davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
WASHINGT0N'S COAL FAMINE.
Government Buildings Seriously Affected.
but Relief in Sight.

Washington Dec. 15-The coal famine already q,
affecting the government buildings. and the sun
ply in most cases is nearly exhausted. Some OF
them would have to be closed in anything Hlxa
blizzard weather and rigid economy has been or
dered- The coal supply at the Postofhce Depart
ment was exhausted early this mOraing. and all
the electric lights above the first floor and thu
private elevator of the Postmaster General wera
shut of. The steam plant at the Interior Depart .
nent also was shut down for an hour bur a
limited supply of coal finally was secured from
local dealers. The Capitol has only two days' sur
ply. but no fears are felt there. as the contract
with the Reading Railroad requires that COMPANY
20 furnish sufficient fuel to keep the building heat
ed The Agricultural. Census and other buildings
likewise hate a limited supply.
Considerable relief however, is expected 70 70
SUIT from orders issued to-day by the Board az
commissioners for the District of Columbia an
thor1zng the laying of temporary additional sfaar,
railroad tracks expressly for coal delivery Tra
acton was based on representations that one rail-
read company had one hundred cars loaded Tirb
anthracite and bituminoUs coal in its wards her.
but could not discharge them for want of tracLaSs
ma tnat with more tracks this company would be
able TO deliver TO Washington dealers thirtv Or
fcrty carloads a day until the situation is ma
terlaIy improved l. is said that the coal from this
source and from the other railroads will permit q
fairly satisfactory supply to the city
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
SNOW CAUSES CAR BLoCKADEs.
Trucks, Too, Are Impeded-Fair Weather,
However. Helps Traffic

Fair weather made travel in the city yesterday
comforta able, although in the streets delayed
the cars considerably at times and helped to create
blockades The inability OF horses to draw heavy
loads on the slippery. snow covered pavements
caused many stoppages Of cars The worst trouble
was uptown. where the work of clearing the snow
from the avenues had not made much headway.
The weather did not appear to be responsible for
a serious delay on the elevated road in Sixth-ave.
at the rush hour last evening. The mechanism of
an electric train going uptown apparently got out
of order. and the train lmped along and CaHe TO
stop frequently between stations. holding back
many other trains. 1t took nearly an hour to get
from the Park Place station to Twenty-eighth-st-,
and that delayed n score of other trains half an
hour.
About the same time a cart filed with snow was
overturned Sixth-ave. and Forty -second-st-
Enough snow went down through the slots TO cross
circuit electrical conductors Of the two street.
car lines crossing each other at that point, and
many stalled for half an hour on both
lines before wreckfng crew could clear the OBJ
struction aud raise the blockade.
Although the snow in country districts continued
to impede progress of trains coming to the city
Yesterday, the mail service had improved greatly.
postofice officials said, Mail trains from the West
and from New-England were two or four hours
behind time, compared with ten hours behind
on Sunday. The officials said they expected to
have the mails on schedule time to-day
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
IEGTSL4 TURE CAN ACT.
Has Legal Right to Take Franchise
Po7cfy- from aldermen.

Attorney General John c. Davies yesterday
advised William r King chairman OF the Mer-
chants Association committee on the Pennsyl-
Sania tunnel franchise that the legislature has
the legal power 10 take from the Board OF AL
dermen the power to grant franchises and vest
It in the Board of Estimate and APportionment
OF anv other board or body elected by the cleo
tors of the city or appointed by the authorities
Of the city, bat has no power TO grant fran
chise to a railroad company for tunnel
Mr. King first wrote 10 Governor Odell, asking
him to direct the Attorney General to look into
whether it would be possible TO restrict the
powers of the Board Of Aldermen. by transfer
ring the power to grant franchises to the Board
Of Estimate and Apportionment and stating
that the Merchants Association purposed to
fight the battle through the legislature If the
Board Of Aldermen acted adversely.
The Governor did as requested, and the At
torney General sent his opinion to the Governor,
who in turn forwarded it to Mr. King. The
opinion said:
power 10 grant a franchise to a railroad company
10 build q tunnel n New-York City for railroad
PURPOSES Such action is forbidden by Article III,
Section ls Of the constitution
indicated Is now vested by statute in the Board OF
Aldermen OF New-York City. In my opinion, the
legislature may take this power from the Board
OF Aldermen and confer it upon the Board OF Esti-
BODY elected by the electors of the city or ap-
pointed by the authorities of the city.
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
URGES CANTOR TO VOTE "AYE."
W. F. King Reminds Borough President
That His Parents Were Foreigners

