Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-11-24
STEEL NAILS,
Through which wheeling willLsad
the World.
The Complete and Correct History OF the
New Moyement-The Causes Which
Led to 1.-THE Coming New
Steel Plant.

the world. The Pittsburg Dispdtch ana tne
Jn,,u;aposr of this city have published
articles ON this subject, but they have fired
A. rapdem at the truth. As . prominent
iron master said yesterday, the puonca-
tiups "hsye been untruthful in foundation
incorrect in details and sensational IN CHAR
scter.n Yesterday the new company was
formed and the project fairly given 10 the
nnhlie and such being the case the follow,
mo correct statement of the situation ana
the history of fits conception was given oy
one most prominently interested, ana may
be relied upon:
NAIL CITY PRESTIGE.
For many years Wheeling led the world
ON nails. Her mills devotiDg themselves
exclusiy civ 10 the manufacture of nails,
paid such attention to details, that their
product was given a preference in every
market Of the country. In other large iron
communities nails were made side issue,
hut here were manufactured exclusively
and the result was apparent. The most
careful attention was paid TO every detail.
When a consumer bought keg OF Wheel
ing nails, he was sure OF good iron, care
fully made and packed, and fir ee OF any
slivers, scraps, or imperlectlons. AS
natural consequence, wheeling nails
for a long TIME, hai a market value
above those made at Pittsburgh anu
in the Valley. Then came cIahse'
The ewes of the man ufacturers were direct
ed Mt Wheeling. and our mills became the
models for all new structures OF the kind,
From this time on the difference IN our
favor disappeared and there was a danger
of the loss Of our prestige-that Prestige
which gave us the name of the Nail City
Something must be done. and this feeling
led TO the present project. Something new
must appear, and that something was
steel.
NO NEW PROJECT.
For FIVE years the Wheeling manufac-
turers have been revolving in their minds
the question OF the substitution OF steel
for iron in the manufacture of rails, yet
no expression was given. Cold water was
thrown upon the project and it dropped,
until, two years ago. the sub
iect was taken up with renewed
activity. There were three questions TO be
considered. First, would the material be
adaptable TO the manufacture OF nails; sec
ond could the manufacture of steel nails he
so economically done as 10 be profitable;
third, was there sufficient coheslveness
among the manufacturers here. For the
purposes OfinvestigatiOn and OF obtaining
information in such shape and quantity as
10 Law before the manufacturers the data
necessary, a commute was appointed
and given carte blanche for in
structions. For weeks this COM
mittee has been experimenting and in
vestigating and now reports back to the
manufacturers that the scheme is feasible
and will be profitable. So, by the manu-
taCture of q steel nail, Wheeling will once
more resume her place at the head OF the
nail trade. Hereafter the nail card will be
the Wheeling card, and for steel nails, and
manufacturers Of iron nails must grade
their prices accordingly.
HOW THE PLAN WILL BE OPERATED.
The operation of the new plan will be, in
biief, as follows: 1t has been satisfactorily
proved that the nail machines in present
use will cut the steel nail plate with a
facility equal to the iron plate. What is
necessary therefore, is to prepare the
steel nail plate, ready for the factories
For this purpose, an immense steel
mill will be established and conveniently
u.
nail mills of Wheeling, and not dollar of
the stock will be sold outside. The seven
blast furnaces will furnish the pig iron to
the steel works and the steel works will
furnish the seven nail factories with steel
nail plate. OF course, such plant will be
immense. The capacity of the seven blast
furnaces is about 80, 900 tons of pig iron
per annum and the steel works expects To
turn out l2O, 900 tons of steel per annum.
Between the pig iron and the steel plate,
there is loss of ten per cent. and between
the steel plate and the nail there is loss
of about ten per cent. more: so that 1t Is
presumed the seven factories will turn out
about 100000 gross tons OF nails per an
mum.
FORGE DEPARTMENTS DONE AWAY WITH.
The steel works will do away with the
forge departments of our mills as far as
nails are concerned and right here few
words of explation are necessary. The
Dispatch and htelIigcncT have published
sensational articles to the effect that the
steel move is blow at labor. 1t is nothing
of that nature, but, on the other hand, will
benefit labor. The steel works will
employ from 1000 to $500 men and
will bring that many additional workmen
here. For the forge departments OF our
mills, with their furnaces and valuable
machinery will not be suffered to remain
idle Sheet mil will be formed Of them,
and much iron and bar will be manutac.
tured. The Riverside mill has, during this
year, shipped 1000 tons OF muck iron to
Pittsburgh, and this will be extended in
the future. There is little doubt that the
forge department of every mill will cOn.
unue in operation, and, as President Jar
rett has wiselylSsid, there is no occasion for
alarm among the boilers.
THE NEW STEEL PLANT
will be an immense affair, though the
statements published in the Inteliigencer
concerning it were wide Of the truth. In
the frs. place it will have three s-ton con-
verters, with three ...rCe blowing engines:
and supplied by five cupalo furnaces, and
one blooming mill with a capacity to bloom
500 tons daily. The pig iron is melted in
the furnaces and thence conveyed to the
converters, where il becomes steel. II is
then cast into molds, reheated and rolled
into nail plates, without having become
cool, after once it enters the meltin fur
naces. By these means the cost of reheat.
iGg is done away with. The works will con.
tain from twelve to fifteen heating furnaces.
THE LOCATION,
the Dispatch and IntelligeHeer TO the contra,
~, Notwithstanding, has not yet been de-
termined upon, but will be in this vicinity.
The mills to be supplied are the Jefferson,
at Steubenville, the Bellaire, the Benwood,
and the La Belle, Belmont, Riverside and
Top mills, of this city. Wherever the
plant may be located, the same freight ar
rangements can be secured. The steel
company will pay for pig iron delivered on
the cars, at the furnaces, and will deliver
steel plate on the cars at the factories, so
that no matter where the steel works may
be, the result will be the same to the seven
mills. As TO the exact location and when
ground will be broken, il would be prema-
ture, at this time, to enter into that,
THE SEw COMPANY
was formed yesterday. As stated above,
the stock is 70 be owned exclusively by the
mills named, the proportions not yet hav-
ing been determined. By an actof the last
Legislature corporation may subscribe to
the stock of another corporation Of like