The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-06
FUEL SITUATION
NOW DESPERATE
Incoming Supply by Water
and Rail Cut Off by the
Intensely Cold Weather
FEW HOURS SUPPLY
ONLY IN MANY CITIES
In Addition to Heatless Mondays Two
Three-Day Periods of Closing May Be
Ordered-Reports Of N. E. Factories
Closing Numerous Today.

Closing Numerous Today.
NEW YORK, Feb. 6-With 10000
tons OF coal at tidewater points in New
Jersey cut off from New York by huge
days supply OF coal ahead, fuel admins
traitors today were alarmed over the sit
uation. In the poorer section the suffer
ing is declared to be the most acute in
years. \ fleet of tugs today attacked the
ice foes in the harbor in an endeavor to
release hundreds OF eoal-laden barges
frozen solidly in the ice Many tugs were
unable to stand the strain and were
forced to drydock
Report after report came during yester
day telling OF cities all the way from
Mississippi to the Atlantic. with only
few hours supply Of fuel on hand and
prospects poor for obtaining anything
like the quantities needed.
In New England transportation was
declared hopeless. Trains We're crippled
and an Atlantic storm had halted coal
movement by water. In PENNSYLVANIA
mines were idle, cities were without coal
and trains were unable to move All IN
dustry in Indiana. it was said. was about
to shut down The situation in Ohio was
so critical that Governor Cox planned to
go to Washington to make a personal ap-
peal for aid
The railroads yesterday were declared
to be in the worst shape they had been
in any time during the winter Low tenn
peratmcs made it impossible in some IN
stances for trainmeh to work, and the
general freight movement was said to be
about % per cent OF normal
There ale indications that, if better
weather does not come speedily, officials
viii take ND for consideration a proposal
to the closing order prescribing the four
day shutdowns. one covering the period
ct Lincoln's birthday anniversary. and
the other Washington's birthday
Lincoln's birthday. Feb u, falls on
Tuesday, bringing thrce-day holiday
over Sunday. Monday and Tuesday. If
>aturday-m many cases observed as
half hoIiday-were made a complete holi-
day, this would give a four-day CLOSING.
Nash'ngton's birthday. Feb -, falling
on Friday, offers another opportunity to
make Saturday a complete holiday. and
thus give another four-day closing period
Railroad administration reports said
freight movement had been cut in halls.
while passenger traffic had suffered
equally. Coal formed the bulk of the
freight which struggling roads were able
| to move through cold and drifting snow.
but deliveries everywhere were far from
normal demands.
BOSTON, Feb. 6-New Enq}and found
little hope today of early relief from fuel
shortage which, already serious, was made
desperate by the shutting off of most OF
the incoming supply by the cold weather.
| Reports of factory closing were numer-
Gus and MANY plants were kept in oper-
'atlon by burning green wood under their
+ hollers, In Boston an embargo forbiddinq
! the delivery OF coal except for pressing
need was resumed after having been lifted
only two days at the end of five day
period of restriction.
Twenty Massachusetts cities and
towns We're entirely without hard coal
+! for household consumntion todav and
| reports TO the fuel administration in
dlcated that III many instances the
| Nlnriv Of soft coal now being distrib-
uted 70 the homes would soon be ex-
| hanSted
The water works in several places
nuhla institutions on islands in Boston
harbor, and Dartmouth and Mt Hol-
yoke colleges also were in dire straits
officials said. Many distress calls To-
d9v told of serious results which might
follow if fuel was not received imme-
diately and James J Storrow. New
England fuel administrator. announced
that he had taken a consignment of
coal away from a large manufactur-
ing establishment engaged in war work
and diverted it to hospitals and homes
70 afford temnorarv relief.
Prospects for obtaining sufficient
9urp'v Of hard coal for homes were not
bright, Mr.. Storrow said today. and
there could be reason to feel thankful
if the supply of soft coal held out. He
declared that every effort would be
made to prevent suffering, even at the
expense of industry, if necessary.