Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-09

MIR. Crawford said that he had nearo 1.
stated that the independent coal operators
produced about % per cent of the coal. He
also said that the same dealers VINO supply
the government contracts supply housenoio-
ers. and that they could, If they wished 10:
give the coal to the houSeholderS 1nSteao
of to the government. He said he did not
think there was any accumulation OF coal
by the government for its uses.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
made no contracts for furnishing the gov
ernment with coal. Such contracts were
made through local dealers. The Pennsyl-
vania sells it's coal through selling agencies.
Their coal is sold here chiefly through john
son Bros. He did not know whether the
price Of the coal from the Pennsylvania
companies was limited to $1.25 as was sup
posed to be the case with Reading COAL
1t WAS stated by Senator Stewart that the
manager of the Reading company will be
before the committee Monday to give SINH
lar facts in relation to their coal in this
city.
Senator Stewart also announced that V.
Baldwin Johnson had declined to give the
names of the people from whom he bought
ceal.
1T seems" said Senator Stewart che
makes a secret about from whom he is
buying coal. as if they were doing some
thing rascally that they do not want
known" '---.
Increase of Coal Receipts.
Mr. Crawford said there was no secret
about shipments over the Pennsylvania
road. He stated that during the entire
year Goal SEASON. the coal shipped by the
Pennsylvania road to this city had de-
creased 30 per cent in the amount of an
thracite and increased 65 per cent in the
amount of soft coal. That made the total
increase of IA per cent of coal shipped to
this city over the amount of coal shipped
last year of both anthracite and soft coal.
During the months of November and De-
cember the increase was very much larger
than that of the year previous. He said
he thought all coal was being mined that it
was possible to ship. and he believed that
the shipping capacity was hardly equal to
the capacity to mine coal.
He said that the terminal facilities Of the
Pennsylvania road were sufficient to care
for the coal coming into this city, although
there had been times when coal was stop
ped outside of the District.
Cause Of the Trouble.
Chairman Stewart developed from the
testimony of Mr.. Zeh that the Independent
operators sending to Washington ten
cars Of coal to every one car supplied by
the Pennsylvania and the Reading railroad
companies. Last year the normal proper
ton was three cars from the railroad COM
panies to one from the Independent oper-
ators.
This testimony caused considerable COM
ment in the committee. Chairman Stewart
said it evidently revealed the whole trouble
of the high prices. He thought the COM
mittee should proceed at once to ascertain
the cause of this change in the proportion.
1t is likely that the officials Of the Penn
sylvania and Reading railroads will be
summoned before the committee. at least
communicated with, to explain why the in
dependent operators are permitted to ship
more high-priced coal than the railroads
can ship low-priced coal.
Couldn't Get Coal Shipped.
Mr. Louis Gathman of 1899 Vernon ave-
nue. received a letter this morning from his
son. Emil Gathman. who is employed in the
ordnance department of the Bethlehem Steel
Company. South Bethlehem. Pa. telling Of
the difficulties experienced by the latter in
trying to get car of anthracite coal
transported to Washington.
The younger Gathman wrote that he
bought a carload Of egg upper Lehigh)
coal, and asked the Central Railroad Of
New Jersey and the Philadelphia and Read
Ing roads to haul it to Hyattsville. He ten
dered each bill Of lading and each COM
pany. refused to forward the coal to the
vicinity of Washington under any circum-
stances, giving as excuse that there was
not any schedule Of freight for coal south
of Bethlehem"
II can easily get several cars of coal
here week. the letter says. but there is
not any way that l know Of in which the
railroads can be forced to forward the same
unless suit were brought against them.
IL you can arrange to have the coal
transported I can ship at least two cars
week the winter long. The prices at pres
ent are $6.23 a ton on cars here The nor
NAL rate to Washington should not exceed
81 a ton, as 81. 80 would be the correct rate
when rates from the mines are calculated.
Il trust you can arrange to get transport
tation from here. l have tried my utmost,
but orders from the general agents Of the
railroads We're shown me stating the coal
would not be accepted for southern ship
ments.
Mr.. Gathman said this afternoon that he
expects to bring the letter from his son to
the attention of the committee of the SEN
ate of which Senator Stewart Is chairman.
Supply Diminished
There has been a falling off in the
amount of coal brought to the city by the
Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio rail-
roads the last few days. Prices are still
high. Anthracite coal is being sold by local
dealers at 81 ton. while a uniform rate
of IS ton for bituminous coal prevails.
The large barge Confidence, laden with
about 400 tons of anthracite COAL from
Philadelphia for the dealers here, Is re-
ported at Baltimore awaiting tug to bring
her to this city. Several other barges are
said to be in the Chesapeake and Delaware
canal bound here.
meeting of the citizens coal commit tee
will be held at the offices of the Business
Mems Association Bond building, this
afternoon at o'clock.
Cracks in Venetian Building.