The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-13
HAVE NO COAL.
Western Kansas Faces Crisis,
Says Hr. Wilson.
Fuel Along the Rock Island
Practically Exhausted.
CARS NOT TO BE HAD.
Plenty Of Fuel But No Trans
pOrtatiOn.
Recent Blizzard Exhausted That
Held by Dealers.
CARS NOT TO BE HAD

Joseph Wilson formerly with the
Southwestern Fuel company but now
representing the Cedar Hill Coal com
pany CT Denver Colo. is spending
few days in the city the guest of friends
and brings an unusual story Of the
shortage of coal in western Kansas,
especially on the lines Of the Missouri
Pacific and Rock Island railroads
In speaking of the conditions Mr.
Wilson said. There is hardly any
coal to be had on the Rock Island road
from Beflevilie to the Colorado line ana
the same condition exists on the Mis-
souri, Pacific from Salina west Nearly
all of she surplus supply was consumed
during the blizzard which swept across
that section of the state two or three
weeks ago and since that time the coal
dealers have been unable to replenish
their stock.
There is plenty of coal at the mines
a few hundred miles west but the ran
roads are unable to furnish cars Tor us
transportation and il might as well pc
"a thousand miles or more away for ali
tho good the settlers in western Kan
sas derive from its proximity II an
other blizzard OF cold spell should visit
that section of the state there will ne
untold suffering on the part Of the sef-
tiers who are now cooking and striving
to keep warm by burning cobs ana cora
stalks.
some coal is being shipped over the
lines mentioned but it belongs to the
railroads and is shipped in sealed cars
so that it is not accessible to those
driven to desperation by their needs am
who would not hesitate to help them
selves rather than to suffer from the
cold If It were in open cars.
There has been scarcely a carload OF
coal received by he dealers i'm that Sec
tfOn of the state for the past 30 days
lan 7ffa1 far7 a lr1f-
ty of cars Will prevail for some time
TO come and in the meantime the set
tiers are outstanding their scant sup
ply fearing d blizzard.
while j have not been over the
lines Of the Santa Fe and Rock Island
which furnish coal 20 the southwest
eTn portion of the state ] have been In
formed that the same conditions pre-
vail there. but not to such an alarm
ing extent.
The prevailing conditions in western
Kansas are about the same as those
years ago when the Santa Fe ran train
loads Of coal through that section of
the state While the ranChmen waited
about the station hoping that a car
might be received by their local deal
er- When such thing did happen
the coal was divided into half ton lots
and sold to the needy settlers who
were glad to get even so small an
amount.
This condition had prevailed at
Garden City during the latter part of
the eighties during and following
blizzard when Just a dusk one night
train containing nine car loads of coal
broke down and it was necessary to
send TO Dodge City to get an engine to
haul il. w ord was sent out to the
freezing settlers and by the time that
the relief engine arrived both sides Of
the cars were lined by wagons which
were being filed with the railroad
cOmpany's coal.
The train crew We're powerless to
stop them and before the train was al
lowed to proceed on its way the cars
had been emptied of their cargoes of
coal more precious at that time to the
settlers than groceries or other mer-
chandise
A man who is yet prominent in the
affairs Of that section of the state and
whose honesty and honor have never
been questioned either before or since
that nights work. acted as distributor
for the campanys coal as we'll as
Weighmaster. And it may be said to
the credit of the men who were forced
to their unlawful occupation that even
ing that the weights taken lacked but
few tons with corresponding with the
amount Of coal the railroad claimed
that had been taken.
The railroad company sent their de-
teCives to Garden City to locate the
persons who had helped themselves to
their coal with view of bringing
were useless for every man in the COM
munity who had been notified of the
presence of the cars admitted that he
\ owed the railroad company for from
one to six tons of coal and expressed a
willingness TO pay for the same at the
market price.
This condition was an entirely new
one to the men sent out by the rail
road company and they were at a loss
to know what action to take. The mat
ter was reported to headquarters at To
pela and other men higher in the coun-
els of the company were sent out ia
Investigate and report to their super
Tors as had their subOrdinates the con
ditions which prevailed. To the credit
Of the Santa Fe it must be said tha.
they not only never attempted to pros
ecute the men who stole coal that their
families might be kept from freezing
but refused to accept the money ten
dered them for it.