The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-21
Business ShiverS Behind Closed
Doors; Stores Closed.
Snow BlOckades and Freight
Jams Bar Relief Sought.
REAL TEST NOW At HAND
Garfield Says Next "a Hours
VIII Prove His Theory.
Five-Day Shutdown of Indus
tries Ends Tuesday Night.
BY ROBERT ]. BENDER.

Washington, Jan. 21.-America's
first "heatless holiday found the Ma
tional railroad fighting zero weather
SHOWS and freight jams to reach the
seaboard with coal
Business-except food and drug
stores, shivered berind closed doors
and great industries continued idle
thru their fourth day of suspension.
to facilitate coal shipments. BY spe-
cial request of Fuel Administrator
Garfield last night, department stores
and retail establishments thruout the
east to lay not only are not burning
coal but they are closed Elevators in
office buildings are supposed to run
only for those exempted.
But despite the general close-doWn
violent fight to keep coal moving
At both 1orthern and southern ports
loadin of vessels is continuing on
24-hour schedule.
Urge Freight Embargo.
1t is now believed certain that dras-
tic measures to continue coal move
ments after the present five day sus-
will have to be invoked Officials
state th>-t priority orders now in effect
will be continued after tomorrow un-
less there is a marked rise in temper
ature thruout the east. making trans
portatiOn easier This would mean
that after tomorrow night only such
industries as have coal on hand could
| operate, aside from the vital war
| works now exempted from Garfield S
regulations.
| Pressure is being brought to bear on
Director General McAdoo to declare
an embargo on shipment of all nom
essential freight until the tracks and
seaboard are cleared. 1t is stated that
with rails jammed by delayed freight
shipments, coal traffic to ports and
| n r.
ties" back to the mines will continue
blocked despite the close down OF
| business and trade.
| Garfield Optimistic.
Garfield said today he expected the
next forty-eight hours to show the'real
results of his recent order. Both
| Garfield and McAdoo are hoping for
warmer weather thruout the east and
south.
The best showing thus far has beer
made at Southern Atlantic ports
| where 107,70O tons of bunker coal
| has been delivered and is ready for
| loading with 100000 more tons -en
route. At one port more than $4,000
I tons were delivered over Sunday
Northern Atlantic ports are expect
ing 10000 tons during the next few
| days, and a twenty-four hour loading
! schedule will be continued during the
period of industrial suspension in the
| east
Weather a Real Enemy.
! Deep SHOWS, zero temperatures and
promise of only slightly warmer
: weather came in reports to the fuel
| and railroad administrations as dis
/ couraging factor in movement OF
! trains during the next forty-eight
| hours.
Below Zero at Pittsburg.
| Pittsburg, jan 21.--With the tenn
| perature below zero and a heavy foe
E! hanging over the entire district rail-
roads were seriously hampered in their
efforts to clear the freight congestion
today Yesterday was clear and LONG
coal trains were hurried to the east
but conditions this morning caused a
| general slackening of operations