Soft Coal Goes Up

Less Than 100 Tons In the City.

NO PROSPECTS FOR MORE

Unless the Railroads Exert Themselves More Than at Present.

The coal strike with all its attendant evils today reached Ann Arbor in a still more dreadful aspect than has been expected by local coal dealers. A representative of the Argus carried the news to the various dealers that there was only remaining a few tons in this and that city colliery. "Is that so?" said every dealer seen. "Well I only have a few tons myself." After running back and forth it was finally determined that there were only 100 tons of soft coal in the entire city, and that is very likely to be sold before 48 hours.

It is authoritatively stated that about one-third of the population of Ann Arbor have their winter's supply of coal in their basements, that the rest are borrowing coal from their neighbors to heat their houses, that the fraternity houses are about half supplied, some having no coal whatever, that the sorority houses are in the same predicament and that private citizens, taking pity on the young ladies, are letting them have from one to five tons apiece.

The news of all this sent soft coal from $7 to $8 per ton in most cases, with instructions to buy now if it was wanted at that price. The situation is darkening today as old Sol recedes and the shades of night spread over the city, and whatever good the coal conference may do in the City of the Straits this week will be awaited by the inhabitants of Ann Arbor with as much anxiety as in any city of the state.

The conference can do nothing directly, but the sentiment of an entire state, a great state, will be shown to those in whose grasp the middle and even higher classes of this country now find themselves. It has been sentiment coupled with reason that has brought about every great action or revolution the world has ever seen and it is likely to be sentiment that will bring a crisis to this terrible situation brought to the very threshold of Ann Arbor.

The Blair Coal company, of Toledo, has sent circulars to all the trade countermanding all bids and prices made to dealers on both soft and hard coal. In this general circular letter they say in giving their reasons for not being able to carry out their contracts: "Owing to the inability of the railroads to carry coal at the present season of the year, etc." For that reason they are unable to meet the demand according to their own circular letter. Now it will be noticed that they say the railroads are unable to carry the coal, intimating that the coal is there to be drawn.