COAL - Clpdigital.org

44 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
and which, under its terms, will continue until
the 31st of March, 1906; and second, the low' rate
of mining fixed by the same contract, was made
possible in consequence of the general and recognized
practice of blasting off the solid. If the interest
of the mine operators in the cause of reducing
accidents is strong enough and sincere enough
to warrant a return to the methods of the pick
miners, and their employment favored in preference
to that of the coal "butcher," then they must
be prepared to concede a substantial advance in
the mining rate fixed for the thicker seams. On
the other hand, the miner, or many of them, think
the number of accidents would be materially
lessened through the enactment of a law requiring
the employment, at the company's expense, of
men to be known as shot firers, whose duties would
be, after the miners had quit work for the day,
to visit each working place and discharge such
shots as in their judgment should be fired.
RECORD SHIPMENT OF COAL
FROM PITTSBURGH DISTRICT.
The largest one-day coal shipment in the history
of the American coal business was made on July
31, when sometnmg more than 9.000.000 bushels
of coal left the Pittsburgh harbor for Louisville
and Cincinnati.
The following table shows the names of the
principal boats and their divided shipments. A
coal boat carries 25,000 bushels of coal, a coal
barge 15,000 bushels and a coal flat 10,000 bushels
of coal. It takes from six to eight feet of water
for a shipment of coal flats and barges, and ten
feet of water for a coal boat.
Name of Steamer Boats
Ironsides
Joseph Walton
Volunteer
Tom Rees No. 2
Dave Wood
Charley Brown
Ed. Roberts
Sam Brown 12
Tom Dodsworth 10
Exporter 12
Coal City 12
Rover
Frank Gilmore
Josh Cook 2
Boaz 10
Andy Axton
Clyde
Carvon 5
Gleaner 12
Robert Jenkins .... 5
Barnes. Flats.
12
12
22
12
15
14
14
0
3
3
10
12
7
o
4
o
o
3
1
3
3
3
4
2
3
4
1
1
9
o
4
2
1
Total
Bushels.
200,000
210,000
340,000
210,000
225,000
240,000
240,000
340,000
300,000
375,000
385.000
160,000
190,000
185,000
320,000
60,000
20,000
125,000
3b5,000
125,000
Tornado 10 . . 150,000
T. W. Thomas .... 8 3 2 265.000
I. N. Bunton 5 . . 1 135,000
Sam Clark 10 3 2 365,000
Iron Age 12 3 4 385,000
Charley Clark 5 . . . . 125.000
Bertha 5 . . . . 125,000
Voyager 5 . . . . 125,000
Rival 10 .. 150,000
W. W. O'Neil 11 2 3 335,000
Cadet 6 . . 90,000
The present year promises to equal the great
record made in 1896, when a coal shipment was
made from Pittsburgh every month. That year
there was plenty of work for rivermen, and this
year they have not been idle. In 1896 a great
quantity of coal was shipped from Pittsburgh,
but with the new methods in vogue the shipments
of the present year, with anything like an even
break in the weather, will exceed the shipments of
nine years ago by a big margin. In June of this
year there were over 15,000,000 bushels of coal
shipped in a few days, and millions of bushels
were shipped before and after that time.
It is the accepted rule with rivermen that if
there is a June rise that will permit a coal shipment
being made nothing more will be done in
the same line until September at least. But this
year, instead of an ordinary river swell in June
it attained a goodly size, the shipping record for
the month being broken. Early in July another
shipment of coal was made.
Pennsylvania Ruling on Option Limits.
The Pennsylvania supreme court recently hand­
ed down a decision as to the expiration of options
on coal land. These options were owned by W.
H. Stamey. J. C. King and E. D. Carter, who
bought them from John McGaughey. They were
obtained several years ago and McGaughey did
not make a sale of the coal, so the farmers who
gave the options contended, until after the options
had expired. In the meantime the owners of the
land were offered more money for their property
and at the expiration of the options they sold it
to other interests, contending that McGaughey
had no authority to dispose of the coal. These
options had been recorded in the county court
house, and to clear the title to the land the
farmers asked that they be striken from the record.
Upon appeal to the supreme court of the
state it was held that McGaughey had no equity
in the property after the option expired, sustaining
the original owners' contention and striking
the options from the records.