The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19
COAL SITUANION
VERY PRECARl0US
FAMINE CERTAIN IN EVENT OF
.r- SEVERE COLD.
Lake Docks Stacked with Fuel, but Car
Shortage Renders It Impossible to
Bring It to Twin Cities-Consumer
to Blame for Neglect to Place Orders
Earlier. =a# $. + *.s

Precarious conditions attend hard coal
business in the twin cities and the
northwest. The extremity Of the situa-
tion is due much to the lack of means
for distribution from the docks at the
head, of the lakes, on account OF the
car famine. The uncertain quantity
which may make for, or against, a solu-
With the present pleasant meteorological
conditions continued, the day is saved.
Should sudden "spell of weather. be-
gin, there is no telling what suffering
may be entailetl. And the coal men say
ut is the people that are to blame for
the situation.
Stock piles in the twin cities are in
better condition today than they were
week ago. Then Mother Hubbard $
the local yards. The stocks were the
usual size for the fall season when the
recent unexpected term of cold weather
came on. The consumers all came in a
bunch to the retail dealers for their sup.
plies of coal and the result was ter
rife congestion of deliveries, with a
final complete exhaustion Of the anthra'
cite stocks. The coal men are catching
up, now that the consumers have ceased
consideration of the coming colo
weather.
Dismay in Sudden Cold.
Should it turn cold suddenly, how:
coal to 20 around. The trouble is not
at the docks, where the supply is good
but in getting cars for delivery to the
twin cities. Where five tons are sold
for three on hand it is not necessary to
call upon arithmctical progress ion to
find the result that may be expected in
few days.
Coal men are confident that the sup
ply of coal to be on the. docks before
the lake navigation closes will be suitl
cient for the 1905-6 needs of the north
west, unless the winter SHOULD be an un
usually severe one. No advance III
price is expected as the full card figure
! of 1915 has been rounded out by the
addition of 10 cents ton month tc
| Sept. l.
The situation today comes to a large
extent thru the indifference of coal con
sumers to the necessity of buying early
! stock of the season seems to have beer
! no incentive to the people to buy. They
| seemed confident Of an, extensive, sup
i ply and that the security from labor
! troubles was absolute. They hated tt
| have theiS lawns cut up by summer de
| livery Of the coal and felt prosperou!
enough to stand the SO cents advance il
price due in the fall. = r.. ..
Low Stocks Elsewhere.
For some reason the rural and line yart
dealers have been slow about stockin.
up this fall. When the sudden coll
weather came, rush orders for fue
came into the local yards. This, con
gestion Of orders necessitated calls o.
the city wholesale dealers for fuel b.
fast freight.
Possibly the soft, or steam, coal stu
alton is worse than that of the anthra
cite market. In fact an advance o
Is cents ton at Duluth is expected be
cause of the lack Of supply in the twil
cities. Hooking would go from $3.50
to 1915 at the docks. : 3. - ->] -
Inasmuch as large quantity Of Hi
nois and Indiana soft coal is used 70
steam, and these, are all-rai1 Goals, tn
car situation is making a scarcity i
the stocks of this class. The same dit
fculty prevents the transportation o
the Ohio and Pennsylvania. steam Goa
from the head Of the lakes to the twi
cities '':.' .'