The Daily Dispatch: October 14, 1861., [Electronic resource]

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Fuel.

--The difficulty of obtaining adequate supplies of coal would not be a source of extreme annoyance to our people, if it were possible to obtain wood in sufficient quantities to make up the deficiency. The country about Richmond is rich in coal deposits, yet we lack enterprise to bring it to market, and even at the advance of $1.50 on the usual price, we hear citizens lamenting that they have to plead, almost with tears in their eyes, to persuade the dealers to send them a scanty supply for immediate wants. There is also wood enough in our forests; indeed, the quantity is vast beyond computation. The price has gone up in this market in greater ratio than the circumstances justify, and if some enterprising, men would devote their energies to the business, we feel confident that not only Richmond, but the camps in the neighborhood, might be furnished with a plenty of fuel at a reasonable, yet compensating rate. The plantations on the borders of James river are accessible, and steam-tugs and lighters could be profitably employed in transporting wood from thence to Richmond.