The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-02-02
The Silent Rolling MILLS.

This ia the caption Of gloomy article
in the american Manufacturer, published
at Pittsburgh. tits mainly d review Of
the progress made in this country in the
way Of producing cheap steel rails. Its gis!
goes to show that the Bessemer process
ia bound to extend itself, and is already
doing SO, to other departments Of iron
consumption. Then, in that case, what
ia 10 become OF the present rolling mills,
in which only iron products can be turn
cd out?
Steel nails have long been talked OIL
There was plan on foot some time ago
to use the groupings Of steel rails in their
manufacture. No doubt something Of
the kind will yet be done. A steel nail
could, II is estimated, be made 25 per cent
lighter than an iron nail. See what a
saving that would be in iron and in
transportation, to say nothing of having
better nail. ah
The article takes the ground that steel
IL going to supplant iron in a multitude
Of uses-perhaps in nearly all uses. We
are to see steel bars, steel beams, steel
shafting, and steel naval architecture Of
all kinds. Already steel rails are sold at
$40 per ton, aud 10 per pound Ia asked
for merchant bar. II steel rails can be
made at profit at $40, what chance has
iron at 81 80 per hundred?
The Manufacturer says that in Great
Britain both the Board Of Trade and
LlOyd's registry have authorized the use
Of steel in naval construction, and now
allow frames and plates to be made Of ii
20 per cent lighter than frames and plates
Of iron. As steel rails at works in shef-
6eld or Wales cost now within only Il
,hillings per ton OF the cost Of iron rails
and probably ship frames aud plates oI
steel are as cheap in proportion, this de-
cisiOn OF the Board Of trade at once puts
steel on a better footing than iron. 1,
will not be long before steel is used fol
shipbuilding in this country, and for
hundred other purposes for which iror
i, now used. Then It will be seen (sayl
the Manutaeurer) that our consumption
Of wrought iron will decrease, and "th'
number Of our silent rolling mills vii
increase"
The Manufacturer thinks that the his
tory Of blast furnaces and rolling mill
from this time forward is to be an illus
tration ofthe great doctrine Of the "sur
yival Of the fittest." OF the "silent fur
naces" it predicts that there are at leas
200 that will meyer go in blast again. o.
this head II expresses itself thus:
"We cannot imagine that any such re
viyal Of the iron business is possible tina
will justify any Of those furnaces TO g
In blast that are badly located, that ar,
oa the lines Of railroad, that are in dis
ttiCn where ore aud fuel can no longel
beobtained Cheaply, or that are SO small
and insutRcientIy equipped that theil
labor account per ton Of iron mus
he excessive. The production ant
consumption OF pig iron in thi
country Ia bound TO increase. w,
have but little doubt that the con
sumption for 1878 will be greater thai
that Of 1877, aud that the consumption
lOF 1879 will be still greater; but even |
thAtinCteased consumption should be tn
greatest in our history, Il can easily b
supplied by four hundred Of the seyei
hundred furnaces that are on the lists
What chance then is there for the tothe
three huhdredT
This is certainly not a very Cheerful
outlook for a graat number Of blast fur
mace. throughout the country. And th
view taken by the 3iaautaeturer in regar,
'0a large number Of rolling mills, NOV