The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-14
PUPILS VICTIMS Of
GOAL TRUST
Scarcity of Fuel Is Held
Responsible for Suffering
Among Children in Schools
ACCORD RELIEF TODAY

During the present coal famine one
of the most perplexing problems with
which the School Department has had
to deal has been the heating of the
schools While the chill winds whistled
through the apertures of the fimsy
temporary buildings which were built
to accommodate pupils, many of the
children have been forced to huddle
shivering and blue nosed about the
small barrel stoves in order to keep
warm. In many of the schools there
was no coal The concern which has
the contract for supplying the coal to
the department has been unable to
secure any for the last month and
the little ones who are required
to sit shivering in the cold school
rooms have been forced to suffer the
consequence.
Protests of parents whose children
have had to stay at home to be
treated for severe colds which they
contracted in the school rooms have
been of no avail. No coal was to be
had. In an effort to relieve the situa-
ton, the school principals were in
structed to canvass their neighbor-
hood for coal. But none of the dealers
had the precious article in their yards.
In several instances, however, wood
was obtained and little warmth was
thus afforded.
L. Brizzolara & Son, the coal dealers
who were recently awarded the con-
tract to supply fuel to the School De-
partment were appealed to, but they
were unable to relieve the situation
beyond supplying a few cords of wood.
This was distributed among the few
schools and was soon exhausted. And
the little ones shivered over their
books and caught more colds. the par
~ Il
fat.
FUEL IN DEMAND
The Brizzolaras. coal men. also had
their own troubles over the fuel de-
mands. Their private customers, learn
ing of the favoritism toward the
schools in supplying them with what
few pounds of fuel they had in their
yards, called upon them and demand
ed recognition, but there was no coal
to be had in town and they went away
disgruntled.
In former years the schools had con-
tracted for in the neighborhood of a
thousand tons of coal. The destruc-
ton of the schools has made it pos
sible this year to reduce this by sew
leeral hundred tons, on account of the
small buildings. After the contract
was awarded to the local concern the
commodity became scarce and finally,
when most needed, there was none at
hand
There promises to be temporary re-
lief at hand and the famine will un-
doubtedly be relieved during the com
ing week. Yesterday the Hercules ar
rived in port from the coal ports of
British Columbia. She was laden with
$500 tons of the precious coal. AL
though she reached here early in the
day, the coal was not discharged. ow-
ing to an accident at the Beale-street
coal bunkers. After the vessel had
been brought up to the wharf she slid
off and became fastened in the mud. 1t
tide before she can be dislodged from
her position and again drawn up to
the bunkers for unloading.
FIRST COAL Is FOR SCHOOL
The first coal that is unloaded into
our bins will go to the schools" de-
clared Manager Smith of the Western
Fuel Company after he had been ap-
prised of the suffering which had been
caused among the pupils by the lack of
fuel.
THE outlook in the coal situation
for the coming week is much bright
err" he said. "The Torjenstjold, with
5000 tons aboard, is nearing San Fran
cisco and is due before the end of the
week. She also comes from the Wei
/ iington mines in British Columbia.
! The steamer Tolls is expected to leave
/ the north on Saturday and is due to
reach here next Wednesday. She will
bring about 5000 tons and will be fol-
lowed by others.
While our regular customers have
been clamoring for fuel and our orders
now on hand will more than consume
! the coal now en- route to this port, the
/ company has decided to supply the
charitable institutions first with
enough to keep them warm. It is
pretty hard to say just how things will
progress after the first of the year
! The present scarcity is due to sc
many unforeseen causes that 1t is hard
to predict just where the break will be-