William F. King chairman of the Merchants AS
sociation's committee the Pennsylvania tunnel
franchise. yesterday addressed a letter to Presi-
dent Cantor. urging him 10 vote for the franchise
when il goes before the aldermen to-day.
Mr.. Cantor replied by telephone that he would
state before the board his position and his
therefor
The letter said in part:
The commercial manufacturing and financial In
terests demand that this tunnel and terminal be
built. because it will mean much TO them and
the development of city They have done
much directly and indirectly for local labor, for,
after ALL labor organizations essentially local.
and national, except in mere form. The pros
perity OF this local labor depends absolutely upon
the prosperity OF the local business interests.
You have said much about the Importation OF
-'dago' labor. Think. Go back TO your boyhood
You were born of foreign parents; so was L
remember way back In the ffties when the menia
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
C4RP4CKING CONTINUES
EIeuoted Train Passengers damned
Outside of Rush Hours.

Despite the fact that officials Of the Manhattan
elevated road declare that all available cars are
being used, the jam Of passengers before and
after the rush hours is great as 1t Is then 1he
close packing method of the train guards are like
those employed in livestock before the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stopped
their usage. so far as cattle were concerned
Despite recent agitation on this subject the
crowding continues and IS apparently due 10 a
failure TO run enough trains all hours Of the day
and night In q letter 10 President Cantor yester-
day William F. King Of the Merchants Associa-
tion. said:
There IS now before the city of New-York a prob
lem in which you can ala as npGh as any & 0thee ne
charge OF the Order of Acorns, and shall ask him
to take up the question ea1a once tn the service gwen BY
the surface and elevated roads of New. York CIty I
against the daily outrages and insults to ,s which
greed of the corporations controlling the trans
portation facilities of our city
In replying to this the telephone. Mr.. Can
tor said he considered the present crowding OF pas
sengers into cars not only outrage on the gen
eral public but particularly to the womanhood Of
the city more especially to those women of the
working class who were compelled to travel in the
crowded cars during the rush hours or the day
He agreed to cooperate in any movement which
zyould have in view the renedying of these cond-
+ions and stated that he trusted the fathers.
brothers and other relatives Of the women OF our
city would join TO make such movement sue
cess.
The officials Of the elevated road assert that dur
ing the time of the greatest traffic they
available car. By 11'30 p. m, however, while the
trains are still crowded before they get well up
town any one may many cars sidetracked on
the track used by the express trains. These could
easily be used il would seem, TO relieve the con-
gestion-
Yesterday morning six-car trains were on
the Sxth-ave. line These trains viii be kept run
ming, It said, during the holiday season until
1870 D. m. or q little later. The to make
these trains possible that line, said an official,
did not come from the shops until three four
days ago. The same one also said that every car
possible was being utilized Meanwhile, the trains
running late at night remain exceedingly crowded.
Albany Dec. ia general denial is the answer
OF Vice-President Alfred Skitt. of the Manhattan
elevated to the complaint OF F. H Weeks, marine
engineer of New-York, who charges deficiency of
car service, particularly the Third-ave. line
Mr.. Weeks wrote TO the State Railroad Commits
sioners. alleging that the number Of had been
reduced since the installation of electric motive
power In his Mr.. Skitt asserts that the
road has not reduced the service in any way. but
on the contrary. is running sixty more than
ever before IN its history.
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
SNOW AIDS SIG BOSTON FIRE.

Boston, Dec 15-Encased in ice and hindered ~
deep snow almost the entire force Of the ci1F
Fire Department fought flames IN the seven stols
block No. 30 to zS Summer-st.. early to-day.
loss estimated at between 100000 and Sl25.00o re-
suited from the fire. two bookbinGinS Hrnls' e.
Fleming & Co. and Mcdonald & Sons, being eurneu
out while several other concerns. including In
Estes Press and Avery L. Rand, puohsner' Su'
tanned heavy damage by water.
For more than three hours the work OF the FITS
Department seemed to be fruitless. Oceans Wef0
poured upon the flames. only to run down the staH
ways and soak through the floors to rooms oeio".
The torrents running down the stairs rusnea o1
into Aldine-st a narrow thoroughfare in the fea.
of ths building and as the sewers were cnoAea -
with snow the water filed the street, rislnS Sy S
high that the fires OF engine No 80 were put O1
and firemen waded up to their waists r.,
At other points hremen suffered greaIly zen
cased in coverings of ice, they climbed the ssso
stories slippery fire escapes and ladGers had
Casualties were reported. Ladder Man Taylor na
his hand cut by falling bricks. and Patroinan
Lewis was slightly overcome by smoke
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
FOURTEEN RAILROADS SUED.
Injunction Asked to Prevent Cutting of
Rates.

