Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-08
STEEL NAILS.
Present Status Of the Proposed
Innovation.
The Slow Race 10 Progress Between this
City and Pittsburgh Over the
Inauguration Of the New
Article.

Twelve months ego a steel nail Doom
was inaug urated in this city, and for weeks
nothing c. I'D be heard about the mile and
nail factories but talk Of thegreat revolu-
ton that was to at once take place in the
manufacture of>fhe commodity which has
given cur community its chief reputation
and which has added so much 70 the
wealth and stability Of our city. A gigan-
tic syndicate was formed for the erection
of Bessemer steel plant with capacity of
half millien tons per snnum, into which
all but one Of our local mills entered, and
it wss given out that the work OF co l.
struction ives to be commenced At once, and
pushed forward With the utmost rapidity.
Each Of
THE MILLS REPREsESrED
was 10 receive certain part of each days
output Of steel to be determined by the
humber Of machines employed IN the mill.
Each mill was also to contribute pig iron
TO the steel works according to its capaci-
ty; and in purchasing the output of the
STEEL works the mills were TO allow the
syndicate q small profit on the cost OF
manufacture, something like dollar ton,
but Of course the mill owners were 70 get
this finally in the shape Of dividends. The
syndicate seemed for a time TO be an estAo.
lished fact, and il was reported that it hsd
begun TO negotiate for machinery and
would break ground for the new steel
works January l, 1888. But unhapplly
affairs did not roll along smoothly, and the
only converter that was operated was
AFAsCIFUL ONE
which converted harmony into dissatisfac.
rkNnh from
the original intention OF turning pig into
low steel. A serious question arose, the
big IDEAS did not want the little teas 70
grow, and the little 1eas declined to guar
antee they would remain dwarf yermln
Shall the smaller mills be allowed TO IN
crease their capacity, as was desired by
their owners should steel nails become a
commercial success? There was serious
division on this conundrum and the syn
dictate resolved into its natural element,
namely, independent mills for the manu-
lecture OF iron nails. Yet the project to
make the coming nail Of steel has
NOT FALLEN THROUGH
entirely, for two mills in this vicinity are
hard at work on plants for the production
OF steel, and expect TO turn out their first
prodlctiOn in March OF next year. These
mills are the Riverside Of this city and the
Bellaire mill. The furnace at the former
WORKS has a capacity of from one hundred
TO one hundred and twenty-five tons per
day, and that Of the latter from sixty TO
Z gh'y tons, enabling them jointly - make
from GU,UDO 10 1000 tons of steel per an
mum. The plants being put in AT these
ills have q capacity OF about three hun
bred tons per day each, but will not, OF
course, be run to their full capacity on &C
count of the lack Of facilities for suli.
eut supply of pig iron.
Tie question Of the durability OF steel
nails is still an unsettled one, aud since
the collapse of the syndicate Of last year
there has been decided tendency Oh the
part OF capitalists here and elsewhere TO
hold back and let some one mill make the
venture alone, there being plenty OF time
to 20 into the steel business on a large
scale after an experiment had settled the
fact OF
THE SUPERIOR QUALITIES
OF nails made of that material.
Some are Of the opinion, despite all as
ssrtIons 10 the contrary, that they cannot
be made as cheaply as iron nails, and not
being superior TO the latter for ordinary
purposes, the cost of production Wall ettec-
tuhlly prevent q wide introduction OF them.
This view is cOmbatted by the friends Of
the new article, who insist that they can
than iron nails and will be generally pre-
ferred 10 the latter-in short that they are
the coming nail. They have, however,
bt en- placed upon the market only in small
quantities as vet. In the East, where they
we're introduced about year ago, quite
libersl demand has sprung up, and, accord
ing To the Boston IDmmrrrtGt B1!ts;'h, all
the leaCing nail companies OF Massachusetts,
now
rRoDUCE THEN REGULARLY.
At Pittsburgh, too, considerable quantity
OF them have been turned out, little trade
has been done IN them. In the West steel
nails have sold only in a small way, st
Louis paper recently stating that single
car load was all that had been received in
that city. II adds, hUHCyer. that the mar
ket would PROBABLY brighten ii the supply
was not 50 GistreS>iDgiy meagre.
Relative to quality, steel nails when
Cnu pared with iron nails are found TO be
much smoother ON their surfaces aud Of
lighter color. In driving them INTO hard
wood IT will also be discovered that they
are much stronger than the latter being
less liable to bend and yet Cal able Of being
grestIy bent without fracture. And these
qualities will, it is thought, enable
lighter nail TO answer the same purpose As
an iron nail Of nOminally the same size,
and therefore
Cheaper The COST
Of such nails to the consumers. The only
advantage which the irOu can claim ever
is that, having a 70, CHER surface, il no q
bett,r in wood but it is dou III
w. ether this is true-whether the rough
surface of the iron nail does not TO Ger.
tan extent destroy by fracture the
holding force Of the wood. Blu, these
Il l..
no obsts le.n the way of DroduCin. s7.e
sIaIe that could hot be drawn. The Tia
d l., use owners will probably. however
20 W. the question finally OF what nsil'
shall De mnde: VIXEN they get into the hsb
il Of specifying in contracts that all wo1 vi
work must b" steel fastened, the contract.
ors will be sending in their orders TO lhs
factories accordingly.