Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-07
UNTITLED ORDERS
/. SWAMP COAL MEN
Fuel Famine May Be Pre-
vented by Good Weather.
However.

Washington today is in critical
situation regarding coal.
I - Today not more than $500 tons of
hard coal are in the Baltimore and
Ohio terminal yards, where dealers
supplying the home trade have their
! dumps Orders for more than 10000
tons of hard coal. at a conservative
estimate, are untitled in the hands of
the dealers.
! The ordinary situation should find
the city with a reserve of approx
mately $4,000 tons all told, dealers
say. There is virtually no reserve.
! Orders are being filed as fast as cars
arrive. The coal is passing from rail-
, road car to cellar bin in less than two
DAYS Not more than eight cars of
coal haye arrived here during the past
three days, where the normal arrivals.
according to dealers. are from four to
five cars q day per dealer.
Outlook "Fairly Bright
The outlook was described by one
dealer as .Iicklish'' but fairly bright"
The month of October is regarded as
the month for recuperation of reac-
ton. If the railroads continue to
function as they are now, 1t was de-
clared if the weather is favorable,
barring cold spells for month, and
near-normal rate. Washingtonlans
may be able to think of coal and at
the same time breathe freely on No
vember 1.
Why is this situation confronting
the city? One of the largest coal mer-
chants of the city, who has almost
one-ffth of the coal in the yards at
the present time, declared he had
made a careful investigation into the
causes of the abnormal lack of sup
ply.
Explains Present Situation.
Here's his opinion:
Railway workers. sulky at the long
delay of the railway labor board. were
| not putting forth their best efforts
gent strikes tied up freight channels.
, The men did not work with their
hearts in their tasks. Freight clogged
/ the transportation arteries of the
country The coal supply fell off. The
/ market became unsteady. Dealers
plies than they could confidently
F.! handle. The prospective supply dimin-
ished
Following the August award of in
! creases to the railroad workers came
| the miners trouble. Miners took
ington with coal suspended operations.
| to a great extent, for the best part of
a month The supply diminished fur-
Their. The demand increased.
Today the mines are working at a
fair rate of production. The railroads
are doing their best, it is stated. tour
more cars of coal are expected within
the next few days Enough is arriving
! to fill the desperately needed orders OF
regular customers, it was said. IL this
situation continues for month, and.
above all, if the demand does not
swamp the dealers Washlngtonians
need not fear an absolute coal famine.
In fact, the winter may be weathered
, in fair comfort, with a bit of additional
assistance, from the railroads and. the
continued production of the mines.
1--WE are praying for fair weather un-
| til November 49,, 1.-The dealer continued
supply ON Hand Here.
AS to exact details on the local coal
| market, a careful survey of the typical
coal yards showed the following re-
suits:
! Pea coal is the most plentiful of any
| grade of anthracite. One dealer has
400 tons of this. while another has
| more than 100. White ash and red ash
grades are scarce the former being
rarely in the bins. Furnace coal is on
/ hand in small quantities.
| There is one firm which has a yard
| at 9th and G streets for soft coal.
| Last year this firm handled coal for
:; hotels the product being bought as
| it arri> I'd, and the dealer acting vir-
/ tually as commission man, superin-
! tending only its arrival and its dis
tribution At this time a year ago
there were S,090s tons reserve at the
27th and G streets yard. Today there
are 100 tons. 3
The Chesapeake and Ohio canal is
bringing approximately 10000 tons
of coal to the city this year. Most of
it,. it was said. will be used by street
railway company here and by the fur
naces of Indian Head
In few weeks the soft coal mar
kct is expected to feel the brunt of
the apartment house trade. The stu
alton in Luminous is less. difficult,
it was said, than in hard coal. Even
though this is the case, dealers expect
that the demand in this direction will
| aycead the Snuply