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Show "JUST OS;ZiTV,:TKAT'S . WW CRUSES op coal," sms mimm Opening of New Lands, New.Sugar factories, New Smelters Create Demand Nines Are Unable to Satisfy; Railroads Divert More Fuel Than Ttiey Confiscate, He Asserts; No Chance for a famine Next Winter. V ""Too much prosperity that's the trouble. Good times are to blame for this coal shortage. The erection of new smelters and sugar mills, the opening of a new country, the founding of settlements, the increase in our population all of these have combined to create a demand beyond the ability of the mines now in operation to supply. It's a Seculiar situation, isn't it, or would be if it wasn't so awfully serious prosperity caus-ig caus-ig suffering and inconvenience." The speaker was William H. Bancroft, vice-president and general manager of the Oregon short Line railroad. He had just perused a pile of telegrams received from various va-rious points on the system. The dispatches were worded differently, but the sense of each was expressed in the three words: 'We need coal." "If the people can manage to 'patch along' for thirty days longer, t don't believe Utah will be reduced to such straits again," continued Mr. Bancroft. "Mere mines any number of them are to be opened up this next summer, and even with the added measure of prosperity which we all expect, another such shortage is scarcely possible." "EVESY LUTE OF INDUSTRY IN THIS WESTERN TERRITORY HAS EXPERIENCED A GREAT GROWTH IK THE LAST YEAS. IN A YEAS AND A HALT SEVEN BIG 8UTJAK FACTORIES HAVE BEGUN OPERATION. OPERA-TION. ANY NUMBER OF NEW SMELTERS HAVE BEEN STARTED. THE OPENING TO SETTLEMENT OF LANDS IN WYOMING AND IDAHO HAS CAUSED A NEW AND HEAVY DEMAND FBOM THOSE DISTRICTS. MEANWHILE THE IMMIGRATION INTO UTAH HAS BEEN STEADY. SO MUCH FOR PROSPERITY AS A FACTOR IN COAL SHORTAGE. "WE HAVE HAD OUR SETBACKS, TOQ. TAKE, FOR INSTANCE,. THE XOLB WTTTiTTT BX aVTTTn TT.rr.Mr;Ea 19 IN THE KEMMERER DISTRICT. MINES WHICH HAVE YIELDED AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1500 TONS A DAY HAVE BEEN SEALED UP SINCE THE FIRE STARTED. THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE ALSO WORKED AGAINST US. THAT WAS A GOOD WHILE AGO, TO BE SURE, BUT ITS EFFECTS ARE STILL APPABENT. FIFTEEN HUNDRED HUN-DRED CABS WERE CAUGHT IN CALIFORNIA, UNABLE TO UNLOAD BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PLACE TO STORE THE FREIGHT THEY CONTAINED. "The holidays were another contributing contri-buting factor. The miners won't work Sundays, and they were off Christmas, New Year's day and other holidays. At such a time as this the loss of a single day in fhe operation of a coal mine counts. Roads Divert Coal. "The people don't realize what the railroads have to face. We haven't nearly enough coal to run our own trains as they should be run. But the charge that we have confiscated for our own use fuel in any great quantities in a mistaken one. Our road did con fiscate two carloads in this city yesterday yes-terday in order that we might send out one of our psser.ger trains on schedule time. A short time ago we took a carload from near Touopah, Nev. But when we confiscate we alwavs re turn the eqivalent within twenty four hours. Are Short of Coal. "On the other hand, although we are ourselves short, we are diverting to the trade much of our own coal. Between October 1 and December 31 we diverted 14.219 tons of the company's coal. This vear, including yesterday, we have diverted di-verted 3718 tons! a total of 17,937 since October 1. "There isn't any car shortage. In the Kemmerer district today are 900 emptv cars. There is no dearth, either. in any of the other mine districts. At Little Mountain, and between Ogden, Salt Lake City and Green River there are 1450 cars waiting to be hauled. Preference to Coal. "Meanwhile we are giving coal trains and emtpy cars on the way to the mines preference over everything else except passenger trains, live stock and perish able freight. Last week four freight trains were tied up on the Salt Lake division, three on the Idaho division and others elsewhere. Frequently trains at Sparks, Winnemucca and other points are held several days because we can't spare them coal. 'All the roads are suffering the same" inconvenience. This Western country, in an ordinary year, supplies the entire Union Pacific system. This year, the Eastern lines of that road are receiving their supply from Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. Even the Colorado 4 Southern South-ern is drawing upon the same territory. Couldn't Be Foretold. "It was beyond th power of any human being to foretell the extraordinary extraordi-nary industrial activity which contributed contri-buted to this tremendous demand. Last summer we stored 90,000 tons for our own use, believing from past experience, experi-ence, that this would be sufficient for our operating needs during the winter. Today, we have not a single pound in storage. Yet not a day passes, as I said, that we do not divert part of the -v - .1 small output we receive, to some town for commercial uses. "Next winter the situation will be decidedly improved. Salt Lake and Denver capital are planning to open new mines. The Alma mines, near Evanston, which were closed several years, have just been reopened. From now on they will yield six carloads a day. The Union Pacific Is opening three new mines near Bock Springs. The Short Line system has built eight miles and Is now surveying for thirty miles of track to reach new mines eight or nine miles from Kemmerer. By July these mines will produce 1000 tons a day and later their outputs will be increased 3000 tons. "About fifteen carloads of coal for commercial uses are being brought into this city by our road every day. The Kemmerer district is now yielding from 5000 to 10,000 tons a day. But every night this month from fifty to 150 cars have been left at thos mines. Of course the Anaconda company has large interests at Kemmerer and a considerable consider-able part of the product is sent into Montana. Practically all of the smelters smel-ters in Utah are now closed." |