The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-01-04
KEROSENE FAMINE
THREATENED HERE;
PRICES GOING UP
CONTINUED from First Page.l


on the fiuctuation Of prices"
Texas Company Agrees.
Texas Oil Company officials agreed
with the statement Of Mr.. Walker.
but refused to state whether or not
the price Of kerosene would advance.
"The blame for the scarcity is be-
cause of the failure OF the railroads
TO move cars and because OF the cold
wave. which has tied up all Of the
oil bsrges, many of them being locked
fest in the ice" say officials.
The price of kerosene today Is 9ls
cents per gallon wholesale, as com
pared with cents a month ago, while
the retail price is Is cents today, as
compared with IL cents a month ago"
'AIany people said the oil com
pany officials, have been using kero-
sene heaters instead OF coal, and the
, present cold wave has created an I'M
.precedented demand for kerosene.
This is a contributing factor"
Marketman Out of Oil.
elias Gelman. proprietor of Geb-
zda's Market. 217 Tenth street south
ses@ said:
TAe last kerosene that / had was
On New Year Day, when 1 bought
thirty gallons from the Standard Oil
ComPaiy. Ny supply was exhausted
in tiIee hours. Since that time more
than 800 have been turned away from
NY store, seeking kerosene. Since
December I have been paying 95
cents a gallon wholesale aud retail
ing at L. and IS cents a gallon. Soma
dca'erz, I understand, get Is cents a
gallon"
Has No Kerosene.
H. z. Keller, Third and C streets
southeast, did not have any kerosene
for sale today. Keller said:
Yesterday I received nifty gallons
Of kerosene from the Standard OIL
Company in Alexandria I sold every
gallon at fifteen cents a gallon in two
hours, between4 and o'clock. About
fifty persons have tried to buy kero-
sene from me since my supply was
exhausted. There hasn't been any
change in wholesale price for some
time. I don't expect another supply
until next week"
A. Justine. 947 C street southwest,
is another dealer out of kerosene to-
day.
Mr.. Justine stated:
"On New Year Day I received thirty
gallons OF kerosene which 1 sold at
thirteen cents a gallon. The supply
was exhausted in two hours. / paid
nine and one-half cents wholesale and
retailed the kerosene at thirteen cents
6 gallon. The reason 1 can't get any
kerosene is because the Standard Oil
barge is frozen in the Potomac at
Alexandria"
Garage KerOseneIesE.
Claude Washington, an employee of
the Congressional garage at 62s Penn
sylvania avenue southeast, today told
The Times that his garage had been
unable to secure any kerosene for the
last two days.
1--WE are absolutely out of it, he
said. 1--WE use about thirty gallons
a month, which is enough to supply
our customers, but we haven't been
able to get any at all. We have been
selling ii at II cents a gallon"
F. Daneri, of F. Daneri & Son, 932
NJ street northwest, said: 81 have no
coal oil. have had none for the last
two days. I have ordered fifty gal
Ions. which / expect at any time. I
will sell to anyone, as ! do not follow
the plan Of selling to customers only.
will sell at Is cents per gallon.
81 have with me now orders for
thirty gallons from my customers"
Can't Get Kerosene.
r. II. Owens, 421 E street north
east, stated that a month ago kero-
sene was worth SE cents and sold for
u cents. but that now it costs him
91a cents and he sells it for Is cents
He said:
1T seems impossible to get kero-
sene. ] have not had any for a week.
1 phoned the Standard Oil Company
yesterday. They say they have none
and do not know how soon they will
get any. They blame il on the rail-
road tie-up. / guess they really
haven't got II, because it don't seem
possible to me that they would have
IT and not sell it, knowing the people
are suffering for want OF IT,"
During the ten minutes that The
Times reporter was there FIVE people
entered the store and asked for kero-
senc. but were told there was none on
hand.
Owens has not had a drop in his
place FOR a week, he said.
Many Sufferers.
Many people who come into my
store TO buy kerosene are IN a pitt
able plight on account Of tie lack OF
coal and our inability to get kero-
sene for them George r GIN today
EoAN ~ 4 At AilAtH. nj Yin - plp-
prietor OF a paint store at 642 Penn
sylvania avenue southeast
Most OF the people who come here
ask for alcohol or Kerosene" he said.
"A salesman for the Texas Oil Com
pany told me today that he didn't be-
lieve that there we're 500 gallons of
oil in Washington. but he said there
was plenty in Baltimore. l ran out
of kerosene yesterday and | can't get
any at all today. ] have been buying
IL al 0l2 cents and selling ii at L.
cents
il. T Covers. 237 Seventh street
southwest, received thirty gallons to-
day from the Standard Oil barge in
Alexandra. but he had to haul it here
from Alexandria in a wagon. He is
selling 8; ut - cents a gallon.
Covers said:
Before today the last kerosene that
] had for sale was Tuesday. when l
received thirty gallons. which ] soon
sold out at - cents a gallon. Since
Tuesday ] have had about 600 calls
for kerosene. The wholesale price has
been die same for some time"
Poor People VIII suffer"
The poor people around here will
suffer terribly from the lack OF kero-
-ene." J. w. Dorsey, proprietor of a
grocery store at 800 D street north
x.g+ told q Times renOrfer tOdav