New Britain herald., 1918-01-08
DELAYED LINERS
 GET GOAL SUPPLY
Held in Port Seventeen Days by
 Lack Of Fuel


 sail with supplies for the Allies and for Ar erican troops in France but delayed in ports in this country for .ho last seventeen days because of lack of coal, got more fuel yesterday than on any other day in that period, and a few of the larger vessels were thus able to depart for Europe.
 The first mail for Europe in two weeks left an American port The in1I creased deliveries to ships, howeveH depleted the amount of coal receiva1 for New York distribution, and oIt1z 2o,o00 tons arrived at piers. This Wal a little more than half the require4z daily supply.
 The warmer weather made this deA1 creased coal delivery less of a hard-I ship to the city. The need was press ing, however, and this was shown bJl the numbe of hospitals and other in ! stitutions that told the Fuel Admin istration that they must have coa or close. Tho distribution of coal about the city was also hampered bA the ice, and the days deliveries showed a decrease over Sunday. Upl to noon yesterday the railroads de- i livered 56,600 tons more of coal to l New Jersey terminals.
 GrGatlY increased speed was report ed by the railroads in the handling of all classes of freight, including coal, because the orders of Director General l McAdoo calling for the annulment of all dispensable passenger trains had relieved approximately 500 locomo- l tives and 5000 railroad men from the ! passenger service to the work of hand l ling freight on lines running to New | however. slowed down the operation of both
 freight and passenger trains, and the l ice storm of Sunday night caused so ] many breaks in telegraph wires that l trains were seriously interfered with, so the railroads were not able to i achieve the efficiency in freight hand
 ling they had expected.
 BargeS yesterday succeeded in de
 livering in and about New York liar Dor a total of 4S,404 tons of anthra- l cite and bituminOus coal. of which about 23, 900 tons went to the ships. The ships, numbering approximately
 125, which are now delayed in port I need a total of about 500. GOO tons of l coal There are now in barGes at l tideWater and on the rails at termin- l als a total of 36O,450 tons of coal, bit l luminous and anthracite. Tn trains l which will arrive within forty eight | hours are 132,6OO tons of coal of ali ] grades.
 The improvement in the coal situa- l ton from now on depends not only ! on the railroads, but on barge deliver
 ies. These were 36C empty barges, with 1 capacity of PIG. 900 tons, waiting for i cargoes at the railroad ports yester- day. They could not be loaded be- ] cause the weather continued to make l it difficult to eXtricate the frozen coal | from the cars.
 The barges which were loaded had their difficulties yesterday. Floating i icefloes, which had caused the sinking 1 of tWenty-four coal barges in the last 1 four days, continued to be a menace, l and towbOat shippers were cautious. i The fog over the harbor made it nec- 1 essary for the toWbOats to feel their | way.
 The coal on hand reported ycster-
 day to A. H. Smith Assistant Director l of Railroads, was as follows:
 Dumped Tn Barges In Cars