The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-29
Reduction In the Nail Card-Ihe Mills TO
Atart In.

bthEt tPs
The nail men held 8 meeting yesterday
al Pittsburgh, and reduced the card from
S.5ts4 90, aud agreed to start up again
NOnday-those Of them desiring to do
s-and to meet again in two weeks and
discuss results
The drop in the card will, Of course,
surprise no one, as nails have been sold as
low as 81 IS in Chicago, and perhaps still
loEer at other points. The idea in stop
plur-especially for the last two weeks
vas not to sustain the old price, for that
wp not expected, but simply to let the
market absorb the surplus nails, accumu-
lated by the dealers and spectators dur
Ing the Juror in the Winter, and thus
tsep 1t from breaking all to pieces, as was
the case year ago.
Atleast $4,000 kegs OF nails have been
hpE of the market by the six weeks
stop, and no one can estimate the good
tia. has been done thereby To all the in
terets concerned, owners and laborers,
iOr II they had kept on running a stop Of
anore radical and disastrous character
Suuld soon have been necessary. The
present situation Of the blast furnaces
would have been the situation OF the nail
mills The blast furnaces are now clogged
mp with pig metal which they can
not sell, and are banking up their fires
aud ceasing to manufacture. This metal
they have made out Of high priced coke,
and, in some cases, out Of high priced ore,
aaa 1t would be hard TO get cost for 1t.
They are therefore compelled to stop and
aElitresuls at the hands notonly OF con-
Euners, but Of their Egyptian taskmasters,
theOre men, who have extorted so fear
fully upon them this year, and Of the
coke men who have surpassed all previ-
Gus ideas Of imitation by the dizzy altitude
ot their late figures.
Ahalt has been called in nearly oil de.
patnsnts Of the iron business, Things
are reported as looking dull and blue at
Pitsburgh. The Gazette says that some
manufacturers up there say that trade has
not been SO dull with them for years.
We quote from It's remarks Of yesterday
N follows:
The bar mills Of nearly every concern in
NE city are either closed or running on
hall time, and II Is said by those who
ahould know whereof they speak that II
The stagnAtion continues for another FORT
night most Of our large iron works will
cone TO 4 standstill. To the list OF mills
which have shut down for want OF orders
aaothet-the Keystone-was added yes:
terdAy. The mill owners, as We predicted
week ago, are Just now involved In
trouble with their laborers. The drop In
the card rata necessitAted reduction In
wages, not only In the case Of the men
who work under scale, but oil those who
are not controlled by scale, !. O., labor,
efs, shearmen and others, When Il was
Proposed TO reduce the wages ot the latter
series Of strikes was inaugurated, and
with this trouble on their hands, in addi'
non % the prevailing dullness in the mar.
ket, the iron men feel that they cannol
alord TO keep their mills In operation.
The reduction in the card rate to 8 2.l(
cents has not been attended with the re
suit that was expected. II IA clear tha
nobody will buy any quantity OF iron Q
The present price. A manufacturer sale
Yesterday that he would be glad to sci
1000 tons OF cents.
Tbs luruace men are also In pickle. l
ilcustn-a2ry With them 70 make contract
ii ere beginning Of each year for ore at
certain price. This year the price Is II
per ton, and to Se able % pay this aguI
they must sell pig ifan at 81 per Ton.
4 well known that they cannot now Of
lain more than $50 per ton Tor pig irot
and hence the trouble. A few Gays ago
Committee Of furnace men from Wheeiin
visited Cleveland with 0 view Of obtainin