Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-09
FUEL FAMINE IS
ALMOST At END
SIXTY CARLOADS OF COAL
COMING
Wholesale Dealers Issue Ediet to
Small ones Who Are Inclined
to Gouee Customers
During Scarcity

One hundred carloads OF coal wait
ing at the mines for cars and sixty
more on their way to Los Angeles,
somewhere between this city and
Needles, show clearly that the coal
situation In this city is up to the
railroad companies"
Gordon Lawrence, manager of the
American Fuel company, received word
yesterday that his company's New
Mexico and Utah mines could fill one
hundred cars of fifty tons capacity
each If they only had the cars. MIR.
Lawrence has eXerted every effort to
see that the company should furnish
them, and 1t is believed his efforts will
be successful.
That the railroad company controls
the fuel situation Is shown by the
speed with which coal was hurried into
the city when the fiat of General Man
ager Wells of the Santa Fe to give
coal cars the right of way was made.
Since that time coal has been coming
into the city in a steady stream and
the backbone of the famine seems to
coal men to be permanently broken.
At the Santa Fe freight yards the
information was given last night that
twenty-five cars of coal from Barstow
which were expected in yesterday after
noon had been held up by a washout
at Horseshoe canyon, but it was
thought that they would arrive before
morning. Other carloads of the pre-
cious fuel are on their way, sixty of
them being between Los Angeles and
Needles. If these trains arrive on
schedule time there will be no further
cause for fear of fuel famine for some
time to come.
Warned Against Gouging
Mr.. Lawrence said last night: "The
Santa Fe is giving us all the cars they
can possibly spare to help relieve the
fuel situation here and in other parts
of Southern California. We are hold
ing our own and the situation is inn
proving every day. 1t takes some time
to distribute the shipments, but in a
short time every cold family in Los
Angeles will have the fuel to be warm" !"
Another move of the American Fuel
company that has met with the heart
lest appreciation of the buying public
is their positive injunction to all the
retail dealers, Don't gouge." In time
of famine, certain of the little un-
scrupulous fellows seem to think that
it is their chance to make money out
of the need of the people, but the
American Fuel company has issued or
ders that any person charging more
than the authorized price of $11 a ton
will be placed on the black list; which
means that he will get no more coal
from the company. Mr.. Lawrence said
of the "gougers": "Cinch rates at such
a time will not be permitted for an
| instant. We are doing everything we
can to track such fellows, and when
we find them they will be placed on
| the no-coal list. One treatment like
that is enough to bring them to time
The coal which has arrived is being
distributed impartially among all the
dealers, SO that the little fellows will
| have a chance to accommodate their
customers as well as the larger dealers.
The Santa Fe yards are during the
day seething, ever-shifting mass of
vehicles of all kinds and conditions,
each one driven by man who wants
coal in the worst kind of a way.
Fortunately for the coal company the
muddy condition of the streets in the
neighborhoods of the freight yards has
kept away the small purchasers who
are wont to come with wheelbarrows
and buckets.
At one time yesterday thirty-eight
vehicles of various kinds were stand
ing in the yards waiting their turns
to get the precious fuel.