Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-14
Burn up Houses Because ofscarcity
Of Coal.
MINE FUEL In WATERS OF SOUND
Sunken Barges Yield Profit to Wreck.
ing Company-Serious Feature of
Strike is Smoke Observation-Disclosures
to Import Black Diamonds.
Washington. d. G.. Oct. 10.

one OF the most curious incidents OF
the coal strike occurred today in
Washington, when two colored fami-
lies who had left their respective
homes for few hours returned to find
that the later had been knocked down
and used for fuel by the neighbors
| The dwellings were of the little shanty
type, which is one of the peculiari-.
| ties of Washington The families &C.
cupylng them We're moving into better
quarters in anticipation of the winter
cold. They did not finish their moving
yesterday and when they returned
this morning to complete the work, To-
and behold. there were no houses
there, but just the bare ground. The
houses were not of much value, but
Washington is interested in the Incl
dent as one of the novel developments
of the coal famine. The colored own.
ers Of the dwellings did not get much
sympathy. Said one old colored wo-.
man: 1t amt no mo- than right to
burn de ole houses up as fire wood,
cause coal is too high to buy and we's
got to keep wa'm.''
Word reaches Washington of anoth-
er strange development of the all-im-.
portant strike Coal mining in the
waters OF Long Island sound has been
taken up with an idea of relieving the
strlngency OF the coal market. The
coal that is thus mined" is that con-.
tanned in sunken barges and the min.
ers are making fine profit on their
Work. The company that is doing this
unique work at the start of it's career
devoted its time to recovering wreck
ed barges which had been abandoned
In the water of the sound. This WELD.
ed large profit. some of which came
from the occasional recovering of
barses of coal. Since the strike. how.
ever, the coal business has become the
principal work, as in it is the greatest
pfo1lt. 1t costs nothing but the labor
to pump the coal up after it has beet
located and with the recent prices of
coal andmmense profit is realized.
A serious feature of the strike is go.
ing to be the smoke nuisance resulting
from the use of much soft coal. II will
take much time for the people to be.
come acquainted with the methods Of
burning soft coal SO as to reduce the
smoke In the big cities. The handling
OF the soft coal in the streets will also,
mean a tremendous increase of dirt
Much of the smoke nuisance bowevar
can be abated by the exercise of care.
ana common sense. People will have
10 understand that soft coal cannot be
burned IN the way that hard coal is
burned: me practice of heaping large
quantities OF coal on the fire invaria--
piy means great waste as we'll as in.
crease in smoke. A safo coal fire
should always be kept bright in order
mat there shall be perfect combustion
a little coal should be sprinkled on the
nre often. Burned in that way soft
coal does not create much smoke
While its heat is conserved.
J. Pierpont Morgan's nroiect IN
bringing INTO this country some 500 600
TONS OF coal has peculiar feature to
u. MOST OF the coal he proposes to
bring in is American coal taken orig.
lnally from this country He will pc,
THIS coal supply from boards of COAL
that are stored up abroad. In this wav
distress in a measure may be ayerteS
in the city of New York. Other ereat
steamship lines have coal sunnliss
abroad. One firm is said to have TX
wv tons on hand and declares that |
lney can BUY 10000 tons more if they
Wlsh at Hamburg. The most of this
coal is pennsylvania coal and was car
ried over the ocean by the same line
Inc ofncers OF the company declare
that II public conditions demand thew
can have all that $4,000 and the 20 O00
IONS over here by the end of tbe
by carrying certain amount
IN each returning vessel. The conn.,
pany has already offered the civ of
New York 1000 tons of coal at SIS ner
on. This offer is made on account Of
.nelr public spirit, of course. to saw
lothlng of the profit of the coal de-.
spite the fact that it will have baen
,arrled across the ocean twice Tn ad,
iltion to this there is a rumor that
100000 tons of coal are coming over
rom Canada. 0'ei
1t is declared that Mr.. Morgan's fear
II riots was what caused him to ordar
ms oV.ooO tons OF coal brought from
lpfoaa. his action was taken after
ong interviews personally and by tel.
phone with the operators. One an.
honty states that the importation was
Inspired by an operator who went to
IT. Morgan and asked what would be
one IN the event of riots. Mr.. Nor
ans reply was that he would prevent
he riots by furnishing the coal. and
lie, at once gave the order. The move
hoWs that the coal operators are will
lg to spend any amount of money
ather than recognize the union and
lose the strike. This importation of
oal will cost the operators fully a
uarter of a million dollars. The east
in apprehension over the report that
cold wave is coming. The coal from
ngland can not possibly get here till
aturday, and it is estimated that in
taShiuot New Nnrl. and otI,.,. 1..,...