New-York tribune., 1918-01-03
II. s. Control of
Railroads Saves
City mCoal Crisis

b Continued from page 1
panic have brought out the one out
standing feature that New York City
! has no coal storage facilities. If cveL-
I coal yard in the city were packed 10
full capacity the city would have less
than q four days supply on hand.
The ice in the North River and in
harbor slips was the most serious OBJ
staclc tina: was presented to .hc fuel
frozen solid down to 177th Street. The
I Harlem and the East rivers have been
kept open by powerful tugs milling
+ through day and night. But the slips
freeze faster than the tugs can break
them open. Harry T. Peters. chairman
of the Fuel Conservation Committee,
yesterday appealed to Assistant Direc-
tor-Gcneral Smith to furnish the city
with an icc-breaking tug that could
smash through everywhere.
Nh. Peters said that New York City
had boasted only one such craft. the
Ice King, owned by the Cornell Steam
boat Company and commandeercd long
since by the government. Mr.. Peters
said there were two ice rammng tugs
in Baltimore. and suggested that steps
be taken to requisition these.
The lower ports are becoming ice
bound. it was learned yesterday. The
Ticc Towing Line of II Battery Place.
which tows from Elizabethport, has
not been able to move any coal since
last Monday because Of the ice in
Staten Island Sound around South Am
boy and Perth Amboy. 1t took from
1880 o'clock yesterday morning tijl
$3.50 last nioht to tow barge with
500 tons Of coal from South Amboy to
Fresh Kills. Staten Island, q distance
of only few miles. The Pennsylva-
MIA Railroads coal tugs have been tied
up badly of late, while the Lehigh Coal
Company has used sea- going tugs to
tow its bargcs.
floating several cars from tidewater
terminals during the day. The Lacka
wanna ligntered ten carloads to 135th
Street and the North River. and the
same number to the Walabout
terminal in Brooklyn. while the Lclgh
Valley sent twenty ears TO the West
Twenty y-seventla Street yards at tho
North River
At the meeting of the railroad presi-
dents, it was decided to work three
shifts of men, day and night, at unload
ing cars till the shortage is finally
broken; also, TO assemble track walk
ers, section hands, shop men and wreck
ing crews to labor at the coal docks,
| insuring q constant output of coal at
the terminals.
I Executives at Meeting
| Tho meeting. which was held in the
directors room Of the Chase National
Bank. was attended by Assistant D-
rector General of Railways Smith.
State Fuel Administrator Albert H.
Wiggin, County Fuel Administrator
J Reeve Schley. Harry T. Peters, chair
man Of the Fuel Conservation Commit
tee; ID. l.. Truesdale, of the Lacka-
wanna; Edward e. Loomis, of the Le
high Valley; F. D. Underwood, of thu
Erie; J. B. Kerr, of the New York, On
tario & Western; W. G. Besler, of the
Jersey Central; A. 7. Dice, of the Phil
adelphia & Reading; Samuel Rea, of
the Pennsylvania, and Daniel Willard
Of the Baltimore & Ohio.
Mr.. Wiggin at the close of the meet
ing said that in pooling their resources
to secure fuel for New York City, the
railroads were accomplishing the greas-
est feat in many a day, and that the
prospects were brighter than at am,
time since the fuel shortage became
apparent,
The fuel administration officials were
given bad hour by the report that one
of Mayor Hylan's first official attempts
was in the direction Of commandeeri 9
the coal surplus of public utility cor.
porations for use of the general public
Mr. Peters said that if the Mayor tried
any such tactics it would be necessary
to appeal to Washington to stop him
from doing an irreparable damage. =.
Railwaymen to Command Docks
The railway presidents recommend
ed that practical railroad men be
placed in command of each coal dock.
that all the coal docks increase thei,
steaming facilities for thawing out
coal; pool their coal shipments so as
to cause no delay in switching: give
preference to domestic sizes of coal
in being steamed out. and that labor
and locomotive service be increased as
needed
At special meeting yesterday after.
noon of the Board of Estimate a reso-
luton was adopted rendering the Fed
eral and state authorities every CO.
operation in meeting the difficult situa-
ton. especially in supplying labor. The
heads of city departments and Borough
Presidents were ordered to report to
the Mayor what they could furnish in
men and material to aid in coal dis
J tribution and to make recommendations
and suggestions for facilities that
might be used. The Mayor, with the
concurrence of the board, directed the
Police Commissioner to ascertain
through the police force whether there
was any coal boarded in abnormal
quantities in the city.
F.. II. Outerbridge, president of the
Chamber Of Commerce of the State of
New York yesterday appealed to all
merchants, warehousemen and iud-
Niduals who have packing boxes. bar
rels or wood of any description stored
in their cellars to put these on the
sidewalk near their places Of business
where the poor might help themselves.
To conserve fuel. State Fuel Admin
strator Wiggin issued an order, cffec-
tive at once, to building managers to
J uSu 40 liNn ste2M hciNenn Z II ", und =