New-York tribune., 1918-01-21
New York Gets but Little
of Immense Supply in
Jersey Ports
Barges Held Up
And Tugs Crippled
Only Third of Quantity
Needed for a Day Is
Received Here

New York City received Yesterday
the third day of the industrial shut
down ordered by DR.. Garfield as coal
conservation measure-lcss than a
third Of the quantity of coal it ordi-
narily burns in twenty-four hours
Flfty-three bargcs, with 25,53S tons Of
hard and soft coal. were reported to
have left Jersey tidewater terminals,
but if more than half that number
managed successfully the tortuous
journeys through the ice-filed Kills
their precious freight did not reach the
empty bins and coal pockets Of the dis
tributers.
"No change from Saturday," said an
official Of Burns Brothers yesterday.
The same official had reported Satur-
DAY that conditions in the city were as
grave as they had been at any time
since the fuel famine began to be
acutely felt more than month ago.
Of the thousands of railroad men en-
gagged in the task of getting out the
vast masses of frozen fuel accumulated
at the New Jersey terminals there was
not one who was not convinced last
night that the weather is pro-German.
Labor Army Reinforced
On the land side an army Of laborcrs
and stevedores, working in severe tenn
peratures. had been reinforced during
the last two days by thousands of other
workers gathered up by special trains
from factories shut down by the Gar
field order. On the water every effort
was made to speed up during the five
day halt the fuel administration has
imposed. But in the barely warm Of
ices Of the railroad director, at the
mitted at nightfall that the weather
had been too much, and despondently
received the forecast of continued cold,
with the probability OF snow to-day.
The report Of A. H. Smith. Assistant
Director General of Railroads, showed
q decrease OF 1900 tons in the coal
shipments from the terminals, due to
the weather.
After weeks Of bucking the ice in
the harhor, it was found that nearly
200 of the $50 available tugs were out
OF commission. with 10 drydock space
IN which to repair them.
There was. according to the Smith
report. 321 barges at the terminals
awaiting cargoes, and 1o1 900 tons of
anthracite and 73,5OO of bituminous
coal in process Of being steamed out.
Barges Awaiting Tugs
Awaiting the dwindling number Of
tugs at the loading points last night
were barges containing $500 tons o.
anti racite and $500 tons of bituminous,
while reports OF cars on the way
showed 63,500 tons Of hard and soft
coal within twenty-four hours of tide
water
Meanwhile yards and pockets every
where in the five boroughs remain
empty. The few barges that arrived
off the river slips yesterday were un-
able to tie up until tugs had broken ice
foes. AS result the quantity of coal
landed barely suficed to give The
Bronx, for instance, 1855 tons, fourth
Of it's daily need, and more tugs were
made helpless by the cracking of pro-
peller blades.
A. II. Ahearn, deputy fuel adminis-
traitor for The Bronx, declared that at
out coal, and that the outlying dis
trcts, extending into Westchester
County, were fast becoming destitute
of wood
Like the Bronx and Harlem rivers,
which barges have been unable to enter
for days, Westchester Creek is frozen
to a depth of sixteen inches, Mr. Ahearn
said. and coal dealers are not attempt
ing to make the land haul.
In towing barges up Staten Island
Sound tugboats were forced to fight
their way yesterday through floating
ice A stiff wind added to their diff
ficulties, particularly in the upper har-
bor. where foes had accumulated in
tho slips and about the piers in masses
often measuring two feet in thickness.
Burns Brothers. who have eight
yards still empty, lost one bargeload of
coal. which sank at the entrance to the
Harlem River. Two other bargeloatis
were lost Saturday night in the East
River