The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-07-13
SMOTHER ROADS
(cOntinued frUm page Onsl


limit. Smother the railroads with coal
"Let US individually take the reNcon-
sibility. Let each may say viii
do my full share for my buddy in
France
Remember coal Is a fundamental.
The government can't do anything in
the way OF winning this war without
IT,
when the MIXERS who are now IN
France in the army come back they
are certain to ask you what you did
TO help win the war. II will be awk.
ward for those who laid off and did
not work. Il will be fine for those who
can grasp the returned soldiers by
the halnd and say TO them-T did my
bit here in the mines
The mine workers are soldiers.
You form a great reserve army just
as though you were in France. Just
because you are not in France does
not mean that you can't go over the
top and on 70 Berlin"
j. d. A. Morrow then spoke TO the
miners and among other things he
said:
Ny Job is to see that the coal goes
where II is needed for war work.
I When | tell you about my work you
will see why We need more coal and
how important II is that this coal be
/ produced. This is steel war. More
! guns are being used in this war than
were ever employed in war before
More guns require more iron and steel
and can't have that without more
coal and coke.
"One steel plant wants 500 cars
OF coal 4 day. One powder plant which
stands where trees grew a year ago
is now using 100 cars OF coal day and
notice has been served on me that il
wants 140 cars a day by August !,
Every pound OF high explosive powder
used in France is made from coal,
some Of which is mined here at NO
nongah. over there they fire the
guns seven days a week and twenty
! four hours a day so the work must
continue right along over here.
"one Saturday afternoon | got word
that there must be 5000 cars OF coal
at Atlantic ports in order to bunker
| ships which were 10 sail Monday. !
was told that this coal must be there
by nine o'clock Monday morning. !
had to gather nearly every car NOV
ing on the rails between here and the
east. II you miners had not been load.
ing coal | could not have secured that
5000 cars and we could not have sent
the ships and no telling how serious
the default might have proven. As
1t was we got our boys over in time
to stop the German drive.
we have got TO run this whole
country this year. next year and pos
sibly the year after with the sole idea
Of winning the war. Everything must
be worked out with that view upper
most. can assure you that Presi-
dent Wilson Is interested in nothing
more than in the production OF Goa!
in the Fairmsnt district OF West Vir-
ginia. That is how important he feels
coal is in winning the war.
For every seven cars you loaded
last year we must have eight this
year. Just as Monongah went over
the top in the Liberty Loan, the Red
Cross and War Savings stamps. ac-
cording to the chairman OF this meet
ing. we want Mononglh TO go over the
top in the production Of coal.
Just one thing more. We have
got 10 have clean coal of certain kinds.
It requires certain grades of coal to
make high explosives. II requires GER
tain kinds OF coal TO make good steel.
Dirty coal makes poor steel and poor
guns and poor ammunition.
"SOme OF the transports that have
started for France could not get over
there because OF dirty coal in their
bunkers. Some of the transports load
cd with precious cargoes-troops-
have had to turn back when out in the
ocean because the engines could not
make time on account OF dirty coal.
When running slow transports stand
greater chance Of being torpedoed so
the entire fleet could not be slowed
no for one transport. As result the
irty coal transport had 10 turn back
and make It's way 10 Atlantic ports
( without protection.
1T is gratifying 70 sec the Increase
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