The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-13
LITTLE HARD COAL
AVAILABLE HERE
Users May Have to Piece
Out with Soft Coal
This Winter
DELIVERIES MAY BE
IN SMALL AMOUNTS
Mr.. BarrOws Expects First Output Will
Be Shipped West and Northwest Be-
cause of Short Time Left for Great
Lakes Navigation.

cause OF Short lime Left Tor Great
Lakes Navigation.
IT'S going to be some time before we
get much hard coal, and even after we
do people will have to use some soft
coal this winter in order to pull
through Thus did Edward B. Bar
rows of Barrows & Co, local coal deal
ers. sum up the coal situation as far as
it viii affect Brattleboro this coming
fall and winter, in an interview with a
representative of The Reformer this
morning.
When asked when he expected to have
a shipment of anthracite coal, Mr.. Bar
rows said: .As far as expectations go,
/ hope to have a car of hard coal this
week. OF course it's hard to say just
when we will have hard coal 1t has
been intimated that the first products of
the hard coal mines will be sent west
and northwest, because much of the coal
is sent by way of the Great Lakes
steamers and as navigation on the lake
| ceases Dec. 1, it looks as though the
next few months would be used in get
ting coal out to the western cities. For
| this reason, we here in the East may
! have to wait longer. However, / hope
| TO get few cars every so often and by
| Dee. / | hope to be able TO serve people
| even though it may be in small quanti-
| ties. OF course. the service this winter
viii depend largely on how much soft
coal the people will use"
/ Asked if many people had bought soft
| coal. Mr.. BarrOWs said that they had,
although in small quantities, or rather
just enough to tide them over until the
| coal situation righted itself There is
/ plenty of soft coal to be had, according
| to Mr.. Barrows. and it is coming in all
| the time. At the beginning of the strike
| Mr.. BarrowS had English coal recon-
mended to him, and he now has a supply
of the overseas product. 1t is a cross
between our hard and soft coal, but just
how satisfactorily it works, is not
known, because no one has tried it out.
In normal year, MIR. Barrows said
he would have twO-m0nthS' reserve
| supply on hand about Oct 1. This
year it will be well into the winter be-
fore he has any reserve supply of hard
coal. and then it VIII be only six
weeks reserve. 1t always has been the
intention of Mr.. Barrows to have a two
months supply of anthracite coal on
hand during the winter to guard against
Epoor transportation conditions, extreme
cold weather, and severe storms. These
/ are the times when heavy inroads are
made into the coal supply and this is
why a heavy reserve is necessary.
Another point that is likely to delay
the coming of hard coal into Brattle-
, boro. as well as other towns and cities
, throughout New England. is that the
condition of the railroads is not at all
what is should be. Wholesalers point
out that many coal cars are out of com
mission and sadly in need of repair,
l and piled up on sidings awaiting atten-
ton. Many of the railroads are oper-
: ating with a smaller number of loco
} motives, many of, them being in the
shops awaiting repairs. The railroad
; strike, therefore, lines up closely with
= the coal situation. and the settlement of
, one strike is still hindered by the con-
/ tinuance of the other.
>, Mr.. Barrows points out further that
just because the coal strike is settled
| and the miners are returning to work
today doesn't mean that anyone can
have all the hard coal he wants any time
he wants it. For some time, he says,
we may have to get along on small ra-
. tions. but if everyone will cooperate
and use a little soft coal with the other,
thus may succeed in getting through the
: winter without much hardship.