4 II18 E5 £ 9 16 ¡330613 £0274 1! 1825 I 3 15C2E9 5121326 3 10 17 24.31 7 1421 28 5 121926 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 2027 6 13 20 27
Apr May June July Auq. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March
1925 1926
M idwest T rade in D epths screenings are slow, although screenings have been pretty w ell cleaned up recently while the other sizes were sluggish.
940 C O A L A G E Vol. 28, N o . 27
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; s s « i * : 8 3 S S S 1st Half Ju ly Aug. Sept. Oct Nov
0 ) 0 0) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1925 Dec.
C oal A s « In d e x o f S p o t T r ic e s o f B itu m in o u s C oal F .O .B . M ines
, 1925 \ 1924
D ec. 2S D ec. 21 D ec. 14 D ec. 29 In d e x ... ITS 179 1S2 171 W e ig h te d a v e r a g e p r i c e .. $2.16 $2.17 $2.20 $2.06
T h is d ia g r a m sh o w s th e r e la tiv e , n o t th e a c tu a l, p rices on fo u r te e n c o a ls, r e p r e se n ta tiv e o f n e a r ly 90 p er c e n t o f th e b itu m in o u s o u tp u t o f th e U n ite d S ta te s , w e ig h te d first w ith r e sp e c t to th e p ro p o rtio n s e a c h o f sla c k , p rep ared a n d r u n -o f-m in e n o r m a lly sh ip p ed , a n d seco n d , w ith r e sp ect to th e to n n a g e o f e a c h n o r m a lly p.roduced. T h e a v e r a g e th u s o b ta in e d w a s co m p a red w ith th e a v e r a g e fo r th e tw e lv e m o n th s en d ed Ju n e, 1924, a s 100, a fte r th e m a n n er a d o p ted in th e rep ort on “P r ic e s o f C oal a n d C oke ; 1 9 13-1918,” p u b lish ed b y th e G e o lo g ic a l S u r v e y an d th e W a r In d u s tr ie s B oard.
w eather, there is no g re a t change. A little more coal is m oving but there is still a surplus o f all sizes available.
W orking tim e ranges from three to four days a w eek and prices are about the cost of production. Railroad tonnage shows som e im provem ent in this district. W ith colder w eather com ing and decreased tonnage at the working m ines, there is likely to be a shortage before long, which m ay boost prices.
Colder w eather has stim ulated the St. Louis m arket to some extent and this is b est evidenced in th e pick-up of wagonload steam , which got off to a good sta rt la st week.
Carload steam is fair, a few plants putting in a little stor
age and other plants cleaning up for inventory. Country steam is quiet, a little m oving to Kansas City, and som e steam nut to Omaha and some cheap priced coal to Chicago and the Twin Cities. D om estic locally is fa irly good on middle-grade coals. Standard also shows considerable movement w hile sm okeless and anthracite are slow and coke m oving fa irly well. Country domestic is good, every
thin g considered. A ll sizes are m oving in proportion and there is a fa irly good country demand for coke. Locally the coke supply is p retty w ell cleaned up excepting w hat is being held and reserved for January, and local shippers have nothing to offer for N orthern or E astern shipm ents. No change in prices.
O u tlo ok B rig h t in K en tu ck y A fter H olid ays Cold w eather and snow early la st week in K entucky along w ith usual holiday retail business brought some de
mand from retailers on coal rolling, or on local tracks, and it is believed th a t w ith production lower as a resu lt o f the holiday season, there is a good chance th at prices w ill be higher by 25c. a ton soon, if th e present w eather lasts.
There appears to be an easing up in steam demand over the holiday or inventory period, some industrial plants slow
ing down their output. H eating demand is picking up and the u tility companies are using increased supplies.
Prices are firm on all w estern K entucky sizes, and in fa ct a trifle stronger on mine-run and screenings. In eastern Kentucky prepared has been a trifle w eaker on account of W est V irginia competition and low er quotations.
Principal quotations on eastern Kentucky 4-in. block are
$2.50@$3.25, but some stock is quoted higher. Lump and eg g are around $2.15@ $2.50, some quotations being $2.25@
$2.75; nut, $2@$2.50; mine-run, $1.50@$1.75; screenings,
$1@$1.35. In w estern Kentucky 6-in. block is $1.85@ $2.15;
lump and egg, $1.75@$2; nut, $1.35@$1.50; screenings, 90c.
@$1.10. W estern K entucky mine-run is firmer, some houses quoting a t $1.25, but not much stock is to be had a t under
$1.35 and som e is at $1.50 or better. W estern Kentucky screenings are scarce and commanding better prices.
N orthw est T rad e U n ch a n g ed b u t F irm
The Duluth-Superior m arket is firm and unchanged all through the bituminous list. The featu re in the trade con
tinues the heavy demand for Pocahontas and other sm oke
less coals as substitutes for anthracite. Pocahontas lump, eg g and nut are quoted a t $8.50 and mine-run at $5.50.
