Douglas Island news., 1906-12-26
Australia For Coal

the IredQWeli ulueSf VIII kCoFo NOA VAS North on the next boat after two weeks spent in the city in an unsuccessful effort to obtain enough coal to keep the stamp mills of the mines in opera tion says the Seattle P.-I.
 Mir. Kinzie spoke quite frankly on the closing of the mines and the effect it would have, when questioned by reporter for the Post-Intelligencer. The stamp mills are the largest in the world, and Seattle is the nearest pur- chasing center for the mills.
 "Yes," said Mir. Kinzie, "the mills are stopped. Last Thursday everything closed down except the pumping plant, which is necessarily kept running. We closed the mills before the coal was entirely exhausted, leaving enough to run the pumping plant.
 "When I left Treadwell was under the impression that would be able to return on the same boat. 1 thought our trouble in getting coal was of temporary nature. was not long ln Seattle before l found different. In the first place there was natural shortage, and then came the flood which tore the railways out and pre- vented shipping for couple of weeks. The railways being unable to carry coal during that time, the stringency grew very marked, the railways themselves even feeling the shortage. When came and tried to get coal iu the quan- tity we needed it, found it was ab- solutely impossible.
 "I have tried every place" said MT. Kinzie "and the answer is the same everywhere. Vancouver island, Fernie, Wellington, Naniamo, both Canadian and American mines in every place. am told that the mine cannot supply the orders already in hand. Then, too, in the case of the inland coal which has to be shipped distance to Seattle for transhipment north, there is another complication, it being impossible for the mines to get cars on which to ship the coal.
 "At present am negotiating with Australia for coal and while 1 cannot say yet that we will be able to get all our coal from there, still l have great hopes that this will be the solution of our problem, at least until next June, when the oil burners will be placed and the fuel problem solved for long time to come. Tomorrow there will go north the one cargo of coal that l have been able to get since 1 came, and l may be able to get another. But this is only enough for the pumping plant.
 we burn in the winter months from 4,5OO tons to perhaps $500 tons monthly. In the summer our consumption is not so great, and our yearly coal consump- tion is 5O,9O0 tons. Our monthly ex peuse is a quarter of million dollars, and over half of that sum-a very rough estimate-I would say that the salary list is s150,OOO, leaving hun- dredN thousand for outside expenses such as fuel, etc.
 "Forme erly we spent large amount of this in San Francisco. But about a year ago we started to spend more and more money in Seattle. We felt that Seattle being nearer the works and be- ing more intimately connected with Alaska, should get the trade. Then when the San Francisco disaster came we transferred the majority of the rest of our trade to this city. Now, 1 SUD- pose that, including the eastern ship ments that come through San Fran cisco, that city does not get 20 per cent of the trade. The rest comes to Seat tle or the vicinity.
 "We have not altogether been satis- Red with the Seattle trade. And now has come this trouble about coal. What will ultimately be done about the Treadwell trade do not care to say"
 "If the stoppage IS long continued, the result may be serious. We have now fine lot of men. We employ in summer about 1 300 men, and in win ter-wen, when I left we had 1900 men. Now man becomes valuable to as, that is in the majority of positions, as be becomes experienced in his work. The men who we have with us now have been as rule, with the mine for long time.
 'sIf the shutdown is such as will necessitate the men going to seek other nosjt;ons- it may be a long tine before