The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-11-14

Coal car shortage in Kentucky and
particularly in west Kentucky, has
caused the st. Bernard Coal company,
which has been in the river coal busi-
ness In Paducah 32 years, to with
draw from that branch of the local
coal business. This move has been
Imminent for the last two or three
years owing to the great disadvan-
tage to which this company has been
placed through lack of transportation
facilities.
As far as local coal dealers can
see. there is no prospect OF an I'M
provement in the coal car service this
winter over last winter. II anything
II will be still severer scarcity. The
present record high prices for coal,
however, are not expected to advance,
especially IN the face OF an undoubted
decline in prices In almost all lines.
With the withdrawal of the st. Ber-
nard Coal company from the river
trade. the immense river business in
the Paducah harbor. acknowledged
the largest steamboat city in the
United States. goes TO the West Ken
lucky Coal company.
How long the West Kentucky Coal
company will have the field undis-
puted Is not known, as the Plttsburg
Coal company. receiving its coal also
by river and unhampered by railroad
transportation problems, may enter
the trade at any time. This proba-
bility becomes practically a certainty
as the big tipple being built by the
Pittsburg Coal company on the river
bank near the Paducah furniture fac
tory, nears completion. It was an
nounced at the beginning of this
structure that II would be the largest
coal elevator In the United states and
equipped with the most modern de-
vices for rapid and economical hand
ling OF coal II Is said that new
device 10 load steamboats, in a frac.
ton OF. the time now required by
hand. will be a feature OF the new
tipple. which, II realized. will add in
terest to the competition for the boat
business. as the method Of loading
by hand is tedious.
Two gigantic companies will come
into competition II the West Kentucky
Coal company and the Pittsburg Coal
company clash for the trade. Each
gets its coal by river in uninterrupted
streams of barges and each had the
st. Bernard Coal company at a dis
advantage for that reason. Hereto
fore II has been necessary to bring
the ST. Bernard coal from the mines
by rail. and unload II at the tipple
in Mechanicsburg onto barges whence
II was taken TO the company's docks
at the foot OF Kentucky avenue.
From the barges here IL was loaded
to the boats. The other companies
load TO the boats from the original
barges brought from the mines at
Caseyville and Pittsburg.
Thirty-two Years.
Thirty-two years ago the st. Ber-
nard Coal company entered the river
trade in Paducah and was the sole
company In the business. For years
the company flourished, and indeed
has fiourished until the car shortage
OF the last few years rendered Its
supply of river coal uncertain. At
arst the company owned its own
dummy" cars. which were specially
built for the tipple and were ten o.
twelve feet long. The Illinois Cen
trial furnished small engine and q
train of these cars arrived from the
mines every day. AS long as this
system was followed, no trouble was
experienced. But later large coal
cars were attached to the small cars