A nthracite prices are firm and ju st as they have been since early la st summer. On account of the greater use of sub
stitu tes and mild w eather conditions it is now figured th at anthracite w ill be available upon this m arket in á lim ited w ay up till early in February.
Shipm ents o f coal from the docks are keeping w ell up to the average for the season though the w eather has been com paratively mild during the la st ten days. A substan
tia l im provem ent in the m ovem ent a fter the opening of the new year is expected, as retailers and the larger consumers are reported to be carrying com paratively sm all stocks.
Orders booked for early January shipm ent are said to have reached a good total.
An encouraging feature is the b etter in terest shown by independent iron operators on the M innesota ranges.
Larger tonnages of steam coal are being supplied to u til
ities on account o f low w ater. Industrial demand is ex
pected to show marked expansion early in the new year.
W ith anthracite out o f the reckoning, the fu el m arket in M ilwaukee seem s to have steadied for the w eeks of real w inter which are now a t hand. The demand is brisk be
cause of the weather, and of course m ay be expected to be
come more lively as the mercury dips. Coke has taken the place of anthracite and is steady a t $15 for range, $14 for nut and $12 for the pea size.
Autum n business in the Twin Cities has been steady, with a gradual gain toward form er conditions. U ntil there is som e method of readjustm ent o f inequalities of freig h t charges, the industrial situation is bound to be restricted and of lim ited activity. The retail situation is good. Buy
in g is steady and constant, and the w eather so fa r has been free from extrem e changes that would bring about a rush of orders to be delivered a t once.
S outhw est H as P a rtia l P ick-U p
Kansas lump, which had accumulated on tracks, started m oving w ith the return o f cold w eather, and the tracks soon were cleared. A rkansas, however, did not fare so well.
There the m ines continue to add to their record of idle tim e. A rkansas sem i-anthracite lump is m oving slow ly, w ith no im m ediate prospect o f improvem ent; mine-run is easy, and screenings are short. The Arkansas market is not expected to improve until some tim e a fte r the first of the year, when bins filled early in the fa ll have begun to g e t low. Arkansas prices are unchanged a t $6@$6.50 for lump; $2.75@$3.50 for m ine-run and $2@$2.25 for screen
in gs. K ansas nut has been easy, w ith screenings a little short. K ansas m ines have lost little tim e this season.
The Colorado m arket appears to be a little so ft due to warm w eather in Missouri River territory. Dom estic orders are being held back as bins are p retty w ell stocked. Pro
duction in Colorado in November w as 1,167,000 tons com
pared w ith 988,000 tons for the sam e month a year ago.
The average number o f men employed in the m ines w as 11,829 and the number of days worked per mine was 157.9.
The m arket served by the U tah m ines, which has been quiet for several w eeks, is im proving w ith more seasonable w eather. W orking time a t the m ines for the p ast w eek w as a little above 50 per cent. A leading retailer reports a better m arket for domestic lump than straigh t lump. I t is
estim ated that there were about 300 “no bill” cars on the tracks this week. Slack is a little scarce, but not as a resu lt of m arket conditions so much as short working time a t the mines. Dem urrage rules w ere recently suspended, but the “no-bill” rule is in force again, which means that loaded cars are regarded as cars on hand when em pties are apportioned by the railroads.
The m etal m ining and sm elter industries and the rail
roads are m ost active in the m arket now. There is an abundance of labor a t the mines, and m any men are turned aw ay regularly.
S m ok eless R evives in Cincinnati
A ny bright spot to be found in a glum situation on the Cincinnati m arket is due to the way smokeless has been acting. For a month the skids seemed w ell greased for low- volatile prices, but ju st before Christmas the brakes seemed to hold and, even better, there w as a sign of a rebound.
Most of this is traceable to demand from the E ast after the fu tility o f Governor Pinchot’s efforts for peace in the an
thracite field became apparent. M ostly nut and e g g were wanted, w ith Canada partaking of the demand. W ith shut
downs and other conditions helping, nut w ent up to $4.50 for spot, eg g climbed over the $4 mark w ith $4.25 paid for first-grade Pocahontas. Lump, usually the strongest of the preferred, still lags, though it bettered itse lf by 25c. Mine- run w ith holiday shutdowns in prospect, stiffened, some tonnage going as high as $2.65. Slack still is trying to find itse lf with no change.
