The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-11-27
PLENTY OF CHEAP COPPER,
An Abundance of the Metal from New!
Mines Lead to Surprising Results.

b.
Copper was never so cheap as now. !
The present price is about Ii cents
pound. The old price. few years ago,
was Is TO ~ cents. and during the war
went up to 30 cents. CuriOusly!
| enough, as the price of copper has gone
down, the uses for it have increased
| and hundreds of things are now made of:
copper that We're formerly made of
cheaper metals. or not made at all.
Who has not noticed the sudden in
crease of articles made of brass-the
beautiful plaques on which the ladies'
paint, the tons of chandeliers, gas-fix-.
tures, frames, and thousands of other
things-all resulting from cheap cop
per, for brass is two-thirds copper and
one-third spelter or zinc? :,
Chow do YOU account for all this?"
was asked of a Pearl street manufact-
urer.
81 do not know exactly how to ac-
count for it, he said, ''but it is fact
Here is copper teakettle, such as
used to pay 1925 to $3.50 to import. I
can now sell it for 75 cents and make
profit. The home manufacture. has in
creased enormously. Thousands of
workmen are employed who are new at
the business. Processes of manufacture
have improved. We are learning how
to make things to better advantage.
We can export instead of import. do
not think the tariff has had much to do
with it. Here are seamless edge, PLAN
lshed copper teakettles, extra heavy,
spun from the bottom up to the breast.
making body of great strength.
sell them to the trade at 1927 dozen.
1t was not long ago that one of them.
indeed, one not so good as one of these
would cost almost the price of doz-.
en-. For few cents more we sell them
nickei-plated. They are used as orna-
ments for parlor stoves sometimes.
Here are urns, tumbler warmers, GUS
pidOres, jewelry boxes, brass mats, um-
brella stands, hat-racks, stOyepipe col
lars, stove legs, stove platforms, and
lots of things that could not have been
made few years ago, owing to thet
high price of copper. Now they ara
becoming articles of everyday use"
In another Pearl street store were
more than sixty varieties of brass
plaques initiating hammered work, at
prices varying from S1.S0 a dozen to
S26 dozen. This is comparatively d
new business. In another store were
copper bath-tubs of half dozen pat
terms, basins, closet pans, boilers, pipes, Z
and copper balls for water-tanks.
Walking up Fulton street among the
wire stores, there w,re copper and
brass cages. wire cloth, and other cop
per utensils sparkling in the SUM-
elbow do you account for the boom
in the copper and brass blIsiness?'' !
EASILY enough; we can buy cheap
err 4
''What makes it cheaperg'' E
''The coming in of Arizona and other
western copper to compete with Lake
Superior copper. Tie price has been
kept going down, but the demand for
copper has kept pace with it. New
uses are made for it every day. Form
erly the lake copper people had it all
their own way. They would calmly
announce the price of copper for the
year. and all we would have to do
would be TO pay for it. But-now it is
quite different. The Arizona copper is
not quite SO good, but it answers Just as
we'll for many purposes, and Keeps the
price down. The lake copper is about
half cent to cent dearer, but the
monopoly has gone. We not only take
no account of foreign copper, but
we are now exporting plenty of it
and plenty of manufactured goods
The rapid progress of electrical in
ventions has required an immense con-
sumption of brass and copper for cleo
trical machinery. 1t has been found
out that copper wire has many quali-
ties that make it desirable for tele-
graph, lighting, and telephone lines,
for which, during the high prices of
copper, it could not be used. Now the
copper wire trade is enormous and con-
stantly growing, and the varieties man
ufactured are many and curious. Tons
upon tons of these varieties of wires ara
Kept in stock, though only short time
ago such thing was unknown in tho
trade. Immense quantities of brass
and copper are used in house hardware,
water fixtures, railroad supplies.clocks.
and fancy goods, where other and
cheaper metals were formerly made to
do, all owing to the marvelously low
price of copper.-Nea0 York San.