood.
1T mustn't be forgotten that Mime.
apolis. because OF its lumber mills an6
| their by-products. is much better off thar
almost any other American city with q
| similar climate.
FINALLY, to bring the matter down to 6
cash basis-how much coal does the aver
age citizen use? From one and g. hall
to- two tons during the winter, II he's q
laboring man, Keeping house with his
family, and about ten tons, If he's well.
TODD and runs a furnace.
| ''Well, how much has soft coal risen
Hard coal is out Of the question entire.
~. Soft coal, then, has risen about Il
! cents a ton compared with this time las
year. The supply isn't large now. Blu
before long Well get all the soft coal W.
need from Iowa and Illinois. Hard woot
costs So more a cord Coke, which is a!
good as anthracite, has risen perhaps So
| $50, supposing; coal or it's substitutes
costs. us, for comparison, IS more a tot
yidual loss here, by the present strike
Only Sc for the winter to Minneapolis
laboring man, and only $50 to the citize,
that Is rich enough to own a furnace
Calling the winter SIX months, this mean
an individual loss Of from 81 to IS
montl-not very much to worry :over.'