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24 COAL AND TIMBER April, 1905
COAL AND COKE
MARKETS.
"We anticipate an unusually active season.
in the coal trade when lake navigation
opens, as the inquiries from northwestern
consumers are exceedingly heavy." So remarked
Vice President W. R. Woodford,
of the Pittsburg Coal Co. yesterday to a
representative of this paper. The other
officials of the company, including Francis
L. Robbins, are as sanguine as Mr. Woodford,
and say the indications for a prosperous
season are very encouraging. Continuing
on the market conditions, Mr.
Woodford said: "At present the industry,
so far as the bituminous branch is concerned,
is inclined to be quiet. This is the
period between seasons and is exactly what
we expected. But lake navigation will open
with 10 days, it is thought, and the movement
of our coal to the docks will commence
at once. We are confident that the
tonnage shipped across the lakes last year
will be eclipsed during 1905. A distinguished
feature will be the improved transportation
facilities offered by the railroads.
During 1904, one of the greatest handicaps
was the lack of gondolas and hoppers, but
the railroads have been endeavoring to overcome
this obstacle by ordering additional
cars. Traffic to the lake will therefore be
carried on with more speed than heretofore,
which will make it possible for operators
to ship more fuel."
W. C. Magee, president of the Pickands-
Magee Coke Co., has nothing but confidence
in the future of the coal and coke industry
in the Pittsburg field. His company, wdiich
owns and operates over 1,000 ovens in the
Connellsville field, is preparing to put 50
new ovens into commission as soon as they
are received from the hands of the contractor
who is completing them. Mr. Magee
says:
"The coke industry is, at present, experiencing
marked activity. The prospect for a
continuation of present conditions and even
further improvement is very bright. Rates
are fast assuming their normal level and
orders are coming in faster than we can fill
them with that promptitude which is to be
desired. The only drawback is the shortage
of railroad cars. In spite of somewhat
better conditions in this respect, there is still
much to be desired. However, the railroads
are augmenting their facilities and the
supply of cars will soon be bettered. The
whole Connellsville field is humming with
activity and this indicates what the entire
Pittsburg district is doing, for Connellsville
is the indicator of the rest of this region.
The trend of the iron and steel industry, on
which the coke trade depends, is the very
best that could be hoped. The coal trade
is a little quiet now, but with the re-opening
of lake navigation, it will become stronger
than for years."
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NEW
CORPORATIONS.
The following new corporations have been
granted charters:
Hartje Coal Co., Chicago, capital, $10,000;
general wholesale and retail coal business.
Zenobia Coal Co., Toledo, O., capital,
$15,000.
Mohr-Minton Coal Co., Columbus, O,
capital, $100,000. They will mine and deMil
in coal.
Charleston Lumber Co., Charleston, W.
Va., capital, $50,000.
Huntington Coal & Lumber Co., Huntington,
W. Va., capital, $10,000.
Charleston Timber, Mining & Manufacturing
Co., Charleston, S. C.
Five Fingers Coal Co., St. Paul, Minn.,
capital, $500,000.
Meyer-Shepherd Lumber Co., Platteville,
Wis., capital, $25,000.
Dayton Gas & Coke Co., Dayton, O., increase
of capital stock from $1,000,000 to
$1,500,000.
Connecticut Coal Co., Bridgeport, Conn.,
capital, $50,000.
West End Coal & Minning Co., Springfield,
111., capital, $50,000.
Lakewood Lumber Co., Cleveland, O.,
capital, $50,000.
Jacobs-McDonnell Logging & Lumbering
Co., Washburn, Wis., capital, $2,000.
Harper's Ferry Timber Co., Harper's
Ferry, W. Va., capital, $25,000.
Kinng Knob Coal Co., Milwaukee, Wis.,
capital, $150,000.
Benedict, Downs & Co., New Haven,
Conn., capital, $50,000.
Rushbrook Coal Co., Elmira, N. Y., capital,
$5,000.
Old Dominion Coal & Timber Co., New
York, Capital, $1,500,000 .
Dells Lumber & Shingle Co., Eau Claire,
Wis., capital increase of $300,000.
Northport Lumber & Coal Co., Northport,
N. Y., capital, $2,500.
Cambridge & Muskingum Valley Coal Co.,
Cleveland, O., capital, $10,000.
Moffat Coal Co., Sparta, 111., capital,
$14,000.
Walker & Cherry Coal Co., Little Rock,
Ark., capital, $10,000.
Dorr Run Coal Co., Logan, O., capital,
$100,000.
Cadiz Coal & Mining Co., Cadiz, O,
capital, $250,000.
Cleveland Lumber Co., Cleveland O., increase
of capital from $10,000 to $25,000.
Peters Millwork & Lumber Co., Cleveland,
O., capital, $25,000.
James Armstrong Lumber Co., Dycrsville.
la., capital, $25,000.
Moxahala Coal Co., New Straitsville, O.,
capital, $500,000,
A VITAL CORRECTION.
In February, a typographical error crept
into Coal .-11111 Timber, which the paper des'res
to correct. In speaking of the work
done by the Christy Box Car Loader, manufactured
by the Christy Box Car Loader
Co., of DesMoines, la., an operator who
had used the machine for four years was
made to say: (Jur repairs on this machine
have amounted, in three years, to $881.40,
on an actual tonnage of 45,000 tons handled
by it, but even this figure of less than onefifth
cent per ton would be far less if we
had one of the improved types." It should
have read that the actual tonnage handled
by the Christy loader in question was
450,000 instead of 45,000.
GREAT COAL
SHIPMENTS.
The Monongahela River Consolidated
Coal and Coke Co., of Pittsburg and othcr
coal companies which mine coal along the
pools of the Monongahela river, made two
very large shipments of coal during the
past month. Two rises in the river afforded
the necessary stages of water and the coal
companies
whicli had suffered greatly by
the long drought and the heavy freezes during
the winter were enabled to send much
of their coal to the Southern markets. Good
prices were secured in each case for the
Southern markets had been sorely straightened
on acount of the suspension in navigation
in the Northern rivers. At least
6,500,000 bushels of coal were sent South
on the rise which occurred the early part of
the month and after the floods, whicli were
unusually high this year, had spent themselves,
over 10,000,000 millions more
bushels of coal were sent southward the
latter part of the month The Joseph B.
Williams, a large towboat, the property of
the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal
and Coke Co., left with the largest single
tow of coal ever taken out of the Pittsburg
harbor by one boat. New barges especially
built for heavy coal traffic have
been constructed and loaded. They contain
over 33,000 bushels each. The Williams
took 24 of these great barges, or 792,000
bushels, almost 200,000 bushels above the
record. The C. Jutte Co. had a fleet of
about 40 coal boats awaiting a shippingstage
and got them started southward. The
United and Budd Coal companies also had
large fleets and were able to get most of
their boats away on the last rise. This
means months of work for the coal miners
wdio work for the Monongahela river companies
for the towboats which were down
river at the time were enabled to bring
up large fleets of empties to the upper
river mines.
CUT IN CARGO COAL.
On March 22, M. A. Hanna & Co., of
Cleveland, O, announced a reduction in the
price of cargo coal for lake vessels of from
$2.60 to $2.10 per ton. It is expected that
the cut will be met by other coal producers.
The cut is explained by the fact that the
outlook is for a very heavy movement of
coal this year.
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