Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-06
CITY IS ASSURED
OFCOALSUPPLY
Director MacLaughlin Is
Storing Adequate Amount
for Winter
FUEL AT WATER PLANTS
Municipal Institutions Being
Cared For-Additional Ap.
preparation Is Needed

This city's wards-sick. unfortunate.
more than $4,000 city employees. will be
kept comfortably warm this winter no
matter what hardships may befall house
holders. This declaration was made to-
day by Director mclaughlin. Of the
| Department of Supplies
With the thermometer soaring. Direc-
1 tor MacLaughlin. sans coat and collar.
| today kept busy a similarly scantily clad
clerical force at the task OF begging
mining companies and coal dealers for
deliveries at the eighty or more points"
where supplies OF all grades Of coal
are being laid in for municipal pur-
poses
The greatest accomplishment OF the
department in obtaining fuel lies In the
fact that an adequate or nearly adequate
water supply is assured by the large
quantities already delivered at pumping
and filtration plants. Several times dur
ing the severe storms of last year
coal famine was threatened at Water
Bureau plants. and at times those sup
plying the main sections of the city
were down to a twenty -four-hour sup
ply.
Plenty Of Coal In Bunkers
The big Torresdale filtration plant has
already been supplied with thousands
of tons of coal. while the supply at
| Lardners Point is almost sufficient 20
see that important station through the
| winter months. Coal bunkers at Queen
| Lane and Belmont have been partly
! filled and II no more deliveries were
made for several months the city would
! be all right from the standpoint of a
water supply.
| Director Mclaughlin. in discussing
! the coal situation. made II plain that
supplies on hand will not be touched If
he can keep deliveries. at Government
| fixed prices. up to normal It is this
task that is now occupying his atten-
| ton.
Blockley's available yard space has
| been turned into a monster coal storage
| yard and the thousands of tons on hand
make certain full winter supply for the
unfortunate at the Philadelphia General
Hospital A similar condition exists at
other institutions while bins and storage
, spaces Of police stations, etc, are being
| filled to capacity.
| The latest move to insure an adequate
| supply of warmth has to do with City
Hall. Today arrangements are being
made to take over a City-owned storage
! river. Here 1900 tons of coal will be
stored as an emergency measure for the
| City Hall supply. The big public build
| ing has no storage capacity and in the
past has always depended upon quick
deliveries from nearby yards. This fall
and winter deliveries will be continued
as long as possible, but in the event of
trouble the 1900 extra tons TO be stored
on the river lot will be sufficient to carry
the departments over until more coal is
available.
Need Another Appropriation
Naturally such unusual preparations
and the purchase of such large quantities
OF coal will mean an additional coal ap-
preparation when Councils convene next
month The city just now is forced to
! pay the new freight rate for coal deliver
ed and this in conjunction with the fact
! that there is now on hand 10000 or 90
| 900 tons more of coal than at any
| similar period in the City's history means
added costs. Just now Director Mac
| Laughlin is paying the coal companies IS
from the $27O.0O0 given him for that
purpose before Councils adjourned for
| the summer.
The actual cost OF coal for the year
cannot be estimated at this time but il
is certain to exceed by 100000 the
cost Of coal in most preceding years.
| Councils will be asked to appropriate
! at least 100000 in October so that
, steady deliveries can be purchased and
| made through the early winter months
| If this program is carried out the sup
/ ply is certain to last through March at
least