The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-23

rHE gentlemen of the coal trust and
 the gentlemen of, the labor union
 ! had no thought of Godfrey Hanney when they decided to disagree. Possibly there was not one of them who knew-or, If he knew, cared for-Mr. Hanney's feel ings in the matter, but Mr. Hanney's g temper was sorely tried when he realized what the dispute meant to him.
 In the beginning of the trouble MT. Han ney's sympathies were with the strikers, but this was before the supply of coal in his bin ran low. As it became more and more evident that he could postpone the purchase of ton or two Of the fuei only a little while longer he lost patience with the men and was bitter toward the coal barons The price of coal had gone to a scandalously high figure. one year before anthracite had been delivered in ms cellar for S550 ton. Now the dealer asked SIS, and was coy about filling orders at that figure, for the price threatened to syo much higher In New York, Brook Iyn. Jersey City and many of the eastern manufacturing centers plants were shut ting down or curtailing operations be- cause fuel was so scarce or costly. In New York the situation was particularly acute, for the law restricted people to the use of anthracite coal.
 Mr Hanney lived in Cranford, II. J., and worked in New York. He was 13 years old, married, and got SIS week as a draftsman. It required good manage ment and economy to maintain his little establishment and meet the payments on his modest home under ordinary condi- tions so the prospect of having to pay s1S a ton for such coal as he had to get was almost tragedy to him. He knew the coal man and went to him in the vain hope that he might be able to get enough to tide him over the strike pe- priod at some price lower than the pre- vailing rate. The coal man was polite. He assured Hanney there was only scant profit to the dealer in selling at SIS a ton, and to prove what he said was correct showed the lists as isued by the big companies from which he got his supplies Hanney hesitated, but finally decided it would be better to buy two l, tons than one and sighed as he drew check for $s6. for there was no credit extended in strike times, dealers demand ing payment in advance.
 While the dealer was entering the order Hanney toyed with the papers on the dealers desk. He was about to depart when he noticed a postal card advertise ment addressed to the dealer. It was from the firm of Day & Hubbard of Broad street New York, and quoted rmokeless bituminous at SIP a ton.
 What's this smolleless bituminous?" 
 of such a thing
 Its not exactly smokeless," replied the dealer. Its Pocahontas coal that firm in New York handles and that has the trade name of smokeless bituminous."
 Do you want this card?' Hanney in quired
 No" said the dealer. q don't handle any of the stuff
 Hanney took the card and stuck it in his pocket. On the train in to New York he read his morning paper as usual The coal strike was the big news feature of the day and there were columns and columns devoted to it. Families in the tenement sections of the city were suffer- ing so much that philanthropis;s were establishing coal stations to relieve the distress. Manufacturers were appealing to national and state officers to endeavor to end the strike. More and more n- dustries would have to close down if the trouble was not ended soon, but neither the strikers nor the coal barons showed evidence of weakening.
 Hanrey went through his work per functorily that day. He felt aggrieved over the $36. That accounted only par tially for his abstraction however. The principal cause was an idea that he might have saved some money by getting two tons of the smokeless bitumnous instead of two tons of anthracite. A few dollars will make some men think a. great deal, and especially when their finances are as tight as were Hanney's.
 AS he rode back to Cranford that night Hanney read the strike news of the evening papers and then suddenly suggestion came to him that he might