The San Francisco call., 1903-01-20
JURORS |ND|CT
COAL DEALERS
Forty Five Operators
and Retailers Will
Be Prosecuted.
Chicago Investigating Body
Acts on Evidence 1t
Received.

CHICAGO, Jan. ia true bill was re-
turned this morning against forty-fve
coal operators and retailers, charging
conspiracy to do an illegal act injurious
TO public trade. The indictments are
against corporations and individuals do
ing business in Illinois and Indiana. Bail
was fixed at $780,
Following is a list of those against
whom indictments were returned: Chi
cago, Wilmington and Vermillion Coal
Company, Big Four Coal Company Gard
Wilmington Coal Company, Whining
ton Star Mining Company, Bell and Zoal-
Ter Coal Company, Murphy, Kennan e1
Co, Carbon Coal Company Wilmington
Coal Mining Company, Cardiff Coal Com
pany, The Star Coal Company of
Streetor, ILL.,: The Braceville Coal Com
pany Acme Coal Company. Illinois Third
Vein Coal Company, The Tenona Coal
Company, The Devlin Coal Company,
Spring Valley Coal Company. Marquette
Third Vein Coal Company, Oglesby Coal
Company, w. NJ. Sanford, c. s. Lusk.
Frank E. Lukens, Gus Ancutt, III. II.
Keller. Frank McGrew, +. M. Durkee,
G. l., MarstOn. r. c. Brown, Hugh Shir-
kie, ]. ]. Higgins, ]. Smith Telley, Jo-
seph Martin, Edward Shirkfe, II. r. Nc
Clellan. John Shirkie, Walter S. Boyle,
Bruillette Creek Coal Company, Oak Hill
Coal and Mining Company, Coal Bluff
Mining Company, Parke County Coal
Company Glen Oak Coal and Mining
Company Nevins Coal Company Indiana
Fuel Company, McClelland Sons x Co,
Crescent Coal and Mining Company.
Accompanying the return of the indict-
ments was an explanatory report setting
forth the grounds upon which the Jurors
based their action. The shortage, they
declare, they found due primarily and
principally to the recent great strike in
the anthracite coal fields" Bituminous
coal could not be mined and stored in suf-
fcient quantities to supply the deficiency
caused by the restricted output from the
anthracite mines, first, because the ca
pacity of the mines could not be increased
so materially on short notice, and, sec
ondly, because the shortage of bituminous
coal during the summer months is mex
pedient, owing to danger of deterioration
through slackening and of destruction by
fire through spontaneous combustion"
II Chicago, it is said, the amount OF an
thracite coal received in 1902 was 1,5O1,637
tens less than in 1901, to offset which
there was an increase of only 79s,72l tons
of bituminous coal. The difficulty expert
enced by the railroads in handling the
large quantity required for daily supplies.
owing TO the failure to secure bituminous
coal during the summer months, also,
they found, constituted one of the causes
of the famine. The railroads they be-
lieved to be doing all in their power TO
move the coal promptly. to market and
the accumulation of coal-laden cars in
railroad yards does not exist to an un-
usual extent at this time of year.
1.-The jury finds no convincing evidence
the report reads, ''of a deliberate deten-
ton of coal for the purpose of intensity
/ ing the difficulties Of the situation"
/ While not finding the present condition
J due to or appreciably Influenced by any
/ conspiracy in restraint of trade, and while
! convinced that the law of supply and de-
mand sufficiently accounts for the high
i prices prevailing, the jury found that
/ there existed in the city of Chicago and
/ in Illinois and in neighboring States "cer-
| tain combinations, which it deems to be
/ of trade within the meaning of the stat
! utes," as follows: The Northern Illinois
! Soft Coal Association. the Retail Coal
/ Dealers Association of Illinois and Wis
/ consin, a certain combination of Indiana
| coal operators with the Crescent Coal and
| Mining Company. While not differing In
/ character and scope from similar COM.
binations in other lines of business. the
! jurors deemed 1t their duty to present the
| foregoing indictments. other associations
! of operators and coal dealers were found
| to exist and to have more or less effect in
! the fixing of prices and restraining COM
petition, but against whom the evidence
| did not warrant action. They are the
! Chicago Coal Exchange and the Chicago
| Track Dealers Association.