Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-01-22
REASON FOR FUEL ORDER.
Administrator Garfield Makes Full
Exclamation

Explanation.
Fuel Administrator Garfield on last
Thursday night gave out the follow
ing explanation Of the reason for his
fuel order
The most urgent thing 10 be done
lis TO send to the American forces
Iabroad and 10 the allies the food and
war supplies which they vitality need.
War munitions. food. manufactured
articles OF every description. lying in
Atlantic ports in tens Of thousands VI
tons. where literally hundreds of
ships. loaded with war goods for our
men and the allies. cannot take the
seas bccaESc their bunkers are empty
of coal. The coal to send them on
their way is waiting behind the con-
gested freight that has iammed all
Terminals.
| 1T is worse than useless TO spend
our energies to more manufacturing
when what we have already manu-
facturcd lies at tidewater. congesting
terminal facilities. jamming the rail-
road yards and sidetracks 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.
ALLIES Cry for Help"
"Oncc the docks are cleared Of the
valuable freight for which our men
and associates In the war now wait In
vain, then again our energies and
power may be turned to manufactur-
ing. more efficient than ever. so that
a steady and uninterrupted stream Of
vital supplies may be this nations an
swer to the allies cry for help!
1T has been excess Of production
In our wartime speeding up that has
done so much 10 cause congestion on
our railroads: thnt has filled the
freight yards to ovcrfowing; that has
cluttcrcd the docks Of our Atlantic
ports with goods waiting to 20 abroad.
At tidcwatrr the flood OF freight has
stopped. The ships were unable TO
complete the journey from our fac
tories to the war dcpots behind the
firing line.
Added to this has been difficulty
of transporting coal for our own do
nestle needs. On top OF these diff
cultics has come one OF the most ter
ribly severe winters we have known
in years.
| Wheels Choked.
| "Thc wheels were chokcd and stop
| ped: zero weather and snow-bound
trains: terminals consestcd: harbors
with shipping frozen in: rivers and
canals impassable--it was useless TO
continue manufacture and pile confu-
sion on top OF confusion.
"a clear line from the manufactur-
ing establishments to the seaboard
and beyond: that was the imperative
need. II was like soldiers marching
to the front. The men in the foremost
ranks must have room to move.
| More than n shock was needed to
make q way through that congestion.
at the terminals and on the docks 30
that the aid so vitality needed by the
|
Ships Must Move.
THE incidental effect OF this trans
portation situation on coal production
has been disastrous. There Is and al
ways has been plenty Of fuel. but 1t
cannot bc moved to those places
where II is so badly needed while rail-
road lines and terminals are choked.
Throughout the coal fields, scores.
even hundreds. OF mines are lying idle
because Of railroad inability TO sup
ply the cars to carry away their prod
luct. Coal mines cannot operate with
out cars. Cars cannot be supplied
while the railroads are crippled by the
present freight congestion. which
keeps idle cars lying useless in the
freight yards.
I'm the past week the production
Of coal has been disastrously reduced.
Reports In some cases have shown 30
per cent Of the mines in certain fields
lclosed completely for lack Of cars.
"This is war. Whatever the cost.
we must pay so that in the face Of
1.-The enemy there can never be the
lreproach that we held back from do
. ing our full share. Those ships laden
with our supplies Of food for men and
food for guns must have coal and put
Ito sea"