The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-06-24
what has become Of all the Iron

Several OF our iron manufacturers in
this vicinity have recently been com.
planning not only Of low prices but Of
light demand, asserting that the con.
sumption OF iron throughout the coun.
try between January lst and June lat
was not up to its usual amount and that
it was less than during the correspond.
ing time last year. This complaint Is
however not universal. A few manu-.
iacturers have been very busy all sea.
son, and have been working TO nearly
their full capacity.
We wish here merely to call atten.
ton 10 one fact which seems to prove
that the consumption Of iron during the
Ave months above specified has really
been enormous, probably much greater
than at the same time lGst year. 10 the
last three months OF 1877, 1t will be re-
membered that there was an excellent
demand for iron from all sections, and
all Of our mills were kept busy. This
demand caused the blowing 10 Of sew
eral idle furnaces in this vicinity and
several others largely increased their
capacity. The increased product OF pig
was ali consumed, and tthe stocks on
hand at the beginning Of this year were
comparatively small. The furnaces
put in blast in the fall Of 1877, with a
lew exceptions have remained in blast
and one or two others have blown 10.
The increase ofjproduct by certSin fur.
naces has continued, and they now
make more irou than ever they did
Yet, Notwithstanding the dull times
that have prevailed in the trade during
this year, we do not learn that stocks Of
pig Al furnaces which ship to this mar
ket have largely increased. Not only
this but there have been shipments Of
iron from furnaces in the South which
have heretofore not shipped here, but
found their market in Cincinnati, Lou
isville and ST. Louis. What has be-
came Of all the pig iron which has been
produced this year? As it is not stock
ed up It must have been used, and the
volume OF trade has been much larger
than many would have believed.
There are come branches Of the man
ulac.ured iron trade which have Ger
tainly been very brisk this year, and
have caused the disappearance Of large
part Of the pig. 0ne ia the manufacture
OF bridge iron, which has been s,imulA'
ted to unusual activity both by fair
demand for railroad and highway
bridges throughout the country and By
the building Of The elevated railroad 10
New York. Another Is the manutac
ture Of railroad and railroad car sup
plies, as 6.h plates and bolts, drawheadi
and bolu, car rods, etc. A third Is tht
manufacture Of iron into shapes fol
hardware and for agricultural inple
ments, which this year have been II
greater demand than 10 any preyioul
year. Lastly, more pig has been usec
this year than ever before by the Bes
semer steel works.
The year thus far has probably beer
a prosperous one TO the industries Aboyl
mentioned. Il would have been pros
porous to the pig iron industry II price,
had remained at what they were las
October.
At the pressn. time the outlook ap'
pears rather gloomy. The usual sum
mer resting time seems 10 have set II
too early, and shows signs Of continuing
late. Judging the iuture BY the past
however, We have every reason 70 hop
that We will have another revival o
trade when the summer is over, and v
believe that, whatever prices may be, th
total volume Of this years trade will ex
coed that Of Last yeir.-Pias6ursh AaHu
faetErr.