The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-21
OUTLOOK IN COAL.
All Rail Shipments Will Doubtless
Cause an Advance.
STRIKE HAS cuRTA1LED OUTPUT
AS Result Anthracite Will Hardly
Move in Time to Come
by Lakes.

Much of the northwest's supply of am
thracite coal must be brought from the
east all rail this fall and winter. This
in itself indicates an advance in price.
Northwestern coal men say, further that
the situation is becoming so serious that
the problem may be not one of price so
much as Of getting coal at all.
1t is over five weeks now since any coal
was mined in the anthracite region and
the strike will last until July 20 at least.
The convention of soft coal miners meets
at Indianapolis on July II and the an
thraciteN miners will hold out in the hope
of being assisted by the soft coal men.
In the meantime supplies of anthracite
coal all over the country are rapidly
diminishing and in many important CEN
ters have almost disappeared. Hard coal
has materiallyadvanced in price in many
eastern cities, New York heading the
list with an advance Of 81 per ton.
At Head of Lakes. -
the winter coal supply of the northwest is
accumulated, no shipments of anthra-
cite coal have been received for several
weeks. Not over $4,000 tons have been
received there since navigation opened.
At the opening of the season coal stocks
at Superior and Duluth were down to
minimum and the demand since that time
hand. Where under ordinary conditions
reasonably large percentage of The
northwest's winter supply of hard coal
should have accumulated on the docks
there is little more than enough to supply
the summer demand
If the strike should be settled or de-
clared off by July rs or Aug. J., which is
now thought to be the earliest possible
date, it would be impossible to bring tha
northwests hard coal supply to- the head
OF lakes by boat. Granting that the
transportation could be readily furnished
the mines would have such an immense
demand from New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania in which states 50 per cent
OF their product is consumed that the
or per cent of the total output taken
by the northwest would have: to wait, and
be partially transported by rail through
out the winter.
. The Local Supply. ~.
The local supply Of anthracite is in an
unsatisfactory shape. While the sheds
of most of the companies are reasonably
we'll fiIled, several Of them are out OF
some sizes. Some are out of the market
entirely on sizes that have the readiest
sale and announce that they will be un-
able to get more until the mines begin
operations: Every ything is being cleaned
up in the east and the northwest is prin-
cipally dependent upon what coal it has
on It's docks and in it's sheds ..--,.
Anthracite is selling at $795 in Mime
apolis on the usual plan Of advancing the
price 10 cents per month from April l to
September 1. On July 1, according to
this plan, the price will again advance 10
cents per ton, but considering the big
advances in the east and the growing ser
iousness Of the situation, coal men are
expecting orders from the east to advance
the price materially over hits figure.
Soft Coal supply.
The soft coal supply at the head Of the
lakes is only small portion Of what it
should be at this time of the year. No
soft coal is accumulating there now.
Practically all that arrives by lake is be-
ing taken out by rail while the local de-
mand at Duluth and Superior is depicting
the stocks. This condition has convinced
coal men that the all rail movement must
be seorted to again next winter.
Illinois coal operators are watching the
northwest closely. They hope to profit
by the shortage of eastern coal in the
northwest when navigation closes. The
various operators are sending price lists
to the northwestern dealers. The situa-
tion is also being carefully studied by the
traffic men of the Burlington and other
James j. Hill roads: IAN effort is to be
made this year to give Illinois coal bet
ter opportunity at this market. ~