The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-04-26
STATE FUEL ADMINISTRATOR
SAYS LAY IN WINTER SUPPLY
As Early as pOssible-COal Shortage
Will Be Serious Next Winter
Be on the Safe Side.

iHC odAS DiNNs
Washington people must provide
for their years fuel needs now, or
go without next winter That is
the solemn warning of the Fuel Ad-
ministrator for Washington, David
Whitcomb. And there is no fooling
or exaggeration about it, he declares.
"Whatever else there may be in
favor of buying your years supply
of fuel now, transportation is the
principal factor that makes it an abb
solute necessity" he asserts.
"The cars which have been hauling
coal from the mines to the consumers
of Washington are being gradually
drained from this state into the East
and, once back there, there is little
chance to get them out again. For,
whatever our need may be next win
ter, the East is short of coal cars
at this minute, and our claims for
a return of our rolling stock are like
ly to receive scant consideration in
the face of the pressing need of the
East now
The consumer who hasen't suffi-
cient bin space to accumulate his
years supply of coal, should enlarge
it Immediately. If he hasen't the
money on hand to purchase now, he
should borrow it somewhere or other
But above all, he SHOULD buy fuel
now-or run good chance of freez-
ing next winter"
Information regarding the storage
qualities of Washington Goals has
been gathered by Fuel Administrator
from several representative operators
of the state, and from experts of
the University of Washington Col
lege of Mines and the United States
Bureau of Mines, which may be sum-
married. as follows:
Most Washington Goals prepared
for domestic use will store with safe
ty, and with slight deterioration, in
any quantity that dealer may wish
to carry stock or that any domestic
consumer will put into his coal bin.
Coarse sizes of the Lewis and Thurs
ton counties -bituminous Goals,
which are the only practicable do
mestic Goals from that field, will
slack and deteriorate in the open air
but will change very little if put in
to covered bins and boarded up. A
leading operator in the field advises
against putting in coal of this kind
before August.
The smaller sizes of the King
County -bituminous Goals are not
fit for storage without special cool
ing arrangements. What are known
as the lump-nut sizes from this field,
and the lump-egg nut sizes of the
Queen coal and of the Roslyn coal
from the Roslyn Fuel Company's
Summit Mine, deteriorate slightly
more~in storage than do the other
Goals in the King, Pierce and Kitti
tas county fields, but in no case is
this deterioration serious if the coal
is given proper preparation at the
mine. Care should be taken, how
ever, to prevent the mixing of Bit
luminous coal with sub -bituminous
coal from King, Lewis or Thurston
counties.
Three representatives of the coal
operators of the state, in a state
ment to the Fuel Administrator, nave
said:
at is our opinion that any coal
except anthracite stored in the open
air for any length of time will lose
percentage of it's heat value, the
percentage of loss depending on the
physical nature and chemical analy
sis.
ut is also our opinion that any
coal can be stored if distributed over
proper area at a depth of not over
eight feet with ventilation under
meath"