The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-19

in Atlantic ports i'll tens of thousands |
IF tons where literally hundreds of
ships loaded with war goods for our
men and the allies cannot take the
seas because their bunkers are empty
of coal. The coal to send them on
their way is waiting behind the con
gested freight that has damned all ter
minals.
It Is worse than useless TO bend our
energies to more manufacturing when
what we have already manufactured
lies at tidewater congesting terminal
facilities, jamming the railroad yards
and side tracks for long distances back
into the country. No power on earth
can move this freight into the war zone
where it is needed until we supply the
ships with fuel
Once the docks are cleared of the
valuable freight for which our men
and assistants in the war now wait in
vain then again our energies and pow
er may be turned to manufacturing,
more efficient than ever so that a steady
and uninterrupted stream of vital sup
plies may be this nation answer to
the allies cry for help
There has been excess of production
in our war time speeding up, that has
done so much to cause congestion on
our railroads; that has filled the freight
yards to overlooking; that has clut-
tered the docks of our Atlantic ports
with goods waiting to go abroad. At
tidewater the flood of freight has
stopped. The ships were unable to
complete the journey from our fac
tories to the war depots behind the fir
ing line.
Added to this has been difficulty OF
transporting coal for our own domestic
needs. On top of these difficulties ha>
come one of the most terrible severe
winters we have known in years.
The wheels were choked and stopped
zero weather and snow bound trains
terminals congested; harbors with ship
ping frozen in; rivers and canals i'm
: passable-it was useless to continu,
manufacture and piling confusion oil
top of confusion.
A clear line from the manufacturin:
, establishments to the seaboard and be
| You'd; that was the imperative need.
was like soldiers marching to the front
? The men in the foremost ranks mus
have room to move.
=, More than shock was needed t
f make way through that congestion
: at the terminals and on the docks S
/ that the aid so vitality needed by tn
S allies could get through.
f The incidental effect Of this tran:
g portation situation on coal productio
Il has been disastrous There is and a
t ways has been plenty of fuel, but
l. cannot be moved to those places whel
it is so badly needed while railroa
!. lines and terminals are choke
o Throughout the coal fields, scores. eve
n hundreds, of mines are lying idle b
l. cause Of railroad inability to supply Il
l. cars to carry away their product Co
+ mines cannot operate without cars. Ca
j. cannot be supplied while the railroa,
re- are crippled b. the present freight 60
ID gestion which keeps idle cars lying us
less in the freight yards.
L. In tae past week the production
ID coal has been disastrously reduced. r
81 ports in some eases have shown 90 n
"a cent of the mines III certain fields clos
&C completely for lack Of cars. aa
"A This is war. Whatever the cost.
must pay so that in the face of t
,s enemy there can never be the reproa
r. that we held back from doing our f,
n. share. Those ships laden with suppl
10 of food for men and food for guns mu
he have coal and put to sea-