New-York tribune., 1918-01-01

verted to the tenement dis -cts Of
New York yesterday to relieve The dis
tress of the victims of the fuel famine.
Used in stoves of all sorts, tens of
thousands Of the little paraffin- dipped
paper rolls Supplied degree Of COM
fort to hundreds OF families which
were unequipped to burn gas, and
which, owing to inability to procure
either coal or kerosene, suffered in
tensely from the rigors of the zero
weather.
The candles raised the temperature
of rooms that for days had been
warmed only by the body heat of hud-
ding occupants. They warmed the
milk for hundreds Of Tipped ba
bies last night, and heated the water
for the jugs and bottles that helped
to take the chill out Of the beds Of
the sick.
They were the gift Of the American
Trench Society to the Charity Oreani-
zation Society of New York. Coming
from all parts Of the country in vast
numbers, they had been assembled in
New York for shipment to France, but.
after part of them had been dis
patched, it was found there was no
more cargo space. The remainder.
therefore, were devoted to cold wealth
How grave the situation became was
indicated by number Of factors, in
cluding a warning from the Consolidat-
ed Gas Company that unless consump-
tCn decreased q gas famine night soon
be added to the city's winter woes.
The Brooklyn Union Gas Company
shut down entirely the sale Of heaters.
while the Consolidated company, with
q carload lost IN transit, was unable
TO FL an order for 100 three burner
gas radiators ordered by the Charity
Organization Society.
People also found it increasingly
difficult to get kerosene for the oil
hcetcrs bought TO take the place OF
their frozen regular heating apparatus,
and the RAPIDLY mounting prices, in IN
stances reported to be as high as %
cents gallon, raised y cry that the
dealers in this line, initiating those in
fuel and food were taking advantage
OF the cty's distress to proftcer
Officials of the Standard Oil Com
rany said their retineres in Brook
lyn and Bayonne were working at high
pressure night and day and that the
fuel oil shortage was due mainly to
the failure of retailers to foresee the
present unprecedented demand.
Most of the dealers have only GO
gallon tanks" said an official at 26
Broadway yesterday. "Some Of these
tanks arc omptied within ten minutes
after our trucks supply them. We
cannot keep going back every half
hour or so to fiji these tanks. There
aren't wagons enough"
This official added that since mos.
pleasure automobiles had been laid I'D
for the winter, the company was tax
ing it's Casolenc tank wagons out Of
storage, steaming them and otherwise
preparing them to reinforce the trucks
now in commission.
In addition to the trench candles the
Charity Organization Society distrib-
uted hundreds Of blankets in the poor,
cr sections Of the city yesterday
Blankets were also distributed
throughout the city by $50 nurses
attached to the nursing service main
tanned by the Henry Street Settlement.
These nurses reported that OF all
quarters the lower East Side was worst
off for lack OF coal and other fuel
both yesterday and during the period
Of greatest cola Saturday night and
Sunday. With the aid of the trench
candles and what small supplies of
kerosene they could ind the nurses
heated jugs and bottles of waite,
to warm meAeskift sleeping bags for
newborn babies, and the beds of ailng
children and adults