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88 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
"Reporter " Port Alleghany, Pa., puts forth hot
shot as fo'lows: "Only three things stand between
the miners in the anthracite region and the
coal companies. If the latter will concede higher
wages, the eight hour day and recognition of the
union all will be smooth sailing next spring.
Nevertheless keep your coal bin full if you are
not in reach of the new gas well on Lillibridge
creek."
—o—
From the meager information at hand as to the
Wales plan for settling anthracite strike of 1902,
price $200,000. it was a rare chimera. The operators
ought to make up a purse for the sum and
give it to Attorney Wales just for the privilege of
mining coal the while this pill was being cooked.
— o —
If the paraphrase "The hand that cradles the
rocks is the hand that rules the world," is true
it may be assumed that that dear old truth, aborted
to make the rocks idea sound flip has became passe.
— o —
One of the great Pittsburgh dailies the other day
noted "ominous mutterings from the cold fields"
growing into "a well defined expectation of
trouble." Word metamorphosis? Sliould say so.
— o —
Of course, now that there's a little business in
sight you don't accept everything your customer
says about your competitor's prices.
— o —
The Boston dailies have subsided agast reference
the "coal trust" since Tom Lawson has held
the boards.
— o —
While the days are growing longer the car service
becomes shorter.
ADJUSTMENT OF SHOT FIRERS CONTEN­
TION IN THE ALTON SUB-DISTRICT OF
ILLINOIS.
A contest over the shot-firing contention in the
Chicago & Alton sub-district of Illinois, which
caused about two months of idleness there, has
been adjusted. The agreement reached, September
1, was supplemental to the existing agreement,
and was as follows:
Supplemental agreement to state contract in
effect April 1, 1904, to March 31. 1906, made in
Springfield, 111., September 7, 1905:
Investigation having demonstrated that, with
the use of six-foot electrical chain machines in the
mines of the Chicago & Alton sub-district, coal
can be produced with two pounds, or less, of powder
for each shot, thereby making the use of shot
firers in the electrical chain machine mines of
said district unnecessary, it is agreed that no more
than two pounds of powder shall be used in any
one shot, and that the coal produced by snubbing
shots shall be removed across the entire face for
a distance back of not less than two-thirds of the
snubbing, before any of the top shots are fired,
and no greater amount of powder shall be used
than necessary to produce the coal in lumpy, merchantable
condition.
In all places where the cutting has not been
done to allow the miners to secure enough coal
foi' a full day's turn, then the miners may shoot
down sufficient coal only on top of the snubbing
shots in order to enable them to have a full day's
work. The snubbing shots in entries shall be
placed as follows: About eighteen inches from
each rib. directly below the blueband and not less
than three and one-half feet deep. In rooms the
snubbers shall be placed just below the blueband
and not less than three and one-half feet deep.
Signed for operators: A. J. Moorshead, F. W.
Lukins, R. H. Zoller. George Solomon; for miners,
W. D. Ryan, J. H. Walker, John T. Parsons.
ANTHRACITE TONNAGE IN
AUGUST AND EIGHT MONTHS.
The anthracite tonnage for August amounted to
5,041,838 tons, being exceeded but once before in
that month in the history of the anthracite coal
trade. In August, 1903, the roads carried 5,169,-
402 tons. The total tonnage for the year to September
1 was 40.305,578 tons, exceeding that of
the corresponding period of the previous year by
2,099,410 tons. The distribution of this tonnage,
as compared with the corresponding period of
1904, was as follows:
1905. i—1904.
Aug. Sept.l. Aug. Sept. 1.
Reading . . 1.132.29S . 8,233,808 852,271 7,440,188
Leh. Val... 786.226. 6,5.85,352 651,452 6,220,981
Jer. Cen.. . . 656,459 5,159,874 551,052 4.836,166
Del. & L.. . . 741,979 6,166,527 663,595 6.129,249
Del. & H. .. 414,644 3,830,578 391,356 3,712,029
Pa. R. R.. . . 412,S44 3,272,796 406,749 3.185,835
Erie
527,421 4,100,616 442.663 3,912,514
N. Y. 0..& W
Del., Sus.
228.999 1,894,547 220,693 1,765,333
& Ski.. . . 140,968 1,061,480 145,933 1,003,873
Totals ..5,041,838 40.305,578 4.325,734 38,206,168
The Delaware, Susquehanna & Schuylkill was
the only one of the anthracite carriers that failed
to increase its August tonnage, having fallen behind
nearly 5,000 tons, while the Reading made
the largest gain—280,027 tons. As compared
with July 31, 1905, there was an increase in the
quantity of coal stored at tidewater shipping points
on August 31 of 102,829 tons.