Evening star., 1918-01-24
BUNKER COAL T|E-UP
AT NEW YORK OVER
Only 55 Ships in Harbor in
Need of Fuel and They Are
Not Delayed by Lack of 1t. !
CHICAGO SUPPLY LOW

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. January c4.-The Short
age of bunker coal which few days
ago was seriously hampering the fu-:-
ing of vessels in New York harbor has
been entirely relieved" according to a
statement today by J. E. Parsons. de-
tailed by the United States Shipping
Board to supervise the bunkering OF
ships at this port
Any steamships now here and entitled
to receive coal can bessupplied prompt
ly" said Mr.. Parsons. According to
our reports. only flfty-five ships in this
harbor are in need of coal. but none OF
these is being prevented from sailing
for lack of fuel. OF these ships, those
whose bunkers are empty also have to
load cargo before they would be ready
for departure. Nineteen ships. which re-
uuired a total of 1910 tons of coal.
were fueled yesterday.
Fuel administrators and transporta-
ton authorities were highly gratified
with this word that the bunker coal
tie-up has been broken. While coping
with fuel and traffic problems they
have insisted that the inability of ships
to clear terminals of accumulations OF
export freight because of the lack OF
bunker coal has been the most yexinE
phase of the situation. The vast guam
titles of freight which the nearly 700
ships coaled here the past week VIII
take away will make room for an
equally large mass Of freight consigned
to this point. but now held upSat in
terror places because Of the congestion
here they say.
still acute. fuel administrators and
transportation officials today were hopeful
that the somewhat milder weather and the
freight embargo placed on eastern rail-
ways by the director general OF rail-
roads, would materially relieve the sit
uation.
The movement of anthracite coal has
shown considerable improvement IN tne
last twenty-four hours, il was said, al
though the supply is far below the
city's normal requirements. Coal suf-
ficient for the immediate needs OF all
the hospitals and most or the schoois
has been distributed, but numper OF
factories are unable to obtain enough
fuel to resume operations after the nVe
days industrial closing.
Ice Menace Lessened.
Officials believe that the worst Of the
ice menace in the harbor Is ended. Prog
ress has been made in repairing DAM
age to tugs. and as consequence Ireer
movement Of fuel from tidewater Is ex-
pected OF the 1872 tugs registered In the
harbor s5 per cent have been laid up by
encounters with ice foes and 400 scowB
have been frozen solidly in the ice.
CHICAGO. January 24.-1ndustrial es-
tablishments in the Chicago manufacture
ing districts are running today on their
reserve supply of coal, according to reports
of the fuel administration headquarters.
Little new coal is reaching the factories,
as practically all received here IS beng
used for domestic purposes Reports from
the mines to the fuel administrator in
dicated further improvement in general
conditions.
The car supply throughout the mining
districts of the state is reported to be
about 10 per cent less than it was during
December. The leading railroads which
reach the mines. however, reported that
a good supply of empty cars is reaching
the loading points.
Sugar Greater Need.
In Chicago at present sugar is a
greater need than coal. and the local
food administration has decided to dis
tribute sugar arriving in the city with
in the next few days. regardless of con-
SigneeS
With warmer weather promised by
the forecaster, both fuel and food ad-
ministrations expected a gradual clear
ing of the situation.
PITTSBURGH, January 24.-The
Pittsburgh Industrial district, located
bituminous coal field. today experienced
the worst coal shortage of the winter.
Less than 10 per cent of the mills
closed down last Friday by the five-day
suspension order of Fuel Administrator
Garfield have been able to resume oper-
ations, it was estimated. A large por-
ton of the 100000 men made idle by
the suspension are said still to be out
of work.
Steel Hard Hit.
Subsidiaries of the United States Steel
Corporation here are being seriously
affected by the shortage. Unless coke
can be obtained during the day by the
Carnegie Steel Company from its ovens
at Connellsville, fifty miles distant, ten
blast furnaces will be compelled to
close. But four of the eleven blast
furnaces of the Jones & Laughln Steel
Company were in operation today. The
shortage also has caused the closing
of the Midland plant of the Crucible
Steel Company. which employs 1000
men.
Optimism was expressed. however,
by r. r. McCarty. Pittsburgh chair
man of the railroad operating COM
mittee, in a statement in which he as
serted that with two weeks of ordinary
winter weather 1.-The railroads of the
district will be running about as usual
and this without any fuel-saving days
or general embargoes."