The evening world., 1903-01-16
Put Fuel in Barses Under
Demurrase Plan, and Pay
,>QnIy One.Q Quarter What
Btorase in Cars Now
Costs Them.
TONS ARE HERE.

4, roads 90 valorouely administered 10
the Independent operators yesterday
by doubling the demurrage on loaded
cars held for, higher prices has turned
out to be In the nature of a slight slap
on the wrist. : l.I
The independents held a secret meeting
in Philadelphia yesterday. AS a result
Of their deliberations tho cars held on
the Jersey side loaded with Independent
coal Will be unloaded and the coal
will be held in barges. of which there
are hundreds lying idle about New York.
Instead of being a disadvantage to
the operators 1t is an advantage, as
this explanation will show.
The demurrage on cars holding from
Is to 40 tons is 81 a day per car, an
average of about 6 cents a ton. The
dcmurrage on q barge holding from $50
to $40 tons is Sc a day, an average of
about 2 cents a ton. Generally speak
ing, the independents, by paying demuT-
rage in barges. will pay one-fourth less
than they would have had to pay had
they LEFT the coal in cars. and can keep
their property away from New York
lust four times as long.
Cars Can Go Back to the Mines.
One advantage that will result from
tina Increase In demurrase is that it will
release hundreds of cars, which may be
rushed to the mines and loaded. But
there is nothing to prevent the inde-
~pendents from taking these cars and
shipping more coal to the Jersey ports,
there to be dumped into barges and held
for higher prices. because the indica-
tons point to the assumption that the
railroad operators are not making any
- effort to get coal to this market.
There was no IS coal to be had to-day,
ave what was sent to the Baer COM
panies,
President Thomas. of the Lehigh. to
whom much of the 3O0,0 900 tons now in
Jersey City belongs. or in whose yards
it Is stored. explained, when appealed
u. that the principal obstacle prevent
ing this coal from coming into New
York was the shortage of coal barges
for ferrying it across the river.
III Conl Owners Fault.
While President Thomas was making
this explanation The Evening World
was printing actual photographs of the
feet of !de coal barges at the Lehigh
Valley ltsi!road docks in Jersey City.
The owners Of these barges say they
have been waiting many days for a
cargo. Heretofore they have made a
comfortable living by transporting the
coal from the New Jersey terminals
to the various coal pockets surrounding
New York City. Now. with 5000 tons
OF coal In sight and with the residents
OF New York suffering actual discom-
fort, the idle barge owners are unable
to induce the coal owners to give them
q cargo.
The hundred or SO idle barges in the
Lehigh Valley docks are not the only
barges waiting and anxious for cargoes.
In the Erie Basin there are over 800.
while along the water front 1t is esti-
mated there are enough more to make a
total OF over 1000 idle barges which
could be hired any moment II they could
get the coal to carry.
This statement of the idle barges'
has a peculiar contrast to the following
statement by President Thomas:
IF there Is any quantity OF coal In
the New Jersey yards, as charged, by
the newspapers. It Is due to the fact that
there are not enough barge5 In commits
sion to handle II. This will soon be
remedied. 1 do not think any one in
New York is freezing for lack OF COAL"
Cheap and Plentiful Elsewhere.
In Syracuse, much further from the
coal mines than New York, and having
a higher freight rate than New York.
the dealers have plenty OF COIL to sell
retail n delivered at Ss.25 a ton. The
dealers are being supplied with all they
can handle at $3.50 a ton.
It would be easier and cheaper for the
New York dealer to purchase coal from
the retail dealers In Syracuse. tranship
Il to New York and sell II here, thar
to try to get 1t from the operators. In
that way the coal could be sold at re-
tall at about IS a ton. leaving ample
margins for profit.
New York dealers who are aware OF
this condition believe that II would
prove to be valuable evidence before the
Senate Investigating Committee, that an
actual conspiracy does exist among the
railroads to hold the coal away from
New York 30 as TO force the price to the
very highest notch.
In Discrimination OF this, Is the fact
that hundreds of thousands OF tons
OF coal are being stored within an hours
delivery OF New York, only waiting for
the when the price goes high
enough to suit the owners OF the coai.
One Ton to Each Dealer.
Heretofore the coal dealers in the
Towns harbotIng the coal terminals have
been able to get all the coal they de-
sired, paying s. a ton for 1t. Thisswas
TO appease those who could see the
great store, Of coal and 10 keep them
from complaining too seriously, Now,
however, the companies show an in.
clination 10 even deprive the people who
can stand In their front Yards and
count the thousands OF loaded coal cara
the same sight they have witnessed for
many weeks. "
I'm Jersey City to-day the Hudson Coal
Company. which has been supplyinS
most OF the retailers, would give oniv
one ton to zach dealer. The company
explained that lts supply had been cur
tailed by the railroads.
Jchnson says Frey spoke withous