Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-09-08

[Corfespondence N. Y. Times.1
- PIrTsBuRo, September 2.
The ron-masters of this city are almost unan-
imous in making moderate estimate of the adj
yantages accruing tothem from the dilemma
in which the. British iron-maaters find them
selves. In conversation with gentleman to-
day, ON the subject, I asked him. '.should the
alarm Of the London times turn out to be well
founded, and the British iron-masters be una
bleto make iren at present pricee, except at
loss, what would be the result 2"
"Thers can be but one" he answered. "The
world wants annually SO much IRON and unless
you can find some suitable substitute for iron,
the world must have it. The price of iron must
be raised to q figure at which Great Britain can
get profit in making it,. ~
What will be the course OF. America ?" re-
Joined
I'VE are not in position to step into Great
Britans Shoes" he replied. "Great Brtain's
yearly production OF pig iron is about 600, 900
or 1000 900 tons-say 6 1900, 0O0 We don't make
quite q 600, 900 tons and that is not enough,
for we import both pig and manufactured iron.
We are not able to take Englands place as
the leading iron manufacturing country of the
world, while the demand is increasing all over
the world, year by year. No, sir we shall push
steadily on, developing our mines, enlarging our
premises, building new ones, accumulating cap
tsge as il presents itself but Great Britain
N ast continue to make large quantities Of iron,
at high prices until such time as we ar0 enabled
to make q sufficient quantity at lower prices
than she. Then, and not till then, eupposiDg
the case you put to be the real case, we should
be the iron masters of the world. But even
then it would be many long long year first
Great Britain iR no weak power to contend
against in manufacture. Her prestige her
enormous capital are all in her favor. What we
4 h skaa hu aha taiu
enterprise and determination. Whatever else
is to be gained must be gained through precise
ly the same means"
then asked him about the exhaustion Of the
English coal mines He could not see that that
would alter the state of things. 'It would, of
course, still further enhance the price of iron "
he said, "but we could supply England with
plenty Of COAL and she. for many years to come
would have to make the iron." He called MY
attention to the very small area of English coal
fields compared with those OF America. How
ever, this gentleman, like a good many other
iron masters il by no means inclined to believe
that the English coal fields are being exhausted
One of the leading Scotch pig-iron makers has
very recently been visiting Pitteburg. Natural
ly, he was overwhelmed with questions, The
gst of bis replies is this ; The advance in Goa
and labor has been serious thing for the Brit
ish ironma tiers; but eboye all. the advance in
coal The advance in labor he did not seem tC
pay much attention TO, as he considers il likely
mated in the increasing price of provisions. He
| is, however, paying laborers five shilings aday
The coal question he said, is a most perplexint
one; but he thought it must come out right II
| time, although prices would never be- so low al
OF old The trouble is. hethinks, not In the lacl
OF coal but the colliers; they will only work eigh
| days out of the twelve working days in fort
night. They are earning plenty OF money an6
| will spend it,
| nfA fAaf f1E hal a
| returned from an extended trip TO Europe. He
| Of course. visited all the great centres of iroI
manufacture and to his surprise found the av
erage pay of labors to be fully equal to a dolla
| and a quarter The Superintendent OF thu
| great Lucy blast furnaces told me this after
oonn that they pay laborers from dollar up Il
| a dollar and seventy-hV cents. Considering
the increased cost OF living in this country, th'
| pay of the labOrers must be nearly equal IL
the case OF skilled labor the difference is mucl
| greater.
There is very strong reason why the iron
| maste RS should not make broad their philac
| tories, and launch out too confidently just yet
There il more than possibility of compiet
| revolution in iron manufacture, and until tha
| question is decided one way or the other,
would be unwiee on the part Of iron men T.
build more furnaces and mills. 1t is this; Mr.
| Siemens, well known in connection with tn
Sisnens and Martin patent for making steel
and also with the Siemens Furnace, has discov
ed means Of making both iron aud steel dtrec
from the ore, without he intervening aid Of tn
blast furnace or the puddling-funace. Whethe
his invention will prove to be practical one o
not it Is impossible to say But this much
known, that Mr.. Semens has made both iro
and steel by this new process, and that. tn
whole matter is occupying the most serious al
tenton of Bessemer and other great lights G
the iron world Should Mr.. Siemens process
| be suitable for general iron work, the cost {
manufacture would be 30 largely reduced unde
it that every blast furnace and pudding tnrnac
| in the country would be yalueless, and all til
money spent on their construction thrown ava,
asked Mr. Lyon, of the prominent firm {
| Lyon Il Schorb yesterday what he thougl
about it, He said that from what he had hear
he should not be at all surprised to hear or II
success of the process, but that he had no ol
| pOrtunIty of personally inquiring into it's merit
Others gave me the same answer. They are a
| dependent on their European correspondent
aud the scientific and mining journals; but thu
| ass red me that the matter is attracting u
| most earnest attention in Great Britain. Sa
Mr. Lyon, in speaking of this matter "
course the present state Of things in Great Bl
tain must be good thing for us, because v
| know that when ouch a radical rise takes pla
as has has taken place in the British GOAL al
and labor prices, never to return to their G
level Bnt the prospect ia not what they thin
, or rather hope it is in New York New York
ant to 20 wild. She will have to moderate h
views Of this matter considerably. It is u
, | dOubtedly step in the right direction, al
! | things look more encouraging to the iron ma
! ter. But you zee the state Of our iron marke
| We are quite quiet. You can judge, the
| whether We think we are going to surpasH.
;. even rival Great Britain as an Iron-produeti
! | nation Nor do think it desirable that a.
q | movement OF Importance should be attempt
y till we know something more as to the ieasi3l
ty or otherwise, of Mr.. Siemens discovery
: | inu uanaraIly annlied to the manufacture