New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
Herald" Reporter, Ineog. nito, Visits Distribution Points and Watches the Scramble for Anthracite.

4 Herald reporter sallied forth oI
 Saturday afternoon to make thu
 rounds of the coal offices in quest O
 elusive black diamonds, He traveles
 ineoenito and represented himself al
 prospective coal purchaser. in whicf
 position he found himself one of {
 vast unnumbered throns,
 The reporters first stopping place
 was the office of the City Coal anc
 Wood Co. According to the report
 CTS watch requests for coal were
 made and orders refuped at this of, ,iee at the rate Of one per minute dur. fng the hour he spent there. There
 was not pound Of anything but wood
 and soft coal In the yard except . few old orders which were going out.
 little woman. her head covered
 with an old fashioned red shawl. and
 two children clinging to her skirts entered timidly and said she had no coal She was told there was nonc on hand. She returned later with (: for 200 pounds md offered to leave the money to make sure Of getting some when 1t arrived. Her offer could not be accepted because no one knew when there would be coal.
 A man drove up. serene and con- fdent. He stopped his team on the scales and entered. Give mo half a ton of nut coal" he said. He was surprised 10 And that there was none to be had
 Please give me some coal. I've rot sickness at home pleaded a man. aas LAl. a | was the reply. T don't think that will do much good" and the seeker after fuel went out
 At the Shurberg yard where the scribe next made a stop. there was small quantity of coal on hand. Or ders had gone forth that nothing over 800 pounds be sold to a customer Nothing was being delivered Trucks were put away and men were kept busy serving those who came in. Cafeteria Service.
 Customers who wanted coal and wanted it quickly were given a chance to getit. All they had to do was to take their own bags to the coat pile, which consisted mostly of buckwheat. with little egg, fill them lip, convey them to the scale, weigh | them pay the bill and depart.
 Men in good clothes with white shirts and collars were seen filling | bags with coal, going away with 100 pounds at a time and appearing to be thankful they had that much.
 Tiny youngsters of the kindergar- ten age struggled in with toy wagons and sleds, filled their bags, had them weighed, paid the bill and struggled off. dragging their sleds or wagons through mud and ice. oftimes requir. Ing extra help to get along.
 Z Occasionally woman came in with ono or two children. also pulling a sled or toy wagon getting one or two bags and going. We will sell it to them as fast as they come.' said one official of the company, but at this rate we can't hold out any more than an hour until we will be cleaned out. If we get bad storm next week it's going to be hell in New Britain" he ldded with emphasis.
 Why Coal Men Become Gray.
 Elbowing his way through the N 'rowd of customers. the reporter , breed his way into the office of the sitizens' Coal Co. Here there was ' title or no 100 pound bag business. There was some pea coal on hand md { was being rushed out as rapidly as , possible in half and quarter ton lots Telephones were ringing. trucks were rshing in and out. and steady tream of men and women poured through the office door. So rapidly ave telephone calls heen coming into his office that it has become neces- l ary to disconnect one telephone so NJ ther office business could be trans cted At Berson brothers there was some gg coal on hand, and it was reported r car or two of nut coal on the rail- Customers calling for nut coal e ere advised there was none on hand. r 10 other sizes were to be seen, al- N hough trucks of all sorts were press a Il into service hauling away egg coal. a here small boy could n c seen dragging sled with one or NO 100 pound bags thereon. + And so it is. The coal situation is V lmost inconceivably acute. And un- ft ,ss the people buy their coal in the lmmcr. it's going to be just as bad ext year." aid Nathan Berson, of the erson Brothers Coal Co. W
 Pleas and Threats V We have two kinds of people come Ii ', ,J o,.o 5oolo~ ssTLo x,,oor., Id T l C.