The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-23
Early Morning Placement
Falls to 361-Dense
Fog Interferes.
RAILROADS SLOW PAY
Operators Financially EN-
barrassed by Holdup
of Payments.

Sixty eight mines are idle today on
the Monongah division Of the balti-
more and Ohio railroad due to car
shortage. Tnere are 511 cars on the
division while the mines ordered l.
727 cars The placement by O'CLOCK
this morning fell to 361. The heavy
fog Of last night, which was the worst
of the season along the Monongahela
river, made railroading difficult and
no doubt was q factor in the poor
showing made in the early morning
placement. The fog was so dense that
objects could not be seen a quarter OF
a square away.
Today's cars on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad are classified as follows:
open, sos; coke, 6. Cars left over
from the previous DAY were so.
While the B. & o. railroad had but
a twenty per cent. car supply the Mo-
nongahela railway has but twenty
per cent. also. The placement in the
West Virginia district of the Monon-
gahela railway was 1873, while that in
the Pennsylvania district was 22S.
Nothing definite Is held out by the
officials Of the B. & 0. railroad today
as to Wednesdays car supply, hut 1t
Is not believed that the supply will be
very much better. Enpties received
in the region last night came largely
from thelwest which section the ma
tority OF the hoppers will have to come
from in the future.
The car supply in the West Virginia
district Of the Monongahela railway
will run about thirty per cent. on
Wednesday it was learned today.
"sIiqht Irregularities"
Fairmont operators who have been
after official Washington to start
something to get cars for this coal re-
gion have learned that there have
been certain ineficienCies in railroad
ing on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
in this section of the system. United
States Senator Elkins in a letter to a
local coal operator in part says:
Slight Irregularities in placing of
empty cars on account Of unfavorable
conditions on Pittsburgh gateway eX-
listed on December 20. understand
this condition has been remedied,"
Although the ca- supply and early
morning placement Is supposed to
have been remedied very little i'm
provement has been noticed thus far.
The arrival of empties into the Fair
mont region has approached very
serious state of Affairs which will work
hardship on both operators and
miners unless something can be start
ed in the near future.
Load the LlmiG
The B. & o. railroad loading sheet
shows that 913 cars Of coal and coke
were loaded on the M0nongah division
yesterday which is more than the cars
repaiRad- 1902. The difference is made
.up in aSnumber Of "holdoyers" from
Saturday, which were not included
in the Saturday report. OF the 913
cars OF coal and coke loaded yester-
day there we're 907 loads OF coal and
six cars of coke.
Mines along the Monongahela rail-
way on Monday loaded 1853 cars Of coal
10 tie West Virginia district with 247
tf!Ts loaded in Pennsylvania.
Fair1nopt ,rNs'ap, as a whole loaded
l,0211 l-ot coal and coke, ,065 cars
Nc6at aud six cars OF coke.
Operators Want Money.
Untess the railroads start to pay
for the coal that they secured either
IN cantFaCt or for coal coufiscated
tV'taa the weeks prior and after the
bis ccai strike there will be some
operators very seriously affected H.
nancially in the Fairmont region. Al
ready some Of the operators have felt
tie pinch In making pay rolls, this be-
(CcrLlnued On page fou-.l