New-York tribune., 1918-02-06
Coal Shortage
AT Worst Stage
OF the Winter
Continued from page I

report, approximately $4,000 tons, but
trains are stalled in vast snowdrifts,
and locomotives have been put out or
business by scores. owing to the treez-
ing Of boilers and other cold weather
mishaps.
Meanwhile, with A3l 200 tons of fuel
in sight but out of reach, New York
is almost out of coal. Dealers estl-
of all the yards were empty, and there
is no hope of immediate relief until
the weather moderates to a point we'll
above freezing, something that has not
occurred here but two or three times,
for brief periods. since December 8.
Sixty.hve Tugs Disabled by Ice
W. P. Pollock, railroad marine di.
rector, reported during the day that
Staten Island Sound and the Kill Won
,, Kull were frozen; that sixty eight tugs
had been put out of commission IN bat
Ties with the ice and that at the va
rious coal terminals temperatures rang
ing down to 16 degrees below zero had
caused wholesale dcsertions of work
men. Coal losses through the sinking
of bargcs. crushed or stove in by the
ice during the last month total 10000
tons, according to an estimate by MI
Pollock.
He also reported that the tugboat
Lehish had been frozen in Oft White
stone and that another towboat had
been forced to abandon Il number OF
barges which had been caught in an
ice jam.
What the situation was in the city
and it's cnvirons was clearly apparent
to attaches and visitors at the various
Ia r>G1 ho RI. &
tion.
Coal men reported that fully two
thirds of the yards in the city were
empty. Crowds, clamoring for fuel
thronged the Offices of the admins
traitors.
In the Bronx Joseph +. Ahcarn
deputy in charge. met at one time
more than three hundred persons seek.
ing coal. He said tho borbough had
less than 1900 tons OH hand, and that
there were more than four hundred
apartment houses without fuel.
"This is fulless fuel Office" he
get is conversation. All the coal in
New Jersey is not doing us any good.
Westchester Lacks Fuel
The weather practically cut Off all
coal supplies from Wcstchestcr COM
munities. Dealers in that section said
yesterday that conditions were the
worst in history. One declared that
rail charges for a twelve mile haul
via Port Morris to New Rochelle aver
aged $1.20 ton, and that with weather
conditions as they were it was impos-
| sible to substitute trucks and still hold
fuel prices under $50 ton.
Halscy Malone. deputy Fuel Admin.
istrator for New York County, an
nounced that all apartment houses
without coal should call upon his Of
ficc. Some of his assistants said tha,
the calls during the day numbered
more than 1000.
An anthracite pool, authorized re
Gently by tho national fuel admins
tration, was formed yesterday by New
York hard coal dealers who receive con.
/ signments through the terminals al
Port Reading and Port Richmond The
purpose of the pool is to reduce to +
minimum the sidctracking, switching
and rcconsienment Of cars, which have
been responsible for much delay.
Thomas G.. Farrell, of the coal firm
cf William Farrell g. Sons. was naroec
yesterday by the committee of retail
fuel dealers to act as supervisor oI
supplies for dwellings and apartm, nj
| houses.
Charged with Short Weight
Charged with having short-weiehtet
e Harlem apartment house half tor
on tive-ton order of coal. B. Sabse.
bitz, dealer at 135th Street and tn.
Harlem River, was arraigned yesterday
in the Harlem police court and held III
$500 bail.
Investigators for the fuel admins.
tratlon reported yesterday that wagon
dealers, who usually supply the cellar
mon, were violating the rule forbid.
ding them to sell to small consumers
The volators in every case. it was stat.
cd, sold coal at prices greatly in excess
OF the fixed price of 60 cents a hun
dred pounds.