Year: 1871

Prices and Prospects In New York


The N. Y. Commercial Advertiser of last
evening says:-


morning paper has frightened its readers
to-day by the announcement that coal has gone
up to $50 per ton. 1t is not quite so bad as that
yet but the price is certainly creeping up to
fabulous figures. The uniform rate at the coal
yards this morning, for all sizes and kinds of
coal, was $12, and the dealers say this rate will
hold for only day or two. The gas companies
have raised the price OF coke to $3.50 chadron,
and there is prospect of further increase, the
demand being sudden aud enormous. At to-
days prices, thousands of the poor in New
York and Brooklyn, who are compelled to buy
coal in very small quantities, are paying at the
rate of twenty-eight dollars a toni The coal
peddlers are even more merciless than the great
carrying companies.


The action of the great operators and the car
rying companies Is daily producing distress and
disaster. 1t is not only the poor of the great
cities who are suffering from the results of this
cruel embargo, but manufacturing interests are
also crippled, and great losses are imminent,
while II is well known that the enormour con-
sumption of coal will soon exhaust all the sup
plies on band in New York and Brooklyn-and
when the bottom is reached, what then?


COMFORTING PREDICTION.


Messrs. G. A. Blake s. Co. have an extensive
have left on hand only some two hundred tons
of coal ct South Amboy, their shipping port, all
OF which is engaged already. At the mines
they have only about fifteen hundred tons,





way and which Is not available for pur-
poses of shipment, as it is all piled on the
ground and would have to be taken up from
the pile, loaded into cars, passed through
the breaker aud reloaded, the extra handling
thus necessitated amounting to more than its
worth. They have no coal for sale, cannot have
any until they are enabled to resume operations
in their mines, and do not, of their own know
ledge, know what coal is worth in the New
York mark to-day, but believe that wholesale
dealers and Jobbers who have still small stocks
on han oSli and 0ht Inir 2 and
They believe that this pressure Is only tempo
rary. The strike must soon end, and within
thirty days after it does coal will be down to SO
here and in six weeks down to 81 50-the
figure at which IL stood when the strike began.


RIOT FEARED.


The N. Y. World, speaking of the situation
in Brooklyn, remarks that the dealers say hat
their yards are all entirely unprotected, in
most cases being separated from the public
street by only frail board fence, which would
be torn down in an instant aud their coal piles
would be carried off at once by men who would
justify their act by the necessity of keeping
their families from freezing. In view of this
danger they express hope that some arrange
ment may be made in some way by which the
stock in market may be increased and the
price go down to its recent standard,
or, at any rate, not advance beyond the
present price. Besides the very poor and the
wealthy who laid in their winters coal last fall
the dealers say that there is still larger class
than either of these-the people in moderate
circumstaDces-who never buy more than ton
or q half or two at one time, and on this class
the burden will fall most heavily, that is on
such of them as happen to be out of supply
just at this time; and so large portion of the
community are likely to be distressed by the
prospective famine, the public feeling will be sc
strong as to compel Congress and the Legsla
ture of Pennsylvania to grant all the relief tha
is in their power at once.


VIGILANCE COMMITTEE SUGGESTED.


The scarcity attracts great 6eal of attention
among the citizens over the city, and in the car
one asks of his friend is, "How are you of
for coal Z" And the one who can answe
81 laid in a supply last week" is LOOKED
upon with envy. One man was heard to say
yesterday afternoon, that If the price went uI
much higher the citizens would have to orga
nize vigilance committee, and take forcibl
possession OF all the coal yards in the city
paying the proprletors fair profit on the eos
of the COAL and then selling il out to the poor a
reasonable price. The suggestion seemed q
meet with favorable response from the by
ISLANDERS, some of whom said that if this was no
done by the citizens or by the city authorities,
riot would surely result People could do with
out Ice last summer said one, bat fuel and foo
they must and will have and If they cannot ge
them ZEN fairly they they will vii take them forci6ly.


The prospect of coal famine in this city an,
vicinity is still imminent. The very poor, VIII
are In the habit of buying their coal by tn
bucketful. have been paying from 12 to Is cent
bucket, OF at the rate of S12 to $l4 per tor
Now the grocerymen charge IS cents bushe
Three or four cargoes of coal left Port Rich
mOnd for New York on Wednesday, but q
the last accounts were held fast In the ict
which is damned up below Philadelphia.


The supply of coal in Newark is being reduce
! sorapidy that people are begiuning to regard
as a luxury. The price is going up with equ,
rapidity, but, as yet, has not got so high as
New York. The highest price paid yesterda
was S12. The Delaware and Hudson Cani
Company have about 1900 tons in stock of var
Gus qualities. This is the largest stock on han
among the Newark coal dealers, the resery
among the others varying from 200 down to
tons. The iron mills at Boonton will be con
PEELED to suspend work next week, unless
supply of coal can be obtained, and so wi
similar establishments throughout the Stat
The Hoboken aud Jersey City coal-yards a
also menacingly sim-a great many of the
being completely empty.


The little daughter of the Prussian col
mander of the fortress of Magdeburg was
GENTLY saved from drowning by some Freu