The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-02
REEVES PREDICTS
A COAL SHORTAGE
Little Fuel Is Being Shipped for
Storage, Says Short
Line Man.
RAILROADS ARE PREPARING
FALL TRADE RUSH MAY BRING
A CAR FAMINE.


= there viii be a great car shortage ::
= in this country within the next :.
- few months. Com I.
= merce Commissioner Knapp, in a :.
:. recent interview :.
- From present indications there :.
% may be a serious coal shortage Z:
- this winter. Little coal is at pres (:
= ent being shipped for storage. ::
- am not prophet and cannot say !.
- whether there will be a rush of !:
- business this fall which will result ::
- I'm q car shortage. John A. I:
= Reeves, general freight agent of !:
= the Oregon Short Line. Z:
.:.A-.-:.:!c-:.:.:.:.:.:.:
Fear that there will be car shorta &C
this fall. with the return of active in
dustrial and commercial conditions, is
causing far-seeInS railroad officials and
business men TO take all possible pre-
cautionary steps. That there will be
n car shortage is accepted by some
business men as matter of course
George f. Merrill of Morrison, Merrill
& Co. in a recent interview in The
Herald concerning the lumber situa-
ton. spoke of the car shortage as a
certainty. and said that its effect would
be to advance the price of lumber
The present uncertainty of some bust
ness men. il is said, will have tenden-
cy toward increasing the car shortage
during the approaching rush times. By
delaying their orders until the last mo-
ment, while watching the trend of bust
ness conditions. il is said, they will
find themselves at a serious disadvan-
tage with more confident and progress
sive competitors who are taking early
veniences which will follow the conges-
ton of traffic when the fall rush OF
business begins.
Railroads Preparing.
Railroad officials. feeling convinced
that the demand for cars will soon tax
their resources. are now doing every
thing in their power to prepare for the
rush and 10 prevent blockades such as
took place in the fall and winter OF
1867. when there was a widespread
coal famine because of a scarcity OF
cars. although the coal mines of the
country Were abundantiy able TO sup
ply all demands.
The car shortage Of that winter not
only resulted in suffering to a great
many people who were unable to Sc
cure a sufficient supply of coal, but
caused considerable loss to business
men, who were unable to keep on hand
adequate supplies of coal. lumber and
various other commodities to meet the
current demands of their localities.
In some places in Utah and Nevada
and other western states unheard-o1
prices were paid for wood during thai
winter. and could not be obtained a.
any price for weeks at time.
The railroads are cverhauling theil
rolling stock and making repairs Sc
that when the demand for more car:
comes every car and every engine viii
he available for immediate use.
Knapp's Prediction.
This activity in railroad circles i:
traceable to a recent utterance of Inter
state Commerce Commissioner Knapp
who said:
"It is not at all improbable that there
will be a great car shortage in thi:
country within the next few months
All the railroad men with whom / tall
assure me that business is getting bet
ter. Fewer and fewer cars and locomo
tives are idle. When, perhaps after thu
crop has been harvested, business Il
once more restored to normal. there viii
be more or less effort to make up TO
lost time: and then it will develop tina
during the period of short revenues thu
rO1QS nave DeeH SCIdpIlS dlOIlB vi III
smallest possible maintenance and re
pair appropriations. They have beer
forced to do so. Repairs have been re
duced to a minimum. Properties have
I'm some degree deteriorated.
when the business comes back t.
them 1t will have to be handled, all a
once, with an equipment not up t
standard. The possibility of a ca
shortage suddenly developing 1!
therefore anything bat remote
Coal Shortage Probable.
at the present time it would be i'm
possible TO say what conditions will
prevail in the fall said John A
Reeves. general freight agent of The
Oregon Short Line. 'I am not {
prophet, and do not pretend to be abb
10 look that far ahead But there ar,
indications that there will be a seriou,
shortage of coal. Very little coal is a
present being shipped for storage Goa
miners are working about three days {
week. Few concerns and individual!
have put in their winter supplies O