Waterbury Democrat., 1902-11-25
THE COAL SITUATION.
Bins in the Coal Yards Not Filling Up
 Very Quickly.

Although several weeks have elapsed since the end of the anthracite miners great strike, yet the local coal situation is not much changed. True, the price has dropped from $15 ton to $9 a ton, or rather S2.25 a quarter ton, for anthracite can only be bought locally in quarter ton lots Within the past few weeks a number of car loads of hard coal have arrived in this city, some for the manufacturing con- cerns, the rest for the dealers. This, no doubt, has given the public the i'm pression that the coal dealers have large supply of coal and are not justi- fled in refusing to take orders or 10 sell only quarter ton lots. When people imbued with the impression that there is plenty of coal in the local market call on their dealers and are refused ton of coal, they become in- dignant and denounce the dealers. They claim that the dealers have their bins filled with coal and are only sell ing it in quarter ton lots so that they may reap a harvest. The dealers deny this and say that their supply of anthracite is very small, even smaller, perhaps, than before the end of the strike.
 A Democrat reporter thought that he would let the public know the true condition of affairs to-day and so he paid visit to the coal yard of Frank Miller & Go which company has been generally reported as having very large supply of coal on hand. Through the courtesy of Thomas A. King the scribe was shown through the entire N.Y. Az 411T I, A1soix he was more than surprised at the small amount of coal which he saw. Empty bins greeted him on all sides, empty teams, which appeared to have been out of use for some time, were on all sides In one long TOW of coal bins, which are usually filled with [ coal at this season of the year, so MT King stated. no coal could be seen. They were empty. A few pieces of coal which rested on the rafters seemed strangely out of place. 7 The bins were completely cleaned out. On the other side it was not so bad. There were two or three empty bins and three bins which contained, the following amounts of coal: Stove coal, 15 tons; nut, 175 tons; egg, 10 tons. The amount is so small. MT - hlnS Sdlu. CndI Iuo cOH1pduy c0ulu Sell it all in three or four days if they wanted to. But that would not be acting fairly. The company desires to give every person who wants it a little coal and that is why they sell it in quarter ton lots.
 MT King was asked if the company had received any coal since the strike ended. He replied that about eight carloads, or about 300 tons. had been received. but it had disappeared all most as soon as it arrived. Other dealers had received some coal, but the supply was nowhere equal to the demand. MT King said that the pub lie was invited to pay q visit to the coal yard and see for themselves the condition of affairs. If they did, they wouldn't hvae so much fault to find. The condition that exists at the coal yard of the F. Miller Go exists in the yards of the other dealers. The local supply of anthracite is still far short of the demand and unless more coal arrives here during the nExt few weeks than has been the case during the past few weeks, there will be hard times coming.