Chicago Dec. l5.-Argument fer a temporary in
7-~"tion restraining fourteen railroads from cut
- rates in violation of the Sherman and Inter
state Commerce acts, was begun in the United
States Circuit Court of Appeals to-day, Judge
C;rosscllp of Chicago and Judge Philips. of Kansas
City sitting Eight of the cases were brought be
fore Judge Philips on March "a, when bill was
presented by the government at the instance OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission. and temporary
restraining order entered without argument. A
similar bill was brought before Judge Grosscup
against the other six roads, and a like order en-
tered The roads reserved the right to reopen the
cases, which is now done
The railroads against which the injunction is
asked are the Michigan Central Pittsburg and Fort
Wayne. Pittsburg, Cincinnati. Chicago and 81
Louis Lake Shore and Michigan Southern limos
Central Chicago and Northwestern, Chicago ana
Alton. Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul Chicago
Great Western, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Chicago, Bur
lington and Quincy. Missouri Pacific and wabash.
The hearings of the fourteen cases in Chicago
simultaneously is by agreement of counsel
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
ELECTRIC SHOCK CAUSES ApHAs1a.
Case of Young Woman Puzzles Doctors at
Bellevue Hospital

The doctors at Bellevue Hospital are puzzled over
the case of Mrs Annie Stapleton twenty-one wears
Old OF No ABS West Thrty-sixth-st. who was made
speechless and lost the of her right leg fron,
the effects Of an electric shock Mrs Stapeton was
riding on sound-bound Ninth-ave- surface car last
evening when current Of electricity passed behind
the seat where she was sitting. She was rendered
unconscious at the time, but recovered after being
carried to nearby drug store. Immediately upon
her recovery she became hysterical but could not
speak She was. however, able to write her name
and address on a slip of paper
One Of the physicians at Bellevue Hospital where
the woman was taken said that the case was the
strangest one he had ever seen The young wonn-
ans head appeared to be perfectly clear and her
jaws were not locked, but she could not utter
word or sound of kind. When first examined
by DR.. Vose her tongue of a blush color, but
it quickly resumed its natural color. DR.. voss
thought that her speech would return, but did
not do so. The doctors said that they had been
told that Mrs Stapeton sitting III the centre
of the at the time OF the accident. They could
not account for the fash of electricity in that part
of the car. nor could they imagine how It affected
Mrs Stftpleton without leaving some mark.
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
VINELAND'S REAL LIVE EARL
George swifte Says He Is Kept from "Vast
Estates in Ireland

The butterfly ernerges from it's chrysaIis. Like
wise does George Swifte hope to develop from the
"demnition grind" Of workaday life in Vineland.
". j. Into the bright existence Of owner Of
an estate Of $2oO00.010 and seat In the House OF
Lords would he go. for he's rtghtfuI heir. he says.
to the rtle and estates Of his father. the OF
Carlingford of Swifte's Heath Ireland To use the
phraseology Of literature of which his case Is
strongly reminiscent. he was. the story runs de
prived of his rightful inheritance by the nachina-
tons of relatives driven from his home and forced
TO wander over the world. gaining bare livelihood
by work to which he would not have condemned the
meanest Of his servants.
John w Northrup and Charles Keighley. wealthy
Vineland men, have investigated Swiftes story. and
will supply him the funds necessary to reopen Ht-
CATION The case will be taken from Dublin to the
London courts. because Peter O'Brien. Lord Chan
celIor Of Ireland has recently married sister or
Swiftes stepmother, who he says, turned him out
LORD CarIingford, Goodwin Meade Pratt Swifte.
George swftes father married after his first w1fss
death Miss Clark, Of County Kilkenny Dying a
year later, he left by his second wife. This
son. Goodwin Meade Butler Swifte, nov possesses
the vast Estates The children were made court
wards but Lady Carlingford. the claimant says,
took out letters Of administration. and saying that
she did not know who the heir, but anyway
she didn't have 10 support stepchldren' turned nln
George swifte hired lawyers. but his money gave
out. and. after drifting around the world several
times. ne settled in Vineand. working at anything
In the mean time he has kept fighting for his
estates. He has much documentary evidence
like Miss Elite. Of chancery memory
Mr. Northrup. who went TO England TO invesci-
gate the case. says that "a loquaclous innkeepeT
told him that Goodwin Meade Butler Swifts was q
great fayOrte among the ladies OF the aristocracy
Ii EIa ITdI1ld never get married until he heard
of the death of the legal heIr George Wno was
wandering about America Old Lord Carlingford
would turn over in his grave were he TO know now
l1nIustly his favOrite son George was treated All
the old residents and tenants kLe" l-lAL GeO-so
rightful heir
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
HOLIDAY IN MITCHELLS HONOR.
Business Suspended at His Old Home In Il
linOis-A Parade.

