The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-09
DETERMINED MEN Of YAKIMA
HELD UP A COAL TRAIN
HAD ENOUGH PROMISES THEY WANTED COAL
Raid Made tuesday and Six Hundred Tons or
More Taken by Citizens Who We're
in Need of Fuel

The expected happened. YaSima
people got some coal. Fires burned
merrily Tuesday night in stoves and
gfates where there mad been nothing
more than handful aof Goals or q
bed of cold ashes for many days, and
more than one worried old pater fa-
malias laid his head on his pillow
Monday night and slept and dream
ed for the first time in weeks WITH
out having nightmare wherein
yawning coalbins looked hdngrily al
him from every corner Of the room
About 600 tons of coal have been dis
tributed among three times as many
families in the last "a hours. Some
obtained only small quantities., 9th
ers enough to last them until thery
is no earthly excuse for failure or
the, part of The railroad 20. supply
the city with plenty of fuel. Foi
the time being suffering is relieved
For how long depends. on the wealth
,er and the amount of coal the North
ern Pacific. chooses to send.
The crowd in waiting for fuel
AROUND the Northwest Improvement
ccmpany's office grew all day Tues
day. 1t was hoped the. message
sent by Mayor Fechter,. Sheriff
Grant and Chief Cayou to y Vice
President Levy would bring an EN-
couraging answer. but along toward
noon this hope grew less and less till
it ceased to exist. A long coal train
went through with rush, and this
made the wstting crowd all the more
deigrmineJ "A get apal at all events
as ~ 4 4 e ae4e wSs IA 70 SDe & AZ
A delegation of about 80 waited on
Mayor Fechter to ascertain if he had
received reply to his message. This
was about 2 o'clock. Learning that
he had not. the committee reported
" tHC bobN anu 81 uAoch9''iO+.
was held as to a plan of procedure.
While this was in progress 4
a couple of small cars of coal We're
shunted in on the siding for the
Northwest Improvement COM
pany. Manager Hessey had hardly
begun the division OF this when an
other train came in, stopped ON the
sidetrack east of the flour mill. and
its engine cut off and ran down to
the station. The news spread rap
idly that this was a coal train, and
every team was turned toward it, \
race followed. but there were 90 cars
in the train and ali the wagons man.
aged to get up close enough to re-
ceive the coal that was being thrown
into them before they stopped Ev-
cry dray, express and lumber wagon
in town it seemed was pressed into
service, while dozens of men and
several women ran from one to the
other trying TO engage them to haul
even a small quantity of the precious
stuff Hundreds of men and boys,
women and a few small girls sailed
into the piles that were thrown off
onto the ground and filed boxes,
baskets, sacks and even lard pals
and handkerchiefs. but all women
who came were helped until they
had all the coal they could carry.
Comparatively small showing
was made in the quantity taken
however, when the engine backed
down, coupled on and started the
train southwark. Wagons were
quickly driven across the track, ana
the crowd gathered, begging, plead
ing, warning and threatening the
engineer. and trying to get him to
set the coal cars in on another sid
ing. He refused and steamed slowly
down the track, intending TO pull out
at rapid gait as soon as the siding
was cleared.
But he didn't Something hap
pened he had not figured on: the
very bottom dropped out of things.
and all the coal came with II. All
along the line OF the train the Dot