Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-13
BUILDING INDUSTRY
|MENACED BY STRIKE
Electric Light Plant and
Street Railways Facing
Scarcity of Fuel.

Smashing Of the spring building
program for Washington was pre-
aic.ed today by several Of the larger
builders and by dealers n lumber,
millwor,t and general builders SIP
pl.er. II the strife Of railway yard
nsn continues for a week.
Local lumber yards have stocks Huf-
feient to last only short time II
projected building operations are con-
tinued. II waa stated. With receipts
| from the south rhut of by tho strike
that HAS tied up Potomac :nrds, and
no supplies coming In from the north.
these materials viii be exhausted
within a week. unless builders shut
down work. This. II was said by
several Of the builders, cannot be done
except at risk of serious loss to partly
| completed buildings.
As long as fuel is available Washing
ton builders Will be assured Of q
relatively ample suppl.' OF brick from,
the yards on the Virginia side of the
Potomac as we'll as from yards II
| nearby Maryland.
City Conl Supply Short.
However. local coal dealers said to-
day that the city's reserve Of bitunai-
nous and anthracite coal was only
sufficient to last a couple Of weeks
unless the weather should become
sufficiently springlike to make fires
unnecessary.
The heads and general managers of
half dozen of the larger coal COM
panies of the city are out of town,
according to information given at the
Offices of the companies. endeavoring
to find means of getting coal into the
city. What success they have had the
employees remaining in the Offices did
not know. It was stated positively.
however. at several of the offices that
coal stocks on hand were sufficient to
supply domestic consumers only for
about two weeks.
Local managers of two Of the large
oil companies declined to make any
statement as to supplies of oils and
gasoline on hand. At the local office
of one of these companies it was
stated that a tie-up of freight traffic
naturally would hit the company very
hard. but nothing more definite could
be elected.
Government Fuel Situation.
George S. Pope. in charge of the gov
eminent fuel yards supplying the va
rious depa rtments. said today that re-
serve supply of about 5000 tons of btu
minous coal is on hand at the yards
This, Mr.. Pope said. represented about
six weeks supply, unless a season of
cold weather should require the con-
SUMPTION OF extra quantities OF Iuel-
ST. EliZabeth's Hospital, Mr.. Pope
said. has supply of between 1000 and
5000 tons of coal on hand. while other
departments have some coal aside from
the stocks in the yards.
The yards received fourteen carloads
of coal yesterday, Mr.. Pope said, but
none has been received today. The gov
eminent yards also supply the District
government.
Electric Power Company Menaced.
Officials of the Potomac Electric
Power Company estimated that they
have enough coal on hand to last at
least a week and possibly ten days.
This will insure continuance of cur
rent for lighting. for commercial pur-
poses and also for the Washington
Railway and Electric Company for
that period of time.
J. H. Hanna, general superintendent,
of the Capital Traction Company
stated that his company's power
houses have a supply of coal for be-
tween two and three weeks.