Overproduction— shown glaringly in the American Rail
w ay Association report o f 13,862 loads passing through the Cincinnati gatew ay, or an increase of 555 cars on an over
stuffed market— explains why there have been some marked reductions in price for high-volatile domestic sizings. Re
fu sals have been coming in from many points, Michigan being, possibly, the w orst offender. D istress coal again is settin g the spot price, dragging other good fuel along with it. Some lump w ent below $2, some eg g below $1.75, weakening straigh t sales also. In contrast to this, mine-run and slack are holding up w ell. A bout the only break in the latter is in Kentucky low grades, some of which have sold down to 90c. under pressure of competition.
Retail trade shows little or no change other than the spurt for sm all deliveries caused by snow and cold weather ju st before Christmas. River business continues in an even channel.
Demand for domestic grades has been rather dull in Columbus and vicinity during the past week. Dealers are pretty generally stocked and householders are going slow in placing orders, but retail prices have not declined. There is a considerable amount of free coal on the market and the tonnage of consignm ent fuel is increasing not only in Columbus but in Toledo and Deti-oit.
Large steam users are buying for current needs only.
There w ill be little doing in contracting before March.
U tilities are good purchasers and iron and steel plants are also in the market. Screenings are holding up exceptionally w ell.
Production in the southern Ohio field averages about 25 per cent of capacity, with the Pomeroy Bend district show
ing up the best.
Market conditions in eastern Ohio are more sluggish.
Screenings prices have advanced to $1.50@$1.60, other quotations being soft. Most of the m ines closed from Thursday till Monday. Production fell aw ay the week be
fore. As retailers are fully stocked and steam buyers hold
ing off, operators are pessim istic as to the immediate future.
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4 18 2 16 30 13 27 II 25 8 22 5 19 3 17 31 14 28 12 26 9 23 6 20 6 20 II 25 9 23 6 20 4 18 I 15 29 12 26 10 24 7 21 5 19 I 16 30 13 27 13 27 Apr. M ay J u n e J u ly Aug. S e p t. O ct. Nov. D ec. J a n . Feb. March
1925 1926
C onditions Q uiet at P ittsb u rgh
Demand for domestic coal from the regular territory of the Pittsburgh district has been rather poor. Railroad and industrial demand have been moderate, consumption being fu lly as great as could be expected. There is but little out
side demand for Pittsburgh district coal. The call of the E ast, such as it is, now runs to “nut” coal. On the E a st’s last buying the m ovement w as chiefly in “e g g ” but it seem s the operators had altogether too large eg g s in mind, sizes running up to 4-in.
With the figures for the la st week in December e sti
mated, production by central Pennsylvania coal mines w ill total 43,500,671 tons in 1925, which is four million tons more than in 1924. The year started off well and then fell into a slump, w ith production revivin g follow ing the strike of m in
ers in the anthracite field, which w as largely responsible for the increased production. A pproxim ately 60 per cent of the total production was in m ines working on a non-union basis, or under the 1917 scale. The remainder w as produced from mines under the Jacksonville agreem ent.
Prices, except on coke, remain the same from week to week. Coke shows a little increase, eg g sizes being quoted at $7.50@$8; run-of-ovens, $6.50@$7; lump coal, $3.50@
$4; egg, $4.50@ $5; nut, $4.25@$4.75; m ine-run, pool 1, $2.75
@$2.95; pool 71, $2.50@$2.75; pool 9, $2.35@$2.50; pool 10,
$2.20@$2.35; pool 11, $1.70@$2; pool 1, $1.60@$1.70.
A t Buffalo the whole trade is so com pletely at the bottom that even an effort to vary the regular bituminous quota
tions has been useless. Ju st now there is a scarcity o f slack, but nobody is g ettin g much, if any, more for it, and the chances are that the mine-run output w ill take up any real shortage in that line. Quotations are $1.60@$1.75 for Fairm ont lump, $1.40@$1.50 for mine-run, $1.25@?1.40 for slack; $2.25@$2.50 fo r Youghiogheny gas lump, $2@$2.25 for Pittsburgh and No. 8 steam lump, $1.30@$1.60 for all slack; $1.75@$2 for A llegheny Valley mine-run; $6.50@
$6.75 fo r Cambria County sm okeless; $12 for eg g coke, at the curb.
D u lln ess L ifts S ligh tly in New E ngland W ith more seasonable w eather the demand for steam coal is som ew hat improved in N ew England. Retailers are again m ildly interested in the sp ot m arket and transient business in general is noticeably less dull than a week ago.
Curtailed production in the sm okeless districts has reduced the volume a t and en route to Hampton Roads piers, while shipments on contract have increased sufficiently to influ
ence current prices to a moderate degree. In no direction is there brisk inquiry; even for prepared Pocahontas and N ew River there is only lukewarm request. As a whole, how
ever, the m arket is in a more hopeful situation than since early November.
