The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-08
RAILROADS PROTECT THEM.
SELVES BY TAKING FUEL
IN TRANSIT
BIG CONSUMERS BUY
SUPPLIES EACH DAY
Five Cars of Coal Seized by the Great
Western =. Road Exercises a Right
and Pays Legal Price and Dealers
Cannot compIain-Confiscations May
Become General.

Railway service in the Northwest,
especially over the Chicago lines is in
a serious condition owing to the i'm
possibility of securing coal.
The officials of the roads concerned
are exceedingly reticent on the sub
ject, but there appears little doubt
that within ten days the public may
be startled in learning that certain
important branches of train service
must cease because there is no fuel
with which to operate the motive pow
er.
The Minneapolis & st. Louis road
has had to borrow ten cars of coal
from the Northern Pacific in order to
run it's trains out of Minneapolis, and
confiscating coal wherever found on
it's system.
There is no doubt that Chicago lines
are in serious way, and that some
Western roads have all they can do to
look out for their own interests. Or
ders from railway companies, with
headquarters in Minneapolis and st.
Paul to the Illinois coal mines, have
ELECTED the information that no prom
ise can be had of shipment at any
specified time. The result is that st.
Paul Chicago roads are on the horns
of dilemma.
1t is by no means beyond the bounds
of likelihood that within a few weeks
trains will be running on a coal sched-
ule. That is to say, the roads will
run as many trains as theye have fuel
to take care Of.
Ignite viii Help.
Roads like the Minneapolis, st. Paul
Sauft Ste. Marie and the Northern Pa
cific, as we'll as the Great Northern,
have Western resources Of Ignite
which permit them to remain in a
sense independent of the Eastern sup
ply, but there is immense difficulty in
securing men to mine the Ignite, every
Western agency being eagerly in
search of men with any experience at
coal mining.
A strong Indication Of the situa-
tion in this part of the country is fur
nished in the statement to tt e
G e yesterday of John Tripp,
Mortified merchant, who declared that
the last pound of coal had been burned
on Monday night by the electric light
plant of that city and that if a fresh
supply could not be secured within
twenty-four hours the town would be
in utter darkness, as it was not sup
piled with any supplementary AAlting
system.
Mines in Illinois are quoting no
prices and promising no delivery. 1t is
SO serious arproblem with people in the
Northwest who have municipal works
to run, that the price of all sorts OF
wood refuse from the Minneapolis mills
promises to advance tremendously.
= While local dealers are giving it out
that the supply of soft coal is sufficient
to meet all the demand, there is a deal
of guess work about the quantity on
hand and to be received. Meanwhile
some of the railroads are taking what
coal they need under their rights.
That there is something in the state
ments made by promipent dealer in
T h e G O b e yesterday, to the effect
that the owners of soft coal mines were
sending the stock East instead of West
is made plain by the action of the rail-
road companies.
Several of the local dealers have re-
Gently experienced considerable trouble
by reason of the railroad companies
confiscating coal which was in transit
or had been shipped as far as the
freight yards here.
One instance which has just come to
light is the confiscation by the Great
Western company of five cars of soft
coal which were shipped to the Jones'
Adams company The company re-
ceived notice of the shipment, but the
card from the railroad company an
nouncing its arrival in st. Paul did not
come Investigation made ELECTED the
information that the railroad company
had confiseated the shipment for it's
own use.
Railroads Have the Right.
Of course the coal firm could do moth
ing but make a protest, as the railroad
companies have the arbitrary right TO
take coal which is shipped over it's
lines if it so desires. The company
pays the price asked by the fuel COM
pany, but this does not make the act