The Retail Coal Trade 



397 



the result that troops were ordered to 

 the mines and preparations for a long 

 fight were completed on both sides. 



Although bituminous coal is the pop- 

 ular steam-raising fuel in most industrial 

 centers, this is not the case in the neigh- 

 borhood of New York, and few people 

 appreciate the enormous number of man- 

 ufacturing interests in the vicinity of the 

 great metropolis. The supply of anthra- 

 cite was rapidly cut off, and it was neces- 

 sary to divert soft coal from its regular 

 channels to supply a shortage of about 

 one-fifth of our total supply and to fur- 

 nish it in a region of the greatest indus- 

 trial activity. To many small industries 

 it brought great hardship; to laundries 

 and bakeries, for example. It requires 

 half a pound of coal to bake a loaf of 

 bread. 



Anthracite is looked upon as the fuel 

 for household use, but the famine came 

 in the warmer months, when none was 

 needed for house-heating. The great 

 majority of the users of hard coal took 

 little heed of it. nor did the general pub- 

 lic have any conception of the hardships, 

 actually suffered by industrial enter- 

 prises around Philadelphia and New 

 York in securing a substitute for an- 

 thracite. 



In 1898 the price of soft coal was 

 much lower than now, on account of 

 overproduction. At first sight it would 

 appear probable that this extra de- 

 mand for soft coal to replace anthracite 

 would have furnished a welcome outlet 

 for extra production. Such was not the 

 case. The soft-coal producers had re- 

 duced their yield and had also fortified 

 themselves by yearty or longer con- 

 tracts. It was necessary to fill these 

 contracts, and only the surplus was 

 available for the new trade. A more 

 important obstacle to the relief from the 

 bituminous mines was the difficulty in 

 furnishing cars and motive power for 

 hauling the coal from more remote bitu- 

 minous mines. The capacity of the 

 railroads had been limited closely to the 



previous conditions, in fact, too closely; 

 for a shortage of cars was felt even 

 under normal conditions in the previous 

 year. Recognition of this condition 

 made it worse, for every one hoarded 

 coal. Thus an anthracite famine in the 

 seaboard territory led to general coal 

 scarcity far beyond the region of an- 

 thracite's usual influence. 



Our average citizen is habitually trust- 

 ful and good-natured, and as long as 

 continued warm weather postponed the 

 necessity for house-heating, he dismissed 

 the coal situation with faith that coal 

 would be forthcoming by winter. By 

 October 1 , however, it was evident that 

 the end of the strike was as far removed 

 as ever. The efforts of Pennsylvania's 

 political forces to secure a compromise 

 were futile. This strengthened the 

 miners and also reinforced the deter- 

 mination of the operators. The outlook 

 at once became serious, and the condi- 

 tion was laid clearly before the people 

 by the action of the President. This 

 action served two other valuable pur- 

 poses ; it caused the Governor of Penn- 

 sylvania to use all his resources for the 

 maintenance of peace in the anthracite 

 coal region, and it served notice on the 

 retail dealers who were hoarding coal 

 that the strike was soon to end. In fact, 

 the}- had less than two weeks in which to 

 market their hoarded reserves. With 

 the calling of the conference on October 

 3 went the full assurance to every one 

 that the strike would be ended by the 

 President. 



This article is designed, not to show 

 the course of the great strike ; still less 

 to point out any lines of just and per- 

 manent settlement — conclusions which 

 must follow the careful investigation 

 of the Commission — but to outline the 

 past and prospective course of the retail 

 coal trade. The announcement of the 

 close of the strike marked high tide in the 

 bituminous coal prices. The haste of 

 all the producers to market every ton 

 possible while high prices prevail, can 



