New-York tribune., 1918-02-07
Many Factories,
Coal Bins Empty,
Forced to Close

heiated relnfOrcementS TOR New
York's beleaguered industries, reported
by an optimistic weather forecaster to
be rushing toward the city in the form
OF ice destroying temperature, failed
to arrive in time to prevent many big
factories from succumbing to empty
coal bins yesterday.
Just how many institutions were COM
PEELED to close their doors because of
the absence of fuel to keep wheels
turning, local administrators would not
say. 1t was estimated that between
twenty-five and possibly many
more-closed down after desperate at
tempts to keep their organizations in
tact until the arrival of the long
looked-for thaw, which is expected to
accomplish miracles of fuel moving.
Every ounce of fuel that could be
rushed into the city yesterday--an
the total receipts were $1,000 tons
was consumed in heating apartment
houses, homes and hospitals. Public
utilities struggled along on coal in
their bins or the prospects of today's
amounting to only $4,000 tons-or
about one-third of the city's normal
equirements-left such void in city
coal bins that all the fuel arriving
during the day was classified as "emer
gency fuel" and was used in filling
the priority orders now being enjoyed
by homes and apartment houses.
Big Deliveries Expected
Coal deliveries during the night and
this morning are expected to make
possible the reopening Of many of the
Factories forced to shut down. 1t was
because of this fact that the list of
closed institutions was carefully
guarded by Administrator Reeve
Schley, to whom final pleas for fuel
were made.
"The business of these places is being
impaired enough by their enforced
shutdown" said Mr.. Schley. of they
should be advertised as closed it is
probable that their losses would be still
further increased by persons who would
matter of fact, we hope that many of
them will find it possible to reopen to-
morrow"
Because OF the desperate straits of
both business and domestic users of
coal it was decided to permit the use of
the small quantities of bituminous coal
heretofore under q ban in Manhat-
tan arriving IN the city. For the pres,
cnt soft coal will be used wherever it
''"f Nv SuOotltulcu lCT dIlInTdClte-th0
is, when it can be obtained.
he big obstacle in the way of coal
deliveries yesterday was the ice in the
harbor, which piled up and gave the
appearance of an Arctic region.
Albert II. Wlggin, state Fuel Admin
1strator, agreed that conditions here
never were more serious. He said that
'he salvation of the city, from a fuel
standpoint. depended upon an immcdi-
ate thaw and a greatly increased speed,
ing up of delivery of coal.
Pneumonia Deaths Increase
Onc OF the immediate results of the
doO cold apartment houses reported ex
listing in The Bronx alone Yesterday
morning was the largest number Of
deaths from pneumonia that the city
has experienced in five years. A total
of eighty four deaths from this cansc
was reported to the Health Department
between noon Tuesday and the same
hour yesterday.
Pneumonia, according to health off
Gals, was due to the cold wave and the
inabillty OF occupants of fuelless
homes and apartments to protect
themselves against it. A thaw and
rising temperature, it was announced,
might save scores of lives to-day.
force of clerks in the office of
!ucl Administrator Reeve Schley was
kept busy during the day sending out
notices to business men in the city
who have called for additional nforma.
ton concerning their rights on fuelless
Mondays. The conclusion of last Mon
days conferences in Washington that
the workless day should continue re-
suited in still greater tightening of
the reins to prevent violations of the
Garfield decree.
Barber shops, which gave the Admin
5Stration conside rablc annoyance last
Monday by persistently misunderstand-