A few outlying communities are taking on bituminous and coke in anticipation o f running out of anthracite by the end of January, but the aggregate tonnage is not large and there is little to build on in such quarters. If hard-coal m ining is resumed by Jan. 15 there w ill still be a reasonably good demand for substitutes, but the trend w ill be aw ay from them in favor o f anthracite as soon as the latter can be had. The January m arket w ill depend som ewhat on the volume the hard-coal shippers are able to pour into this territory. For industrial uses there w ill be no sharp re
quest; the high rate of production since Oct. 1 has an tici
pated anything like emergency needs during the n ext 30 to 60 days, and after the holiday season the trade expects only ordinary business. Doubtless steps w ill be taken to prevent ruinously low prices for high-grade coals.
A t Ham pton Roads spot coal of No. 1 grade m ay be had at $5 or slig h tly less f.o.b. vessel, and a t Boston, Provi
dence and Portland on cars the accepted figure per gross ton is $6.50. Moderate congestion at the railroad wharves is in part responsible for this firmer tendency, although more and more household users are turning to mine-run rather than to lump and eg g as a substitute for anthracite.
A ll-rail from central Pennsylvania there is only fair demand for steam coal, and then only for the more favor
ably known grades. For screened egg of n a w standard quality, $5@$5.25 seem s to be obtainable, w hile run-of-mine is quoted at $2.25@$2.50.
Pocahontas and N ew River prepared coal is being offered all-rail at a wide range of prices. On the sam e day the trade is offered lump and e g g from one operation a t $4, from another source a $3 price is named. The aggregate
94 2 C O A L A G E V o l. 28, No. 21
£ 16 30 14 £8 11 £5 9 £3 6 £0 3 17 1 15 E9 IE E6 10 £4 7 £1 4 15 4 18 9 £3 7 £1 4 18 £ 16 30 13 E7 10 £4 8 EE 5 19 3 17 31 14 £8 II E5 II £5
Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar tonnage of sm okeless coals coming all-rail to this m arket is by no m eans heavy.
Steady M ovem ent o f M ine-R un at New Y ork Mine-run bituminous coal continues to move stead ily in the N ew York m arket, prices rem aining firm and practically unchanged. Prepared sizes from central Pennsylvania were in fair call la st week, while eg g and nut sizes of Pocahontas and N ew River were in better demand than during the pre
vious few weeks. N u t fared better than egg, being quoted at $4.25@$4.75 as a g ain st $4@$4.50 for the larger size.
Short running tim e a t the m ines during the holidays is not expected to alter the situation in the trade. There is sufficient coal on tracks to take care of any rush of orders w ithout causing any undue excitem ent.
Shippers o f Southern coals into this m arket look for in
creased buying of those coals after Jan. 1, when the new freig h t tariff affecting the N ew York and N ew Jersey m ar
kets goes into effect. The new rate averages about $1.10 above the present Clearfield rate of $3.09 to this market.
An end-of-the-year quietness seem s to have overtaken the Philadelphia m arket, but at the first of the year buying should begin w ith renewed' vigor. D espite the quietness of the market spot prices continue fairly stable. For one thing there is no “d istress” coal h anging around. There is a little talk about contracts for the first of the year, but with only a sm all amount o f such business closed thus far.
W ith the strong pick-up in the coke trade there has been a much better inquiry for sized bituminous fields. Slack has been som ewhat scarce during the p ast ten days, due to the fa llin g off in the call for three-quarters and sized coal.
However, it would not be surprising to see a considerable increase in slack w ith the better demand for sized fuel.
The Christm as lull brought no special regrets th is year to the soft-coal trade a t Baltim ore. There is ample coal a t tide and awheel between the m ines and this point to take care of all needs promptly and, w ith the exception o f a tw o- w eeks flurry in prepared sizes im m ediately after the onset of the anthracite strike, prices have not varied more than 10 to 15c. f.o.b. mine since Sept. 1. This is undoubtedly due to the moderate home call, despite the use of bituminous as a substitute for anthracite in the E ast and because o f the slump in the export trade. During the past w eek m ines N o. 1 and 12 of Consolidation Coal Co. were reopened and in the Georges Creek region of w estern Maryland there has been an im provem ent in production, the November figures being 20,000 tons in excess of those of October.
The Christm as lull brought no special regrets th is year to the soft-coal trade a t Baltim ore. There is ample coal a t tide and awheel between the m ines and this point to take care of all needs promptly and, w ith the exception o f a tw o- w eeks flurry in prepared sizes im m ediately after the onset of the anthracite strike, prices have not varied more than 10 to 15c. f.o.b. mine since Sept. 1. This is undoubtedly due to the moderate home call, despite the use of bituminous as a substitute for anthracite in the E ast and because o f the slump in the export trade. During the past w eek m ines N o. 1 and 12 of Consolidation Coal Co. were reopened and in the Georges Creek region of w estern Maryland there has been an im provem ent in production, the November figures being 20,000 tons in excess of those of October.