The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-03
Seizures Include 12a Cars on
Way to Topeka.
But LOCO Tons in Yards Here
Ia Retailers Bins Empty.
EDISON PLANT LOSE 1920 TONS
Fear Tons of Foodstuffs in
Storage May Spoil.
State House May Be "CoId.
This Week-SuppIy Short.

Hold every pound of coal on wheels,
was the order received by Topeka rail-
road officials this morning from the
office of the regional director of rail-
road at Chicago. These instructions,
issued to all local agents and conduc-
tors, will shorten Topeka's industrial
life to five days, it is estimated
Approximately 125 cars of coal were
, in transit to Topeka Sunday night.
| Under the order. every one of these
will be held. There were probably
less than, l. 900 tons of coal in Topeka
/ today and practically all were hard
coal which cannot be used by steam
plants. or the average private con-
sumer
! Local dealers had taken orders and
IN many cases accepted payment for
coal. expecting to receive that in tram
! sit. The railroad administration order
| upsets these plans.
Besides suspension of many indus
| tries if more coal is not soon received
! IN cold storage spelling was faced.
| The Topeka Ice K Fuel company, with
| $4,000 bushels of fruit in storage,
| hoped to operate only ten days longer.
! After that prevailing weather will de-
eide the fate of the fruit. The City
| Ice Delivery cannot operate more than
one more day if more coal is not re-
ceived, it was said.
| The Edison company, providing
car of fuel oil is received every day,
can operate two weeks more, accord
I ing to A H. Purdy. general manager
| This plant had 33 car loads or 1920
| tons of coal in transit Sunday night
| which will doubtless be held under the
administration order. Seven cars were
| being held by the Santa Fe today
which also held ten other cars to To-
peka firms at noon today.
State Heating Plant Short
! The city water and light plants and
the state hospital are probably better
off for fuel than any other coal con-
sumfng institutions in the city. The
today and tomorrow if no more coal
is received here, it was stated, and
4 the state house will be heatless.
The Union Pacific and Missouri
Pacific railroad companies here alone
| deny having received the hold" order
from Chicago. Officers of both roads
declared today that they were not
seizing or holding any coal, since
seizure last week of several cars here.
The order was not termed a confis-
cation order. Its instructions are to
hold all coal on wheels, and to record
carefully weight. grade, kind and price
for further orders from the director
pending settlement" The last two
words lead most local dealers to be-
lieve the recovery of their cars is
hopeless.
The only dealers in town who had
any coal on hand to speak of were
Jackson Walker. H. Morton White,
Topeka Coal company. Wessen and the
firms expected to be Cleaned up
within two or three days. The yards
of the other seventeen retailers were
practically empty.
Santa Fe Has 100000 Tons.
1t is estimated that the Santa Fe
railroad has approximately 100, 1000
| tons of coal in storage thruout its sys-
tenn. All possible measures were be-
ing adopted, it was declared, to econ
! omize in a manner that would hold
confiscation necessities to a minimum
Topeka may be left entirely without
electric lights in the near future
should strike continue. Commissioner
Wilbur Stanfield declared this morn
: ing.
. The more serious danger. however
: was that the shortage would make II
impossible to operate the water plant
! THE city could get along without
7 lights" Stanfield said, but a water
shortage would prove very serious"
| At the present time the city has on
hand enough coal to operate both the
electric light plant and the water plant
for a little more than one month
: Should developments of the next ter
days indicate that the mine difficul.
ties will not be ironed out in shori
time the lEnl WOulQ De Snul
. down entirely and the coal saved fol
Y the more important water plant.
Il Eight Carloads Disappear.
The city is short eight loads oi
3 coal, according to Superintendent
D. Painter, that evidently has been stoler
while en- route to Topeka. This GOV.
ers Il period averaging about two
weeks.
General Manager F. c. Fox, of tho
| Santa Fe, volunteered to assist Pain
ter in discovering what had become oi
| a. the coal if Painter could tell him tht
| I numbers of the cars. Painter was un'
| able to give the car numbers. In con-
| nection with the disappearance Pain
| ter made an unsuccessful attempt thrL
the Jackson Walker company to learr
\ /, the numbers. The latter stated thai
: it was unable to give the numbers
= I This was regarded by the city officer
Y as an attempt to dodge the issue as