The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-10-08
FLATS IN GREAT DEMAND
Scarcity of Coal Frightens
Many Householders.
STORAGE BUSINESS BRISK
Rush Appears to Be General With All
Moving Lines, and Is Likely to
Continue Several Months.

Provident householders have turned
their attention to a vigilant search for
apartment houses or hotel accommo-
dations for the approaching winter. That
is one of the striking effects of the
prospective coal famine. Steam heated
fats are proving attractive even to some
people who own their dwellings. rentals
appearing less formidable than the
threatened size of fuel bills.
Many families are storing their
household goods; others are removing
them to the apartments they have en-
gagged. AS consequence the storage
houses all over the city are taxed TO
their utmost capacity, and furniture
vans were never driven SO hard as they
are now.
At this time of the year the business
of storage houses is almost wholly the
delivery of household goods to their
owners. Storage is done in the late
spring and through the summer. The
return to town in the fall of people
from country residences and the sea-
shore rapidly reduces storage house.
contents AS rule the storage STOCK
d;minishes from 20 to 80 per cent in
winter. This winter, however, promises
TO be the exception, and the stock in
stead of growing less will be greatly in
creased.
Goods Were Turned Away.
A member of one of the largest stor-
Err, in, ha OF
day: 1--WE have been in business ten
.ears and never did before at this time
OF year anything like the business We
are doing now Indeed, it is better
than in the summer. Not only that. but
We have had to turn away more goods
than we have taken. Two weeks ago the
rush was SO great that we could not
possibly meet 1t. Not a van in town but
was kept on the run. and outside vans
could not be had. The rush appears to
have been general with all moving lines.
Every storage house in the city has
the same tale to tell. They were all
kept moving The stir is over now to
a considerable extent, but business is
still brisk and there's no sign yet of it's
dwindling to the normal fall volume.
I'VE haven't had time to inquire the
cause of the peoples anxiety 10 get into
apartment houses or hotels, but the
discussions that are heard on the side
seem to indicate that it is caused by the
widespread alarm over the coal situa-
ton on account of the strike in the an
ihracite regions. You hear people say
ing that they are cut of coal and don't
know what to do. / don't know how
else TO account for it,
"It's the Coal Famine"
az e coal famine. guess" answered
another storage house man when asked
what caused the rush from residences
TO buildings heated by the owners.
THAT is the generally accepted cause
There isn't any other that explains the
rush. 1t is true that every year tn,
apartment houses are becoming more
popular with the renters. but the pres
ent growth is far too great to be &C.
counted for in that way.
Il suppose families finding themselves
cut of coal figure that they can estimate
their expenses If they know just what
rent they are TO pay, and this is some
thing they will not be able TO do while
tied. There is no limit to the price this
necessary household article of consump-
ton may reach before the winter is
ever.
There is no great danger of rentals
O. apartment houses going to an exorbi-
tant figure on account of the scarcity of
fuel. Most of the furnaces can re
equipped to burn bituminous coal, coke
Or even the mine run known as steam
coal"
Domestics Lose Positions.
There is a serious side to the giving
Up of large detached residences and
families moving into small apartments
or hotels. 1t is resulting in the dis
charge of many domestics, and large
number OF these are from poor fami
lies and the servants small earnings
would have been great assistance IL
keeping warm 1.-The ones at home"
There is new and original crop Of
hard coal jokes on the market this fall.
They are being sprung on the street,
from the vaudeville stage and in the
comic papers. 1t is noticeable wherever
they are produced that the situation is
far too grave for the attempts at hui
nor TO score any decided hit. Audiences
Oh the vaudeville stage receive them
with signs, deep drawn acknowledge
ments that the point has not been lost.
Thus it is everywhere the people feel
that the hard coal question has been
converted into a hard. cold proposition