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22 COAL AND TIMBER January, 1905
PENNSYLVANIA
WILMORE-SONMAN COAL COMPANY
New Development Near Wilmore
Indicated
Ebensbttrg, Pa.—Two real estate transfers
recorded here are generally interpreted
as indicating that in a short time the
Wilmore-Sonman Coal Company will begin
building a new coal town on the south
side of the P. R. R. tracks between Wilmore
and Summerhill. The settlement will surround
operations of the concern named,
and the men who claim to know say the
new interests will add considerably to
Cambria County's many thriving industrial
developements.
The recorded deeds show that the Wilmore-Sonmaan
Coal Company paid the
Grosser Brothers—Frederick and William—
$10,000 for 161 acres in Croyle Township,
and to Samuel Hess and wife, of Summerhill
Township, $902.50 for eighteen and
five-one hundredths acres. The Grosser
and Hess places afford the Wilmore-
Sonman Coal Company more advantageous
use of a tract of 5,000 acres in Croyle and
Summerhill Townships, which it purchased
some time ago from interests represented
by the Hon. Lyman D. Gilbert of Harrisburg,
as Trustee. The 5,000 acre deal, it
was then known, would in due time be followed
by the beginning of operations, and
the purchase now of surface which gives
the Company room on which to build a
coal town of the scale planned is generally
accepted as showing that work will be
soon under way.
The Wilmore-Sonman Coal Company
was incorporated under a Pennsylvania
charter about a year and a half ago for
the purpose of mining coal and other
minerals incidentally developed and the
manufacture of coal and other by-products
therefrom.. The corporation was chartered
for a period of 999 years and has a capital
stock of $17,000, divided into 340 shares
of $50 par value each. The incorporators
named in the charter were J. M. Cameron
of Harrisburg, who holds 140 shares of
the stock; B. Dawson Coleman, of Lebannou,
who holds 100 shares, and Vance C.
McCormick, Mayor of Harrisburg, who
holds 100 shares and was the treasurer of
the Company upon its organization. The
three stockholders above named compose
the Board of Directors.
—Patrick Markey, of 5 White street,
Pittsburg, will receive free coal for a year
from the Pittsburg-Buffalo Company for
making the best estimate of the popular
vote for president in competition with 4,000
contestants. Markey's estimate was 13,976,-
107 or 450,000 more than the official count.
The company allowed all local purchasers
of a ton or more of coal from April 7 to
November 7 to make an estimate, the majority
of which were over 14,000,000,
BIG CHANGE AT ERIE.
The Susquehanna Coal Company Succeeds
the W. L. Scott Co.—Will Make
Extensive Improvements.
ERIE, PA.—The Susquehanna Coal Company
succeeded the W. L Scott Company
on January 2nd. New improvements will be
made which it is estimated will cost many
thousands of dollars. Engineers of tlie
new Company have gone over the plants
in this city and extensive improvements
will be made both at East Avenue and at
the lake. The Company has engaged
offices on the third floor of the Scott
building.
S. G. Walker, of Shenandoah, Pa., who
has been connected with the William Penn
colliery, has accepted the position of
superintendent under the new management.
He has had long experience in the colliery
business and comes to this city well
equipped for his new position.
Mr. Thompson of the Scott Company,
said: "It is a pleasure for us to be able
to state that the Susquehanna Coal Company
have taken offices on the third floor
of the Scott block for their general western
agency, and also that improvements are
contemplated here, engineers from the
Susquehanna Coal Company having gone
over the trestles at East Avenue and the
lake, and it is expected that both of these
plants will be rebuilt and modernized.
"It is expected that fully as much business
will be done by way of Erie as formerly.
As the W. L. Scott Company ceased to do
business December 31st, the Susquehanna
Coal Company opened for business on
January 2nd."
SEWICKLEY VALLEY BOOMING.
New Coke Ovens.
The Sewickley Valley bids fair to be the tends to increase the present expense will
center in the near future of a great development
of the coal and coke industry, says is even talk that the Corporation people
be considered. On the other hand, there
the Greensburg Pa. "Tribune." New will insist on the labor organizations reducing
prices and getting back to the old
Mines have been opened and new ovens
fired.
time 10-hour work day. This, no doubt,
Preliminary work has begun on the construction
of the new coke ovens at
will be the- corporation counter move
Blackburn. Lumber and other materials
are being sent to the grounds The ovens
are being built for the Penn Gas Coal
Company and are seventy-five in number.
It is said a number of negroes will be
used in their construction. Frank Mc-
Conegly of Pittsburg and W. J. Weakland
of Greensburg are here supervising the
preparations.
—The Morss Hill Coal Company has
recently been organized at Carbondale, Pa.
The new Company has secured a lease of
forty-two acres of coal land from the Morss
estate and one hundred and eighty-three
acres of the tract formerly occupied by the
Franklin Coal Company. In this latter
tract is the Franklin breaker, which is
being repaired and newly equipped for the
Morss Hill Company's operations. This
Company, which will do a general mining
business, has as its president, John Scott,
of Scranton, and as general manager, J. W.
Wilce, of Simpson.
IS WAR
COMING?
In a recent issue, the Shamokin Herald
published the following article under the
caption: "Coal Companies Prepare For
War."
"Indications point to a lively coal trade
for months to come and the probabilities
are that work at the mines will be constant
and consecutive for the next half year at
least.
"This idea is based on the fact that in
addition to a good winter demand, many
of the large consumers and dealers are
gradually loading up with reserve stocks,
particularly those who are getting their
coal at the usual low contract price.
"The various railroad companies are
pushing the work on the addition to their
storage plants, with the idea of having
these extra facilities ready for use not later
than the first of April, when the lowest
price of mining companies prevails, and
then it is said to be the intention of the
corporations to stock up everything that
they possibly can during April and May
for their own personal reserve supply based
on the probable indications of some kind
of labor contention between that and the
following year. The coal operators say
that they will not agree to any arrangements
that will increase the price of coal
higher than the present figures,that the
prevailing rates of the past few years are
all that the public will stand, and that if
the labor organizations are going to make
any new demands they will have to be
fought to a finish because nothing that
against the labor organization demand for
an increase, and the hope is that a compromise
will be arranged between labor and
capita! whereby the mining conditions will
not be more costly after 1905 than they
have been for the past three years, and in
order to bring about a compromise and be
prepared for probable strikes and trouble,
the corporations are largely increasing
their reserve capacity for the coming year.
"Should a battle royal be fought between
tlie coal companies and their employes,
after 1095 expires, it is going to be the
greatest struggle of the kind ever witnessed."
—The Mifflin Coal Co., of Dttquesnc, has
booked from the Carnegie Coal Co., an
order for its entire output the coming year.
This will insure 300 men steady work.