The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-25
COAL DUMPING RECORD
BROKEN IN TIOtWATtR
Shipments From Hampton Roads
During Year of 1918 More Than
100000 Tons.
LOOKING FOR A SCARCITY
Brought About BY shortage OF Cars
and Shortage OF Labor Mt Mines.
Said To BE Gradually Growing
Worse.

NorIoik, va, Dec. 24.-Wlth total
dumping OF 1e.193.S75 tons of coal
over the Hampton Roads piers, name
ly LAmbert's Point. SewalVs Point and
Newport News, up to the morning of
December %. the year 1916. now
rapidly drawing to close. was the
banner year In the history Of the local
coal trade.
Although there are still nine days
remaining, tho dumpngs for 1915, are
already 1.3s1.3e3 tons in excess of
those for 1915. which had been the
banner year In the coal trade. the
dumpings for that year being 14,s12.-
$50 tons.
While the coal situation at Tide
water Virginia was quite bad during
the last three months of the year be-
cause OF the scarcity of coal brought
| about by the shortage of cars and
| shortage OF labor at the mines, and
gradually growing worse at the ap-
proach OF the holiday season, one OF
the leading coal agents said yester-
day that the year was a satisfactory
one and prospects were bright that
the year 1917 would even be better
than the one Just ending. both in the
shipment OF coal and prices. He said
that coal would be very scarce during
the first part of January or I'D until
about the goth of that month as IL
Will take that long for the operators
| to recover from the loss incurred
| during the lay off at the mines dur.
! Ing the holiday season.
! Increased prices for coal, both
! cargo and bunker are looked for.
Contracts for bunker coal are report
ed as being signed for 1917 on the
| oasis or IS per ton, an increase of
/ ABOUT 81 a ton over the contract price
| for bunker coal in 1916.
Scarce Since October
| Inc coal business from Hampton
Roads was very brisk up until about
the hrst Of October. when coal start
| ed to become scarce. The foreign
| demand for coal was heavy and there
| was scarcity of bottoms during the
first part OF the year. To supply this
greatly increased foreign demand for
| COAL many American coasting col
| Tiers, which had been engaged in car
| rying coal between Hampton Roads
and New England ports, were placed
| In tho Off shore trade. A large num-
Der OF new vessels were added to the
| collier fleet and a number of steamers.
| tugs and barges were brought around
to the Atlantic from the Great Lakes
to help fill the increased demand for
| tonnage.
| Increased demand and the shipment
| OF large amount Of coal to the
| Lakes started a shortage of cars dur
| ing October, which increased as the
| shipments to the Lakes increased. and
| towards the close of November coal
| was very scare at Tidewatcr. While
the majority of the dealers lived up
to their contracts and furnished the
greater portion OF the bunker trade at
the contract price, vessels belonging
to firms which had no contract at the
Virginia parts, were forced to pay
high prices for spot coal.
spot coal at times went up as high
as $3.50 per to at the mines, which
menas IS n ton at Tidewater or an in
| crease OF about IS a ton above the
! regular price There was very little
free coal at Tidewater and vessels
arriving mere for cargo and oven some
calling for bunker coal were forced to
| wait several days before their wants
could be supplied. This condition was
gradually being remedied with the
closing OF the Lake season, but the
holiday season will again cause a
| scarcity for a time
Record For Each Month
The total coal dumpings for the va
rtous months of the year follows
| January, 1.423.0S1 tons: February.
1,27s.037 tons; March. l.3ss.s5s tons;
April 1.3S3235 tons; May. 1,494l24
tons; June, i.4s6 S9s tons; July, 1,42s.-
GOO tons; August. l.S&3.7S7 tons; Sep
TENDER, l.s99.e02 tons: October. 1851
q
| December, up to the morning of De-
cember ~, S3i.5l7 tons.
The dnmpings OF the various rail-
roads during the various months
were:
Norfolk and Western Railroad. over
the Lambert's Point piers: January.
es6,ls5 tons: February. 5s4.6ss tons;
March. e26.SS0 tons; April. 67e,ss4
tons; May. G7s.110 tons; June. 77S.57t
tons, July. 6o9.446 tons; August. s2i.
412 tons; September GC4.T73 tons;
! October, 563,4s2 tons; November. 43g,-
o93 tons. December. up to the 22nd
305,5l2 tons.
Virginian Railroad over the Sew
alrs Point pier; January. 3sl.S2e tons:
| February 32s.640 tons; March, sS9s01
tons; April 292.95S tons; May. 3e9196
tons: June. 307.So7 tons; July. 37ss49
tons; August. 3ss.36l tons: Septem-
Der. 36s17S tons; October. 4oG437
tons. November. 34T.75S tons; Deem
ber. UP to the morning OF December
| a. 22e.25+ tons.
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad over
the Newport News piers: January
465,e20 tons; February. 3s4.79S tons
March. 377.s7S tons; April. 3S0413
| tons: May. 446.S1S tons; June. 3S05lS
tons; July. A2.194 TONS August
| 446slS tons; September, 37l,s51 tons:
October. S33.6os tons; November. 1872
$50 tons; December. up to the morn
ing of December %. 29e.751 tons.