The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-11
RAILROAD NEWS.
Every Railroad in Southwest Is
Storing Tons of Coal.
Trouble Has Been Brewing
Among Miners and Operators.
STRIKE is EXPECTED.
'RIKE is EXPECTED.
There Seems to Be But Little
Hope Of Compromise.
other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

ioiS men VINO are IN a position
TO know there is no doubt expressed
tnat there will be trouble in the coal
mines during the coming spring. The
contract between the operators and
the miners ends on April l, and the
unsettled condition in labor circles are
causing no little worry in the railroad
world. Every railroad in the south
west is using every endeavor to store
a large supply of coal.
Reports from Texas and Oklahoma
point strongly to clash. In the yards
of the Houston & Texas Central at
Denison, Texas, coal is being unloaded
on both sides Of the track, there being
hundreds of tons of it. Every road en-
tering Denison is using every effort to
get "mtys' to the mines as rapidly as
possible and using the same efforts to
get them away loaded, and get the coal
to convenient points along the lines.
Orders have been issued to all con-
cerned to- handle empties to the mines
in preference to everything except live
stock and perishable freight, and I'M
der all circumstances to rush coal and
oil to it's destination after it has been
loaded.
J. H. Hibben, fuel agent for the
Katy, has been through Texas and Ok
lahoma several times within the past
few weeks looking after this end of the
business on the Katy. At the Ray
yards thousands of tons of coal are
points along the line the same is the
case. In speaking of the matter,
man who is an undeniable authority
on the subject said:
Unless something unforeseen hap
pens to avert it, / think there is no
doubt that the mines of Oklahoma will
shut down on April 1. On that date the
two years contract between the miners
and operators will terminate. On the
one hand the operators assert that they
cannot afford to renew the contract at
the same scale of wages, while on the
other, the miners are asking for an
increase in pay. Another contention of
the miners will be that future contracts
be made SO that they will expire on the
same date all over the country, and
this point the operators will fight most
stubbornly, in fact it is not expected
that they will get together at all until
after long hard fight. As the matter
is viewed by many, if the miners do
not strike the operators Will.
In anticipation of the shutting down
Of the mines, the railroads have for
some time been storing coal. En- route
from Kansas City the other day, / no.
ticed that the Katy had thousands of
tons of coal piled upon the ground near
the roundhouse at Parsons, Kan, and
that the Rock Island is accommodating
immense quantities at Haileyville, Ok.
L am IOlQ tuedl dli OlllCl lOdOo al &c "a
ercising the same foresight by putting
away enough coal to last them for from
three to six months.
81 do not apprehend that the strike
will be the occasion of any great in
convenience to the domestic consumer.
Most of the dealers have on hand a
supply sufficient for the demands of
the winter, which will be over-at least
in Texas-by the time the trouble is
likely to begin. Retail prices are lit
tie stronger now in consequence of
strike rumors, but I do not look for any
material advance in price. There is
certainly no danger of a coal famine
this season.
The strike will likely be a long
drawn out struggle, and it will I'M
doubtedly have an important bearing
on the supply of coal for steam pur-
poses"
At Baxter Springs, Kan, the Frisco
is dumping 500 cars of coal alongside
the tracks, a steam shovel having been
sent there to facilitate the work.
Following is a short article which
appeared in a paper published in Sc
dalia. Mo-, few days ago, and thought
the threatened strike was not mention
ed it would seem that this was another
case Of preparing for war in time of
peace" The article was:
The Katy has now about two acres
in the north yards that are covered
with coal, piled from 10 to Is feet high.
The road is evidently storing enough
coal to meet all emergencies, or taking
the onportl1nity to lay in an immense