The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-15
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS.

While business is still dull among most
home industries, there are signs of improve
ment which should be encouraging to manu-
facturers and tradesmen, and money making
in general. Alabama has begun to export
coal, the first cargo having left Mobile re
Gently, for Aspinwall AS a great deal of
foreign coal is consumed in Mexico, Central
and South America, the commencement of
this traffic suggests great possibilities. In due
time Alabama will export iron, as we'll as
coal. Her pig iron is now used in some New
England foundries in preference to Scotch,
and in Others it has taken the place of Penn
sylvanian. Another hopeful sign is the recent
order for 10000 tons OF steel rails from the
Canadian Pacific railroad. This purchase has
caused much indignation in England, where
people consider it rather hard that the money
which they provide for the Canadia~ enter
prise should be expended elsewhere for ma
teral which England produces in abund-
ance. II is admitted that the American
price ($2S) is about 10 to II IL per cent. be-
low what the British manufacturers would
have quoted In 1867 the steel rails which
Americans now sell for $2S were $75 per ton
in England, but the enterprise of our manu-
facturers has enabled them to reduce the
price, and to acquire full control of the home
market 1t follows that the 100000 tons
which may be needed by our railroads next
year will be supplied entirely by home manu-
facturers. The price will probably be higher
than $26, as 500 to $50 were recently quoted.
Coal mining. which serves as measure of
industrial growth, has not been so depressed
in Pennsylvania as might be supposed. The
production of anthracite coal in that State
will be nearly 100000 900 tons for the year.
This will be about 1910, 900 tons in excess of
the production in 1882, but it will not come
up to the exceptional quantity raised last
year, which was 81, 100, 900 tons.
There are other indications of industrial
progress which are not so significant as the
foregoing, but merit consideration. For in
stance, in Massachusetts, a factory was re-
Gently busily engaged in making sabers for
the Chinese government, zinc works at Caron-
delet, Mo-. will soon be in active operation,
new foundry and machine works have been
completed at Birmingham, Ala, clock fac
tory is about to be built at Cheshire, Conn,
the manufacture of cast-steel wheels goes on
actively at Chester, Pa, and it is expected
that they will supersede chilled iron wheels,
as they last longer and cost only twice as
much It is announced, also, that the steel
works at Sandusky, o.. which have been Idle
for long time, will be used for the manu-
facture of bar and round iron next April and
that new pillow company has been formed at
Chattanooga, Tenn, where labor is generally
in request and is likely to be so all
winter. A like report regarding the current
demand for skilled labor comes from Potts
town. Pa. We learn, also, that the
hull of what may be the largest and most
powerful steam tug in America has been
nearly completed for Captain Eads at Phila-
delphia, and that one of the finest iron build
ings ever constructed is being made in Penn
sylyania for the Mexican government, who
will use it to display minerals at the New
Orleans exhibition, and will remove it thence
TO the City of Mexico
1t is gratifying to observe, Also that strikes
are few, and that in general, employers and
employees are on good terms. Employers, as
rule, are disinclned to reduce wages, and pre-
fer to run their factories on short time rather
than to do so; but when reductions are made
they are generally accepted with good grace.
The industrial situation will be rendered still
brighter by the opening Of the worlds fair