Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-07-20
THE COAL SITUATION.

the new conditions that have been
forced upon the coal situation by the
breaking of the Mammoth Reservoir
and the destruction of several miles OF
track on the D. & R. G., over which
all the coal from the Utah fields must
pass for Idaho points
As soon as the washout occurred on
the Rio Grande, Mr.. Hansen, Secretary
for the Council of Defense for Idaho.
wired me to come TO Salt Lake and
assist him in this investigation.
regret exceedingly to have to report
to you that the destruction of the Rio
Grande tracks has brought about a
very complication in the coal situation
for Idaho For morer than two weeks
the coal mines of Utah have been idle.
However, I am glad to advise you that
on the 18th of July all the mines in
Utah on the D. & R. G., except those
In the Scofield District resumed opera
tions.
The following telegram from Mr.. F.
D. Clarity, Assistant General Manager
of the D. & r. G., will give you au-
thentic information in regard to the
serious condition that exists at the
present time:
Salt Lake, Utah, July 12, 1917.
F. r. Gooding.
Gooding, Idaho.
All mines except those in Scofield
District commenced work yesterday
and hope to work them about fifty to
sixty per cent normal capacity, but do
not expect to reach maximum for at
least three or four weeks.
(Signed) F. D. CLARITY.
During all this time it must be
borne in mind that the railroads and
consumers everywhere have been using
up the supply of coal. Mr.. Stevenson,
a member of our Council, advises me
that it now looks as if the Oregon
Short Line would be forced into the
winter without a ton of storage coal
The whole situation is so serious
communication be given as much pub
;icity as possible. With that in view,
I am sending this report to the press
of the state and asking them to give
1t as favorable notice as possible, so
that the people may be advised of the
true conditions.
have the following recommended
tions to make:
The people of Idaho wherever it is
possible should provide wood for their
winter use.
All threshing machines that are now |
using coal should be fitted up with
straw burners.
There should be a demand on the /
part of the public in every community i
for economy in the use of Goa, and
every owner of threshing machine
should be requested to install straw
burners.
There remains but one hope to re-
iieve what threatens to be a serious
coal famine and that is through the
wyoming coal fields.
The following telegram from T. ].
O'Brien, General Sales Agent of the
Kemmerer Coal Company, in reply to
my inquiry, tells the story of the need
of men in the Wyoming coal mines, and
the prices paid for labor:
Salt Lake, Utah, July II, 1917.
F. r. Gooding.
Gooding, Idaho.
Your wire date, miners are paid
sixty four and sixty mine cents per
ton, depending upon local conditions
under which they work. Outside labor
ers three dollars and four cents per
day, leaders, track layers, timbermen, {
drivers, four dollars and two cents per /
day, inside labor, not classified, three !
dollars and eighty eight cents per day.
We could use two hundred fifty addi-
tionaI miners and estimate that at
least one thousand additional men 2
could be given work in the southern
Wyoming coal fields. Miners and load
ers are what we need most, but num-
ber of other underground men could be
used If this does not give you the in
desired, kindly let me hear r
from you. {
(Signed) T. J. O'BRIEN. 7
] am publishing this telegram with
the hope that it may come to the
notice of those who are looking for this
class of work, and that they will pro-
,eed at once to the Wyoming coal "
fields. n
There is no longer any question of d
,ar shortage, so that if the wyoming n
,oal mines could be furnished with tt
sufficient labor. 1t would become W
mighty factor in relieving what I be- re
ieve to be a serious condition for
daho. a
Too much credit cannot be given Mr.. al
Joseph Hansen, Secretary of the Coun- al
il, for his efficient work while in Salt II
AXE Through arrangements made w
here by your committee the increased m
onnage into Idaho was very gratifying. tn
howing an Increase up to the time of be
he washout, of nearly three hundred pc