Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-07
Schools Remained Open Dur
ing Coal Famine.
INTERESTING REPORT
BY THE SUPERIN-
TENDENT OF PROPERTY.
Required Careful and Earnest Work to
Keep the Institutions Supplied
With Fuel.

r. d. Simms, District superintendent OF
property, has submitted to the Commits
sioners a report covering the operations OF
his office in dealing with the fuel problem
as applied to District schools and institu-
lions during the recent famine.
The report shows the way in which the
schools were kept supplied with fuel ana
thus kept open during the entire FAMINE
when the schools in many other cities were
compelled to close on account of the lack
of coal The report was rendered to Com
missioner Mcfarland, whom Mr.. Simms
represented in dealing with the matter.
about the middle of August" the report
reads, inquiry was made through the sec
rotary to the board of education as 10
whether it was feasible to use soft coal IN
the school furnaces in the event that the
usual supply of anthracite coal could not
be obtained. 1t became necessary at TINS
time to make some provision 10 FURNISH
the schools with coal. in view OF the 1ace
that there had been no formal contract en-
tered into, as the bids which were received
in May 1902 for supplying the various de-
partments of the District with anthracite
coal during the fiscal year 1903 were con-
sidered excessively high, and, furthermore
certain of the bids could not be accepted
for the reason that they contained what IS
known as the strike clause the DISTRICT
not being permitted to include such clause
in its contract
Some Experiments.
ION August g. 1902. the secretary to
the board of education informed me that
with the exception of few school build
ings the furnaces were of such construc-
ton that soft coal could be used. On Sep
TENDER experiments were made with
combined fuel of bituminous coal and soft
coke in the furnaces of the Franklin and
Douglass buildings, it having been sug-
gested that by the use of coke and coal
combined better results could be obtained
than by the use of soft coal alone.
THE fuel was placed in the furnaces IN
alternate layers, and yielded very satisfac-
tory results in that it gave good hot hre
and the amount Of smoke observed APP
peared to be much less than from the btu
minous coal when used by itself Based On
the results of this experiment, purchase
was arranged with w. j. Zeh of 923 tons
of bituminous coal and one thousand tons
of coke. under date of September 16, 1902.
"At the date referred to there was
scarcely any coal on hand in the schools,
and the situation was extremely acute. On
September 20 you telegraphed to Mr.. Bacr,
president of the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron Company, and asked that
he help the District out by furnishing one
thousand tons of anthracite coal for the
public schools. In answer to this request,
Mr. Baer agreed to furnish at once five
hundred tons of anthracite, coal and gave
assurance that the additional amount
would be furnished later If 1t was found
possible for his company to do SO.
Relief by the Reading.
"The deliveries of the coal and coke re-
ferred to, and especially of the anthracite
coal furnished by the Reading company.
which was furnished at an extremely low
price considering the existing market con-
ditions, brought much needed relief at
very critical moment The Philadelphia
and Reading Company continued to fur
nish coal, and about December 90 when it
became necessary to make arrangements
for a supply of fuel to cover the month Of
January, the local representative Of the
Philadelphia and Reading Company stated
that he could not guarantee positively to
fill the order for fifteen hundred tons OF
anthracite coal that had been placed with
him on December II, stating that he was
only able to say to the District, as to all
other customers of the company that they
were simply doing the best they could in
the matter Of deliveries, but could not OBJ
ligate themselves to furnish any stated
amount of fuel at any positive time in view
Of the unusual conditions prevailing in the
coal market and the difficulties encountered
in the transportation of coal over the rail-
roads
I'm view of the uncertainty as to the sup
ply likely to be obtained from the Reading
company, and the urgent necessity of max
ing an immediate arrangement for coal de-
lfveries for January, the supply then on
hand and likely to be received during the
remainder of the month of December being
estimated at only about the requisite guam
tity required for said month, steps were
taken to secure bituminous coal and coke
OF good quality to make up such an addi-
tional amount of fuel as would be required,
other than that which would likely be fur
nished by the Reading company. After
comforting with various local people a pur-
n q @ uy1 q nnc INN tod with T "
December "a OF one thousand tons Of btu.
minous coal and one thousand tons of coke
From Other Sources.
ION January q, 1t being necessary to ar
range for an additional supply of fuel for
the month of February, outside of that ar
ranged to be secured from the PHILADELPHIA
and Reading Company and w. j. Zeh bids
were asked upon 1000 tons of bituminous
coal. A number of local dealers bid on
furnishing this coal, and purchase of $50
tons Of bituminOus coal was made from the
Allegheny Coal Company, the remainder of
the bid not being accepted. On January 81
bids were again asked for furnishing / 600
tons of bituminous coal for the future use
of the school buildings and a number OF
bids were received for same
About this time there was a sudden dron
in the price of anthracite coal, and It was
estimated that it would be more economi-
cal, at the prices it was learned that coal
could then be obtained, to reject the bids
for bituminous and ask for bids on anthra-
cite coal This was done, and under date Of
February the Commissioners made mr.
chase of 500 tons Of anthracite coal for the
school buildings from 8. s. Daish & Son.
The anthracite coal then purchased to-
gether with that being delivered by the
Philadelphia and Reading Company under
their agreement of December IL, and the
bituminous coal and coke purchased from
w. ]. Zeh, and some small emergency pur-
chaSes made from various sources has hean
the means of keeping the schools properlv
supplied throughout the winter
so far as is known to this office there
was put one occasion during the past win
ter where a school building was closed for
want of fuel and In that one instance the
building was closed for portion of the
day only, and this was due to an unfortu
nate misunderstanding of a request for de-
livery of fuel for the building referred to.
The coal was on hand and could have been
supplied had the request not miscarried