Spring Valley, Ill. Dec. 15-John Mitchell re
ceived a warm welcome his return to his old
home to-day. The day observed as genera!
holiday. and business was suspended in his honor
From nearby towns delegations began arriving at
an early hour. and joined the demonstration.
1t is estimated that three thousand unionists and
citizens took part in the parade. headed by mill
tary band. escorted the labor leader from
the train through the principal business streets.
The feature of the afternoon programme was the
presentation of two sets OF resolutions, one by
citizens and labor organizations OF Spring Valley.
and the other by the Peru Trades and Labor Coun-
ell The former engraved on a large silver
tray, part of a set of fVe pieces presented 10
President Mitchell and felictated him on the
cess achieved for the miners in the PennsylEahia
The resolutions were embossed on
aluminium and incased in massive frame.
AT a meeting this evening President w r. Rus
sell of the Illinois Miners Union, Thomas l.. Kidd,
w B. Wilson and James Beattie, made speeches
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
WHERE CHILDREN MAY COAST.

Park Commissioner WILCOX issued an order yes
terday designating several places in Central Park
where the children will be permitted to coast with
their sleds and throw snowballs Coasting VIII De
permitted in the following places:
The Empire ball grounds at the southern end Of
the park; the entrance at Fffty-ninth-st. and Sew
enth-ave will be for bows and at Fffty-ninth-st
and Fifth-aye. for girls, and the grounds will be
divided between the two sexes. At the rear Of the
7th Regiment monument. about Sixty -ninth-st In
the centre of the park, for boys exclusively. Near
the Conservatory Lake, at Sixty -eighth-st and
FTfth-aye. for boys and girls Back of the Met
ropolitan Museum of Art, and the East Drive at
One -hundredth-st.. for boys and girls.
Snowballing will be permitted on the baseball
green and the North Meadow.
Commissioner WILCOX said that he expected
good winter for snow, and would allow the chill
dren freedom of the several sections mentioned
whenever there sufficient snow to allow OF the
Snn
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
ANTHRACITE HEAPS UP.


uation at the end of the strike was not SO very
bad The reduction in price and what VIVA na Iol9wed s
at IS and dealers had advised their customers that
have almost normal conditions now
All the big coal companies are making eff
forts to increase the supply of coal for this
city. At the Lehigh Valley office yesterday an
official said:
The Lehigh Valley Coal Company, realizing, the
great need of coal in New-York City, and TO reieve
the present situation there much as poSSln1e
has issued at its M MINES 10 m Prb
Amboy and Jersey City to deliver the same
Travellers to the city over the Erie Railroad
reported yesterday that the yards of that road
We're filled with loaded Upon inquiry 1t
was learned that coal trains We're rusneo
through the tunnel under the Jersey city
Heights all Sunday night to the exclusion OF al
most all other traffic.
Freight rates from the Jersey shore to New
York have been greatly advanced. Captains Of
barges are getting 40 to 30 cents ton now
Under normal conditions they received 10 to
90 cents according as the delivery was from
the upper lower ports. Now, also, the dealers
have to pay SO day demurrage on their boats
instead of So One dealer yesterday showed
bill of S421 for freight Do tons of anthracite,
for taking it from one of the upper ports 10
Manhattan.
The Jersey Central Railroad has made de-
mand on the Lehigh and Niikesbarre' Coal Com
pany for 10000 tons of broken anthracite a
week and it is thought this indicates that the
road is going return to the use OF anthracite
owing to the present scarcity of soft coal
consumer of coal said yesterday that the
weight of the ton of coal delivered at retali
should be taken into account in estimating
the profits of dealers who get coal from the
railroads at S5 a ton and sell it at $40 a ton
THE retailer he said, gets 2,240 pounds in
every ton The retail price is for a ton of 2.ouO
pounds and the consumer is fortunate II he gets
that much in ton delivered to him. rarely
get over 800 pounds for an alleged ton. If
the retailer gives 1000 pounds to the ton how
ever he makes a profit of IL per cent on the
difference in weight between the wholesale and
retail TONS
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
NEARLY 100000 TONS SHIPPED.

