Evening star., 1925-11-07
COAL MOUNTAINS
LYING NEAR MINES;
NONE FOR CAPITAL
Anthracite Is Contracted for
in North. Where It
Brings $50.
HUGE PILES JUST DROP
TO QUANTITY NEEDED
Refuse Dumps Being Salvaged as
Cry Is Raised for Fuel
All Over Country.
BY HAROLD X. PHILIPS.
staff Correspondent OF The Sta.

reouires O. wide stretch OF lmaslna'
ton to picture Washington totterinS
on the brink of a hard-coal famine
while possibly half a million tons or
fully harvested fuel lie begging down
in freight yards or great storage
plants around here. But the colo 1ac'
remains that II Washington keeps
o., warm this Winter, 1t will be without
The assistance of anthracite coal, un'
less the miners strike should END.
No part of this seemingly great
supply is to pass into the cellars OIL
the National Capital. IL any or IL
leaves this valley at all 1t Will go 10
the dealers up through New York
State. who have already contracted
for II, and where. II information In
, the hands OF the operators here is
correct. 1t is worth from $50 ton
and up TO the sorely stricken con-
sumer.
All Contracted For.
From all parts OF the Eastern coun-
1ry and States bordering the Great
Lakes, too, pleas for anthracite are
pouring into the offices of the com
panies, but each Is met with the same
answer-"There Is no anthracite 10
the operator half d million tons is a
mere drop in the ,bucket-scarcely
four DAYS output OF the colieries
around Scranton. And 1t is al! con-
tracted for, anyhow.
In the meantime no harbingers OF
peace have made their appearance on
the industrial horizon. Both the MN
ers and the operators seem to nave
dug themselves In for the Winter. And
while both readily admit that the
hardships of war will fall with equal
violence among the beiligerents and
the helpless public alike, neither side
seems disposed to take the initiative
in moving toward the peace table.
I'm route from Philadelphia to this
busy heart of the anthracite fields
men discuss nothing but the pinch ~
the coal strike. Even Scranton. which
Is built so close to the mines that
every now and then some Rbod citi,
zen's home goes hurtlihg into one OF
the shafts. can get no hard coal
Every one. from the heads OF the min
ing companies down to the consumers,
seems imbued With the Idea that there
is none left above the ground.
Refuse Now Valuable.
A few hours drive up the Lacka.
wanna Valley in taxicab this
morning brought to notice some an
thracite, at least. 1t also resulted in
two other discoveries. First. a few
plain folks who declared they had
seen more coal stored away further
up the valley, and, second, that
mining compan nies are beginning to
turn some of their refuse dumps into
cash.
The bulk of the supply found by
this writer had been deposited in and
around the Hampton yards, which are
owned by the Delaware. Lackawanna
and Western Co. There was any
quantity of buckwheat and rice coal,
neither of which is popular as domes-
tic fuel. but also an enviable supply
Of pea and chestnut sizes. 1t Is these
sizes that the householders of Wash
inzton need. .
Taking the coal company's own
employees at their words. there were
two piles of pea coal, each containing
between $4,000 and 10000 tons. A
little further away, verftable noun
tain of chestnut coal raised Its rich.
black peak toward the high heavens
as though in prayer that it might be
released to do the work 1t was put In
this world to accomplish. The laden
cars came into view next.
1,200 Loaded Cars.
They became visible after the taxi
cab. had chugged and bumped it's
way. UP a steep grade to one OF the
coliieries of the Glen Alden Coal Co.
There, crowding yard containing
IS or 90 tracks. each close to I mile
In length, were from 1000 to 1000
cars loaded with domestic sized
anthracite. During the few minutes
the observer watched 4 switching
engine began nosinG another string
pf loaded cars into the yard.
Estimates of each cars capacity
varied. One company official placed
Il as low as As tons. while a rail-
road man put 1t as high as 20 tons.
This would give an average Of 571a
tons a car. Hence, the estimated
amount of domestic coal that was
begged down in the cars would be
another 63250 tons.
1t was said at the offices Of one
company that there was "a little
anthracite" still further down the
tracks.
These huge caches OF coal. together
with the one that Is reliably reported
TO be stored near Carbondale. some ?e
miles UP the valley, would bring the
amount of domestic sized anthracite
that is Immediately available in this
one district to something not very far
below half million tons. There are
rumors rife of much larger quantities
that were moved down to New Jersey
several weeks ago. but no substantial
ton of these reports Is available here.
But while half d million tons of coal
seem tremendous amount to the lay
man, the operators say that it repre-
sents only about four days output.
and, when taken into consideration
with the yearly production Of So
900 900 tons of anthracite, it Is a
rather small drop In the bucket, espe-
cially when none Is being mined, -
None Sold I'm South.
In addition. the operators frankly
assert that whatever supply is avail
able has already been sold--none of 1t.
however. to dealers south of Philadel-
phia. There Is no coal here for the
trade In and around Washington. 1t
is declared that this supply is to go to
New York State, where. 1t was point
ed out, the Winter weather Is much
more vigorous than in Washington.
So serious is the shortage OF coal
farther North, asserted one Official
who declined to have his Identity
disclosed. that agents are beginning
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