Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-10
FEAR COAL FAMINE
Supply of Anthracite in Capital
Very Small.
DUE TO CAR SHORTAGE
Last Springs Shutdown in Mines
Another Cause.
STATEMENTS OF THE DEALERS
Wholesalers Cutting Down Orders of
Regular Trade-Advance in
Prices Denied.
STATEMENTS OF THE DEALERS

That a condition approaching a coal
famine exists in Washington was admit
| ted today by number of the wholesale
and larger retail coal companies. 1nabil-
ity to secure cars from the mines and the
shortage resulting from last springs shut
down in the anthracite mining region are
given as the reasons. Should prolonged
season of bad weather. with severe cold,
set in. dealers say, conditions are such
that great suffering surely would occur
in Washington from lack of fuel.
The greatest shortage, the dealers are
united in declaring, is in stove size an
thracite coal, of which there is practically
none in Washington at present. Other
sizes of anthracite also are scarce. the
dealers say, though not to such degree
as in the case of stove coal.
The manager of one of the largest
wholesale coal companies in the city in
formed The Star today that conditions
are worse in Washington today than they
have been this season.
Stock on Hand Small.
NO Dealers he declared, have any
large stocks of any kind of coal on hand
at present Soft coal is almost as short
as hard coal: while stove size anthracite
is almost thing to display in a museum
there isn't any of it to be had. The
man who laid in his coal last summer has
reason to consider himself extremely
lucky.
"Our company so far has been able to
keep up with the day to day demands or
our regular customers. but we are ac-
cepting absolutely no new business. We
have for some time had to cut down the
orders of our regular trade, and. instead
of giving customer, say. fifty tons on
his daily order, We let him have twenty
or thirty tons. The retailers. in turn, are
compelled to cut down the orders of their
customers, and persons who order five
tons dumped into their cellars get only
ton or two at a time By following this
plan it has been possible to keep things
going, although it is sort of hand-to
mouth process and not what the dealers
would choose if they had their way:
"Our advices are that practically all
the mines are working to their full ca
pacity. We know from experience. how
ever. that the car shortage this fall and
winter has been worse than ever in the
history of the country Add to the ef-
fectS of this car shortage the shortage
Of anthracite caused by the two-month
shutdown at the mines last spring, with
its resulting shortage in the reserve stock
of hard coal of approximately twelve mil
lion tons. and it is easy to see how the
present conditions have arisen"
Question of Prices.
No dealer. either wholesale or retail.
when asked today as to coal prices,
would state that any change has been
made in the retail prices of coal in
Washington since last fall. From various
sources, however, come reports of individ-
uals who have been charged marked in
creases when buying coal. In most in
stances the reports of advanced prices
nave been on small quantities of stove
size anthracite.
At the office of one of the leading retail
coal companies of the city It was said
today that while it has been necessary
for the company to cut down the size
of the orders sent in by it's customers,
the price of al grades of hard and soft
coal remain exactly at the figures eStab-
.ished last fall.
The only difference we are making"
the manager said. lis that we are not
delivering the full amount of custo-
"a ton or two. On larger orders we are
pro rating BY doing this as We un-
derstand all the other dealers are doing
1t Is hoped that an actual coal famine
In Washington may be averted, unless a
prolonged spell of zero weather should
set in. And that is something we are
refusing to think olive are taking no
heed of the morrow. as far as concerns
the possibility of a couple of weeks of Sc
we're winter weather.
Wholesalers and retailers united in eX-
pressing the belief that no Improvement
in existing conditions viii occur this
winter. and that the available stocks of
coal OF all sorts viii only be sufficient
for Week-to-Week cOnSunlption