Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-21
ON COAL AND OIL MATTERS
John B. Thayer Testified Two Hours
and q HALF.
PENNSYLVANIA ROADS DEFENSE
Witness and Attorney Patterson Man
aged Between Them to Polish Up
Company's Halo.

This was the politest days hearing that
the interstate commerce commission has
held during the coal and oil investigation.
Fourth Vice President John B. Thayer OF
the Pennsylvania railroad was the only
witness OF the day, and the most OF the
time he was under examination by Thomas
Patterson, one of the counsel Of the road.
He told the commission all about the rail-
ways system Of apportioning coal cars
to the various mines. and when he was at
fault for technical information called in
Mr.. Trump, the general superintendent OF
transportation. who. being plain man.
IMMERSED in the ways Of courts and Off
cfai hearings, appeared to always suspect
that the commission was trying him for
grand larceny and explained that there
was nothing secret or underhand in the way
that cars were apportioned.
Vice President Thayer proved a smooth,
calm witness He held the stand for two
hours and half. He told all the history
of the coal business of the Pennsylvania
road for the past six years, and said that
the road had been out all the time to pro-
teot the interests of the consumer, espe-
cially during the awful congestion and
famine that closed the strike Of 1902.
Mr.. Patterson, alert and courteous to
every one all the time. handled his boss very
well on the witness stand. He was polite
to the commission, considerable Of the wit
ness and the assistant witness and ran up
behind Mr.. Glasgow and tamped out his
fuse on the occasion when that gentleman
threatened to explode. The atmosphere was
charged with excitement at very high
voltage, but the day passed off pleasantly
and without accidents. Mr.. Thayer and
Mr.. Patterson between them managed to
polish up some Of the spots on the Penn
sylvania's halo, and the general impression
created by the testimony certainly was that
q tG frfa Of he
Distribution to Mines.
Mr.. Thayer said that the present system
of distribution to the mines is based
on the average OF the physical capacity OF
the mine to turn out coal and its CONNER
cial capacity to ship and market 1t. II
mine is capable OF turning out say thou
sand tons of coal a day and its record
shows that 1t ships an average OF 800 tons,
then the two figures are added and divided
by two, giving the mines rating 300
TONS All the mines in a coal district are
thus rated and then the cars are distrib-
uted in proportion to the capacity Of each
mine. II the railroad on one day has
enough cars to go round. each mine gets
cars UP to it's full rated capacity. II the
road Is short Of cars then the distribution
is cut down 10. 20 or so per cent. as the
case may be- and all suffer In proportion.
The most serious problem was met with,
Mr.. Thayer said. in the ownership of pri-
yate cars, and this was met by using an
operators private cars to make up his al
lotment each day week as the cars were
distributed. For instance. II a mine were
allotted twenty-five cars in the days dis
tribution and the operator had ten private
cars available, he would get only fifteen OF
the railroads cars to make UP his full
quota. Mr.. Thayer explained that this re-
duced largely the benefit of owning private
cars, and 1t was thought in time the rail-
road would be able to eliminate them alto
gether
He said the serious problem of car dis
tribution did not come up till after 19O1-2
Then there was an immense expansion OF
traffic owing to the boom in the iron and
steel trades and other lines Of business.
Some years the traffic in coal would ad-
vance two million tons. Then it would fall
Off: then 1t would leap up six million.
There was no keeping track of 1t, and the
system of mine rating and car distribu-
ton had to be resorted to as the only way
OF avoiding serious trouble
Congestion Of Cars.
Referring to the serious congestion and
car famine Just after the coal strike, Mr..
Thayer said that Mr.. Atterbury. the general
manager and Mr.. Creighton. the general
superintendent. went personally to Altoona
and did the very best they could to divide
the available cars fairly and get the traffic
moving.
Mr. Glasgow said that it had been testi-
coal operators were prevented by the rail-
road from getting any cars and that other
favored shippers got all they wanted.
Mr.. Thayer said that there were GER
tain number of operators who had
tracts to deliver coal. and simply had to
deliver it. Others, who might be rated for
the time at least as spectators. were haul
ing coal to tidewater and other places and
holding II for the highest possible price.
The SPECTATORS were cut out and the hold
ers of contracts were favored In the allot-
Z T. ,otI %la..S %t.- a
had an unprecedented situation on Its
hands for Ave or six weeks. and that it
may have made some mistakes in dealing
with it, but that they were honest mis-
takes and the road did the best 1t could
for the interests of the consumer.
Could Get No Cars.
Mr. Glasgow suggested that some Of the
previous witnesses bad said that they had
contracts and yet could get no coal cars
Mr. Thayer replied that there was a list or
122 operators sent out to whom cars should
be supplied, and that this list was finally
extended to 40 or 100 But If there were
any men with contracts who were over
looked they could sue the road for whatever
damages they suffered, and IL they got a
verdict the road would pay the bill.
AS 10 the question Of new operations
along the line and the putting in of sidings
and the like. Mr.. Thayer said that the
operations Increased from 232 in January.
1900 to 405 in January. 1905. There were
200 new operations conducted by ninety
seven different operators. and he did not
think that this indicated that the coal fields
along the line were close corporation
strongly held by few big operators.
He said that between 1900 and 1904 the
railroad had put In 157 new sidinSs and
switches, that sometimes this expense had
been borne entirely by the road. and some
times shared by the road and the operators.
This he said, depended on the nature of
hat tam m Ia ted