New-York tribune., 1918-01-21
Two Coal Relief
Plans for City
Come Up To-day
Delivery by Auto and Ferry
Might Bring 5000
Tons a Day

Two methods Of solving New York s
fuel problem, both of which contem-
plate freeing the city from the ice
bound system Of barge delivery over
tho North River will be considered by
local fuel administrators to-day. More
delivery, but is intended to supplement
it until the present crisis is past.
They are"
/. Direct delivery from the big
coal pockets at the tidewater ter
minals by trucks made idle by the
Garfield closing order. The plan, as
suggested by The Tribune, will be
taken up to-day by Reeve Schley,
County.
2. Bringing coal to Manhattan by
rail by divcrting cars from the al
ready overtaxed Jersey terminals to
the New York Central road and
dumping their contents under the
railroad elevated structure on Park
Avenue, thus preventing added rail
congestion here. This plan was pro-
posed yesterday in letter sent by
b. J" Sloat to Dr.. Garfield. Federal
Fuel Administrator, at Washington.
Details of the first plan will be taken
up by Mr.. Schley at conference with
/. ID. Pratt, executive secretary Of the
Motor Truck Club of America. Mr..
Schley yesterday sent letter to Mr.
Pratt, in which he asked him for in
formation acquired by that organi2a-
Of ~ 4r,, ~,
in New York for use in Manhattan. 1t
is expected that at least 5000 tonnage
will be Immediately available for the
task of bringing coal to the city by
means of the North River ferries.
Mr.. Pratt announced that such plan
appeared feasible to him, but would re-
auire proper organization. If the Fuel
Administrator could arrange for such
organization and backing at once, he
SAID, there would be no shortage Of
trucks to bring approximately 10000
tons of coal to Manhattan from the .Jer-
sey coal pockets daily.
"There are numerous things that will.
have to be arranged after the trucks
are found" he said. "Somebody will
have to provide the labor to load and
unload the vehicles after they 70 to
the pockets and when they return to
this side Of the river. If this is left
to volunteers or to chance it will not
be forthcoming, Of course.
"Then such details as shovels and
proper care Of the trucks will be neces-
saly. The sides Of many of the cars
will have to be tmbered up to max.
them ready 10 carry coal. Also. it will
be necessary to clean and return them
to their owners in the state in which
they were found"
One Of the enthusiastic supporters of
the plan is w. c. Younger, a Hoboken
truck owner.
II notice that The Tribune said 90
600 tons Of coal day could be carried
to Manhattan by This plan" he said.
"Much more than that quantity Of fuel
could be moved daily by use Of the
motor trucks now available. Nobody
realizes the extent of the present in
dustrial shutdown and nobody realizes
that employers are making an earnest
properties and unemployed labor This
is the one desirable outlet. 1t ought
all to be used"
The second plan was described in
a letter to Dr.. Garfield. in which Mr..
Sloat said:
Have the coal cars for New York City
on all the railroads run by the Lenizh &
Hudson Railroad over the Poughkeepsie
Bridge route. and thence by the Harlem
Railroad to the viaduct which runs over
Park Avenue from 10th Street novth.
Under this viaduct there is an immense
open space. about fifty feet wide and a mile
long. varying in height from fifteen to
thirty feet.
'My plan is to build narrow chutes be-
tween the railroad tracks on the viatluct at
proper spaces. that there would be one
chute for each carload. Thus the coal can
very quickly be put down OH the street in
immense piles. and there would be annie
room for Il very large number of vehicles
to load there.
There is roadway enough to each side
OF the open space referred to for all street
traffic. and that would not be interfered
with, and Il few policemen would protect
the coal from theft.
Arrangements for weighing can bn
made without much difficulty.
by the above plan you would not ONLY
get the coal quickly in the heart of New
York City. without struggling with the ice
in the rivers, but you would relieve 4he
Jersey City terminals OF the large numbers
OF coal cars that are now congestiny them.
and would leave space enough for the move
ment of ordinary freight"