Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-12-21
FUEL FAMINE At EXTREME .
NORTH DAKOTA IN GRIP OF WORST
/ COAL SHORTAGE IN ALL
ITS HISTORY
INVESTIGATION is ON.
Northern Pacifc's President Says He
Foresaw Conditions Months Ago
and Tried to Give Aid.

AIINNEApOLIS, Mimi. Dee. 17.-F.
X. Lane and James Harlan Of the III
terstate commerce commission opened
the investigation here today of the COM
plants against railroads for inability III
handling the crop and general business
and the existing car shortage.
Commissioner Lane stated that the III
Quiry would extend to other paris of the
country. To further this investigation
the commission has for the past Two
weeks had corps of trained nve&lga-
tors in the field.
Situation Is Critical
GRAND FORKS. \. D.. Dee. Ii
The fuel situation as it exists today
presents the most critical condition tilIr
has existed in the history Of the state.
Careful inquiry i'll every portIon OF
the northern half of the state shows
that there is not town i'll which coal
can be had except in small quantities
and to supply immediate needs, and i'll
dozens of places there is not Il pound to
be bought, the dealers having been oHt
Of fuel for days and III some cases tur
4 week or more.
Situation Given by Towns.
At Lakota dealers are out and imdi-
At Canlo the flour mill has been
closed for three weeks for lack of fuel
and the light plant closed Thursday, and
individuals are running short. At Gran
vile the last coal was sold on December
At Towncr and Rugby the schools are
closed as i'll many smaller places.
At AliIsOt the Central Heating plant
has closed down at intervals 70 save
fuel
These illustrations could he multiplied
indefinitely and the same conditions pre-
vail in the southern half of the state and
i'll northern Minnesota.
One of the most serious features is the
possibility of snow blockade There
is now more snow on the ground than at
any time since 1896. Thus far the state
has escaped high winds and bad drifts,
but Il storm such as is usual at any time
i'll the winter would pile up huge drifts
and tie up the roads absolutely
Coal Shortage Explained.
W ASHINGTON. ID. c., Dee lin
response to kilograms of inquiry adj
dressed to presidents of several western
railways by the Interstate commerce
commission rs to the causes OF reported
shortage of cars for the transportation
of fuel by reason of which great suffer-
ing had been entailed. President Howard
Elliott of the Northern Pacific Railway
company telcgraphS the commission from
'St. Paul as follows:
There is Il scarcity of fuel in some parts
of the country served by our line, but we
do not know of any shortage of other rec
essaries of life. Our company has done and
will continue to do all that it can to pre-
vent suffering.
The company realized in June and July
last that the fuel supply was likely to be
inadequate and that the great increase III
general business would probably produce
congestion in the al tumn. We, therefore.
urged all dealers at that time to look ahead
and provide Il stock of coal early and to
try to find new sources of supply.
Denies Road Is at Fault.
I think the reason given in your message,
incorrect far as this company is con
Hcerned. The difficulty i'll Montana, Idaho,
and Washington is that not enough coal is
being produced to supply promptly the iii
time furnish the railway with fuel for OpCg-
alton of its trains. Then in November IN
precCdentCd floods in and west of the Cas-
cade mountains damaged our tracks 50 that
trains could not move over important parts
of the road for more than a week and Il
number of important coal mines could not
be reached This flood damage complicated
the situation.
In North Dakota ana Minnesota the diff
tculty in part is due to trying TO move too
much fuel i'll very short time and in Eart
TIC an increase in the consumption Of fuel
that is greater than the increase in facii-
ties for handling, moving and storing. Also
to Il general increase in the movement Uf
miscellaneous commodities which cannot be
ignored without subjccting ourselves 10 a
charge of diSCTimma ton. For Il month par
ticular attention has been given to tn
movement of coal and that commodity IS
now being given preference both as 10 cars
and service.
Willing to Help if Possible.