The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-04

stiffening up of prices by those mills
who have heretofore been selling below
the actual cost of production. On sheets
and plates there is a positive advance. We
think these prices will be sustained, and
have strong ground fer thinking they will
soon improve still more.
NEW ALBANY DISTRICT.
New ALBANY, August lone of the
most hopeful indications of the improv-
ing times is the steadily increasing pros
perity of the iron interest. New Albany
is more largely interested in this branch
of productive industry than any other
Indiana city. In the first place all the
mills and foundries here are full of orders,
and are running full force of employees.
A profitable advance Id prices of mer-
chant iron has been established, and the
production a: the rolling mills has been
increased to their full capacity. The rail-
road spike machines of the Ohio Falls
Iron Works, which had lain idle for two
years from low prices and lack of demand
have recently been put into operation,
with large orders ahead, and a fair margin
on the profit side. The rail mill, with
large orders, will be obliged to elbow i'm
on its pudding furnaces on account OF
the scarcity of old rails, and the increas-
ing demands consequent upon the con-
struction of new lines. of road and the
laying the tracks of old lines, necessarily
run down by the pressure of the panic of
the five years preceding 1879. This will
make an increased demand for and an adj
vance in the price OF pig iron; and it is
believed that within the next three months
every iron furnace in Indiana will be in
full blast. The building of new lines of
railroads into the Southern Indiana coal
fields-notably the New Albany and st.
Louis Air Line-it is believed will result
in the establishment of iron furnaces in
this part of the State as the demand for
pig iron and the advance in its price in
around the Falls of the Ohio that new
era of prosperity is opening up to their
trade, and that, while prices will never
again reach near to the extraordinary
figures ruling from 1866 to 1872, they will
be established at a rate leaving compen-
sating profit to manufacturers.
THE HANGING ROCK REGION.
IRoSroN, August 1.-Mr. Ironton Kelly,
of the firm of w. D. Kelly & Sons, owners
and proprietors of Center and Grant furn-
aces, said: s'l think, after six years of
economizing by consumers, the bottom
has been reached, and at last prices are
tending upward"
Col. Geo. N. Gray, Trustee OF the Law
renee Furnace Company, says: My opln-
ion is that the demand for iron is very
brisk, and there is some advance in prices.
thing mill, first class, can be sold for 81
to ST 50more than it could sixty days ago.
There is very firm feeling in 'foun dry
iron'-an anvanCe of not SO much as mill.
think that No. l foundry coke is going
to be in very brisk demand, and will evil
IDENTIFY sustain very clever advance, say
from 81 to 81 so per ton. Prospects are
good for a brisk trade for the balance of
the year."
B. H. Burr, Secretary and Treasurer OF
the Belfont Nail and Iron Works Compa
ny: "Our impression here is that there
has been an improvement in the price of
pig iron, bars and nails. There has been
rise of So on pig iron. The nail market
is firm, late advances and demand. The
indications are that there will be further
advance during the coming fall. The last
advance on nails was about the LIST Of July,
and they now net US about fifteen cents
per keg more than they did. We are rum
ming full turn of hands, with the pros
pect of running steadily"
Mr.. E. McNIillen, Superintendent of the
Lawrence Iron Works, didn't want the
newspapers to give the iron trade too
much Of "boom." That would start all
the mills in the country and drop prices
right down again. He prefers steady,
slow advance. "There is no question but
that there is considerable and solid ad-
vance, not less than So per ton on manH-
factured iron during the month of July.
Pig iron has gone up on an average about
mand is better than 1 ever knew it. We
are running a full set of hands, all of our
finishing department night and day
constantly. A large part of our trade is
in the South, and it is barely possible
that the yellow fever may interfere"
PORTSMOUTH, o., August 1.--Within the
past ninety days the iron interest OF this
l., vic aio nf inn
ment. The slight advance in pig and
manufactured bar seems to have infused
new life into some of our furnaces, rolling
mills and longfaced veterans, for years on
the "shut down" and s'shut up" lists.
Manufacturers in iron and steel feel that
trade in these departments is fairly pro-
crossing, and that the mists and clouds so
long overhanging us are being dispelled.
The Burgess Steel and Iron Works of
this city have not had SO busy summer
since 1872. With working force of l75
to 200 men, and the mill running day and
night, their present orders will keep them
booming for four months to come.
THE TENNESSEE DISTRICT.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN, August 1.-The
present condition OF the iron trade in the
Southern district is quiet and firm. An
advance of about s.. per ton has been fully
established since the beginning OF the
year. Bars, bolts, NUS, spikes, spices
and other articles of manufactured iron
have improved in both price and. demand,
the prices being fully s4-lO cent higher
than on January 1, The mills are all
running aud full of orders, and not anx-
ious to book at present quotations. Every
furnace in the district is sold ahead from
two to four months and movements are on
foot looking to blowing in several fur
naces soon. A strong Company of Mis-
| r.
dale, a new furnace of forty tons daily
capacity, in Roane county, near the O. S.
road, and will put it in blast the Goming
fall: South Pittsburgh refused an order