Reading Penn. Dec. 15.-There were no ship
rnents Of hard coal the Reading Railroad
until tonight the anthracite sent to market yes
terday having cleared up all that at the
coIeries. The Reading company, apprecatng
that unless supply of coal was Immediately forth
coming there would be a serious fuel famine in
New-York and Philadelphia, well in other
towns along the line yesterday inaugurated
move that promises some relief from the present
situation. From Saturday at midnight to yester
day at midnight the company brought down from
the mines $1,000 of coal. Besides nearly 40000
tons started Friday. The immense traffic
was handled without hitch. Every available
locomotive pressed into service. but because
OF snow and ice slow time made
The Reading company is making every effort
relieve the situation. and the fuel will be rushed
from the mines rapidly the supply of ears
and motive power will permit but the company is
handicapped because of the lack OF sufficient en-
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16

ened up and as he walked to his seat remarked
We'll. I'd like to see her father.
Another thirteen-year-old girl said she worked
all night in the silk mill at Dunmore for DO
cents a night.
Judge Gray asked, Does your father own his
house?'
Yes, sir; he's my stepfather."
He is your stepfather. 1 thought So
Judge Gray here inquired to the law In
Pennsylvania on child labor at night. one stat
ute was found which partially covered the case,
and the chairman remarked that it seemed as
though the statutes of Pennsylvania in this part
of the State did not bother any one
Mr.. Darrow remarked that the laws could not
enforce themselves.
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
WAITED TWO HOURS FOR AMBULANCE.

Policeman Harrigan. of the West Forty-seventh-
st station at 1890 2. yesterday. sent call to
Roosevelt Hospital for an ambulance TO take Eliza
walsh fourteen years old from her home, No. 5S1
West Fifty-third-st, TO the hospital She was suf-
fering from epilepsy. The ambulance did not arrive
at the house until hours later the policeman. in
the mean time having sent three more calls TO the
hospital
Dr whittemore and the ambulance driver ex
nlafned the delay by saying that the condition OF
the streets made them almost impossible The doc
tor said also that only ambulance was IN COM
mission at the hospital. and that 1t took him an
hour to get to Bellevue yesterday with an insane
paff
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
NO HOOP AND MOUTH IN NEwYoaK.

Albany Dec IA yoke of oxen from the toWh o
Otis Berkshire County. Mass. purchased oy Hat
dali Hoxie Of Ghent. Columbia County, eludeo lA
pickets of the State Board Of Agriculture out "si
promptly discovered and are under surVeilaH'7
The oxen are not infected nor from an ln1ect9u
district but Hoxe violated the federal auarantin0
against foot and mouth disease, and his case Is u
the hands of the federal authorities for proseeN
ton. ,s
herd at Binghamton. reported as infected t.t tSs
out to be suspected only of tuberculosis, anu tA@
State is still free from foot and mouth disease
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16

labor of this citv was done by the Irish German,
English and Scotch Are their offsprings to.day
doing that naenial labor in New-York? NO ey Iney
ciers. etc In fact the greater majority OF them
the masters in all lines OF IF 5Faqe 16 S mmisrat ton
from all those nations. To-day we are a6s6rD,hg ing
the so-calIed "dago' labor without Which tLIe
meniai labor of this country could not pc per
formed In few years we VIII nave iIS a9S01o @ ova
the entire surplus of that labor, and we VIII nave
10 look eIsewhere Tor men to do the menal labor
of our CITY State and nation
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
TRAINS CONTINUE LATE.

Trains on the main line and branches of the Erie
Railroad were delayed yesterday morning. and
commuters were from one two hours late in
reaching the city Tho through trains from the
West Including the Chicago Limited were three
hours late. The delay due TO the heavy con-
dition of the track. caused by the recent snow
storm. Trains other roads running into Jersey
CITY experienced similar delay.
New-York tribune., 1902-12-16
LIGHTHOUSES OUT OF COAL.

Narraganset. Pier r. L. Dec 15.-The lighthouses
at Point Judith Watch Hill and Block Island are
without coal, and Superintendent II. NJ Knowles
has been unable relieve them He has reported
the fact to Superintendent I<nball Of Life Saw
ing Service in Washington.