The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-10
,,,TrRpAY's SAIL MEETING

,...,,uut Action Of the n"nuf"e!ursrs- s.r'.
I9ponr IpsI,nsr niue showing as TO the Con-
.!'Aa % of The Iron Interest Of Pitts
MHh' iii. nj, ronrosorto.
=. . a, ,be meeting Of Nail manufacturers
!, ~ '|,p;u,burgh n yesterday. The tone Of the
.,iny. however, was not bu6yant by
=, .,," means, owing to the unsatisfactory
'..jiiop Of prices. Tho'Pittsburgh mills
'.s y only running part OF the time and ap-
p. ...n,Iy not caring to receive orders at
ami rates. The feeling OF the meeting
,.,b,m better indicated by the adop-
5,sofLlc following preamble and resolu-
~ ,ban by any account we could give
"@ a,. manufacturers Of nails in the terrific
:, ,s,t re Of the Allegheny Mountains, we
I's, raon or a comparison Of wages, that we
~ lsu u,oplOelied to pay from $50 per cent to
y ", s,I Cant more for the various classes OF
GlIsIlabor than Is paid by our Competi-
~. and, Asa result st these higher pri-
,ssoilabOr, wearc being driven out Of the
Ss,G' ",,tots ain in which wehave hitherto sold sur
S,.JSr, our trade is being curtailed,
n, mills are being stopped or run on
Kan N, fine and the prices we arc forced to
,Ttet 'sv lOr our product results in an abso-
s,sIoss We believe it is to the interest
II ,Js ii In nsr,jes. both manufacturers and op-
81 S,,,ivss that this condition OF affairs
sbopi exist no longer; therefore,
"B,Icl. That in view OF these facts We
ID; tbe skilled operatives in our mills and
b,4Wes to conseAl to a reduction in
si.fs to the prices paid in the Eastern
njl, for similar work"
Wehaye alluded aboveto the tone OF the
meeting as one Of depression. This fact
Oa.b, not to surprise any one in view Of
an article that appeared in the Pittsburgh
PSoi Yesterday IN regard to the condi-
ton Of the iron interest in and around
thn CITY. The article is headed as fol-
ors Bankrupt Mills "one-fourth of
our iron works lying in idleness. p
Alarming condition Of the Pittsburgh
ipatrade.n What is the cause of it"
After this introduction the article goes
On to make the following remarks: q.
III there has been any one point on
1hrh Pittsburgh iron manufacturers have
pidel themselves, it has been that this
vas natural centre for the manufacture
Of iron and that eur mills could hold their
own against all comers and run when
tlhes must stop. Knowing this, the
statement recently made that twenty-five
Nr cent Of the Pittsburgh rolling mills
Eee idle BY reason OF the bankruptcy OF
thetrns formerly operating them seemed
TO It's scarcely credible. No iron estab.
Ehments in the country have been in
such good credit rs those OF this city, and
itseemed scarcely possible that with such
univallel facilities as we possess, US large
piOPOrtiOu as One.quarter OF our mills
could he idle from such causes as these.
From inquiries made, however, 1t
ReRs that this assertion is too true. There
lie in Pittsburgh and the rest of AL.
iegheny county, 81 iron rolling mills. OF
Aese there are idle the Vesuvius, Fl.
Fit, Superior, Eagle, 0rmsby, Birming.
ham, Keystone and Pittsburgh Bolt. The
KeystOne is in operation Just at this time
under lease by the National Tube Works,
buiitis only a temporary matter. Here
theaaEe eight mills idle and every one by
leIOn Of The bankruptcy OF the firms
bRiy owning them. In the 81 mills
hEe are 7G9 single pudding furnaces.
lnhe eight named above lis or % per
cea Of the entire number. Running to
their full capacity these furnaces would
dth turn out two tons Of iron per day,
OF rating the iron at $35 per ton
tash furnace would bring hither SO
PEI DAY, by the idlen0ss Of these l7S fur.
Hltes daily circulation Of $I2,550 is lost
10 the city. II We remember that this
money would he paid by iron workers to
me grocer, the butcher and to the dealer
ilerery business, who in turn pays much
Git0 out to his employees, the actual loss to
hepublic can be imagined. But there is
smother aspect TO the case. These idle
in'asces should now DO giving employ
ataI to &6 pudlcrs, to rs many helpers,
@SheaterS, - rollers, and between 800
aad 100 aOOrers, all Of whom would be
employed directly in the mills. Thus
eyer 30 iron workers are also kept out
" employment, whilO men engaged in
01aeF avocatiOns, those who mine the coal,
saO make pig metal, and in short, whose
aO!r IN any way contributes to the pre-
lSiMInary work or materials needed by iron
AUS, are also kept in idleneSs. These
sSSaemelts give but a Cursory glance At
.le results flowing from the idleness oi
'as eight mills named.
But tue facts given prove the truth ot
iae assertion that % per cent. OF the Pitts.
SafHa rolling mills are idle from the
TS3taEFaptcy Of their former proprietors
mere are two other mills now in opera
Ioa that have changed owners within &
EEyes's, owing TO the financial troubles
yI'Ae iomer owners, and in addition Il
@sse There are two other mills which are
SsuelaIIy reckonSd as Pittsburgh mills
sa @ouSh IN Armstrong county-the Apollo
~ Tue Leechburg-whicll have been II
VS'I.SS'G,ptcy and sold, and are now ope
ss ,.gI by other parties. Including thesI
Ut1e s.Ut1e two others, with the eight men
sSatA above, We find that fully 0no-thirc
%Me mills usually reckonea rs Pitts
TtESn SsEn mills have failed since the panic
NY "aIIe this is true Of one.third OF III,
,| ,Sl,s y Is also truo that the remaining
"e'al1ls 'sl1ls are not running TO their full
SP%lIy are not turning out on an aver
saote than from 80 10 10 per cent. @
tSs s SOa nOs; which tEey were making befor
"a, thlsisa serious showing and one thu
~. %Ss every llttsburgherto to ask what is til
Sss SG. y pittsburgh in location and facil
I ss @t The purpose or manufacturing {
S'e HS 'aS material, and for marketing Il
SS"auS' saS good Il location as there Is /
TSSos,Soa9try, So,,.Ni Its fuel, one Of the most in
sSs.a SSa' Items IN manufacture, has been 9
ojss, ~ good and rs abundant as th,
Ssa! yas other locality. The raw material
~! Hearty as cheap. Tho machinery
T,,,I! ~ g','1s Is a: good that any point, an
Sss %'.y superior 10 that in many PLACES.
NIL MIL every facility, and yet one.third Of i
S0aU ,%"s nave been bankrupt the past tiy
!am, WHY'S Il? Wv F
M; NOV, S, i is asserted that one reason
SsS ,,lEiltlsbuFSh is compelled 10 pay fro
sSSS,IGltl more 10 twice as much for /