The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-11
C0ALDEMAN DCROWS GREATER
SUPPLY SEEMS LESS YARDS
EMPTIED An nor ORTWO.
The Whole Population Has Been scared
by the Cold Snap ond is Trying 10 Get
Its winter supply NJ Once Rich Co
Ing 10 Poor's Aid-Grty Cant Onieiaily.

's SNpIuy ~ wv
Ing 10 Poors Aid-Grty Cant Oniciaily.
The demand for coal WAS even greater
yesterday than on Tuesday, though the tenn
perature was much higher. Fairy in the
morning after being open only an hour
or two the yards OF MANY of the dealers were
empty.
To people who have been buying ten
tons Of coal at time one ton on an Arctic
day like Tuesday looked miserably small
and a sort of panic prevailed among the
people in fine residential districts from
which the people In the teneinents were
free.
The poor could get coal a, 10 cents pail.
which is little more than 81 a ton, at the
depots established for hat purpose at the
time OF the strike People in better cir
cumstances. who went To buy coal by the
ton could get none, though they were will
ing to pay a premium for il if delivered
immediately.
There was much talk about dealers hav-
ing TO buy coal from middlemen and indie
pendent dealers al n premium and some
operators admitted that the independent
dealers were charging any price they could
get for coal From 81 to % u ton Vas the
retail price.
Many people seem unable to understand
the coal situation. A downtown lawyer
wrote to The sun:
| would like to know why. If the mines
have been worked to anything near their
normal capacity for the last six weeks, under
weather conditions during most of that tune
almost like summer, there ia such a scarcity
of coal for heating purposes. Who is de-
cciving the public and profltins thercby-the
operator. the middleman or the retailer?
A large dealer made this statement to a
Sun reporter:
The operators are not TO blame for the
shortage and the retailers are not to blame
for the high prices. although both prevail
OF course. We retailers cannot sell coal Tor
the same price that We sold i for last winter
We have 70 pay more for IL than We did then
and We are entitled to IA certain profit
Even at the prices We are now charging
there is not so much, profit for one reason
because We were unable To place our orders
for the winter supply early IN the year and
thus take advantage of the low prices v lich
always prevail at that time. for another
because we are compelled by the scarcity TO
deliver, in small lots. and that means ad-
diuonal expense Part OF the cost OF the
as much to deliver half ton as 1t doe. TO
deliver four tons there Is n corresponding
decrease In profit Tie horses have 10 be
fed and the men have To be pnd
As matter OF fact coal is coming to New
York in ns great quantities and even greater
than it came last year at this time New
York and its vicinity use about 100 $50 tons a
day AZ this time OF year. and til" normal
arrival is about 7j,"c tons. That much is
coming now. but there IL no reserve supply,
as there usually is to draw on to nh the de-
mand Large consumers. too, usually have
their supplies III and are easy. This leaves
US only The small consumer TO attend TO But
now nobody, large or small. has n winters
supply and verybody Is clamcring Tor it.
People may clHmor about the short supply
sRd sise high prices, but II they will look into
the matter a little they viii see that both
operators and dealers are dong the best tney
can.
Other dealers said that after exhausting
the coal they have received from the com
panbes they are buying from hand to mouth,
One asserted that white New York l. getting
its fair share Of the coal distributor, the
city's present supply, IL evenly divided,
would last only tv.nty-four hours. An
other. repres 'nting Dickson 4 Eddy. sales
agents for the New York. Ontario and West
ern Railroad. said
Every one could get Goal enough for tho
present If II We're possible to distrihute 1t
properly, but this is impossible and II j. the
fault OF many of the consumers Many
then 20 to several other dealers and get a
ton from each This throws matters out of
joint because for every one who gets more
than his fair share some one will want There
will be- chao, IN the entire coal situation. ]
am afraid. all winter
1t required eight policemen Yesterday to
keep the people in lire at Alfred BARRIERS
Sons yard Ia Water street. where coal il
sold by the pail to tenement jewellers. Ia
Brooklyn the coal famine continued IN
abated. Many persons there paid $40
ton for coalandyet could not get all llc coal
they wanted. President Underwood OF
the Eric Railroad, which supplies a good
deal Of coal to South Brooklyn, said
Brooklyn. for purely physical reasons,
may be later in getting coal than Man
haitian, Manhattan Is nearer to the Hud-
son River and gets the coal fresh"
II il doubtful " the Aldermen's resolu-
coal to be distributed among the poor can
be carried into eject. The heads Of the
city government, after studying the Charter
yesterday, we're unable to find any provision
which will permit the expenditure. Neither
Comptroller Grout nor Corporation Counsel
Rives, however, would commit themselves
to a definite opinion on the subject II win
be brought up aud fully discussed on Fri
day at the meeting Of the Board Of tsti-
mde.
ono member Of tho ad rnistratio1 said.
The Charter was purposely drawn 70 pro-
hibt the appropriation OF money for out
conditions named in Section 2so il may be
around The stunt BY Quitting Broad nrH
probation on some other cllon OF the Charter
fear that il will be impos -ibie' to comfy With
the resolution passed by the Alder men
Ma agr John ii. Springer Of the Grand
Opera House al Twenty-third street aud
Eighth avenue, announced yesterday tha
he would give away to the poor to-day
twenty-five tons Of coal He will begin
to give out the GOAL by the pail at Q o'cloc ok
Each applicant must get a ticket from him
at the Opera House.
Miss Helen Gould has sent to Commander
BoothTucker of the Salvation Army her
check for 81 900 to be used in purchasil z
coal for the poor II was also said that
J. Pierpont Morgan had promised Com
mander Tucker to arrange for supply
of 200 or 300 tons Of coal day to be sold
to the Salvation Army at reasonable
price for distribution among the poor
It was said that NJ. Morgan had gone into
his own pockets to supply the coal
suont ask me anything about business
Of that nature, said Mr., Morgan with en-
phasis, when asked ii II was true
Commander Booth-Tucker said that Mr..
Morgan had promised to do all he can 10
assist the Army.
The churc 90 Of the Eighteenth Assem-
bly, district distributed 81 500 In clothng,
groceries, and coal to the poor yesterday.
The donation came from the Tammaiy
district Organization Of which LEADER
al - IT,