The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-10-04
BUSINESS SITUATION.
TIE STATUS OF TIE COKE Tl,ADE
Over -Four Thousand Ovens Sn,okeless-Th,
+ Outlook for the Future Not Very En-.
coura.ing-A Wall Street View
.tfE,Nh OF General Husiaess, t5e

''W'op 1ooiItT III EeSlcW1Hs INC cox
market says: There are to-day more idl,
coke ovens In the Connellsville rcgiot
than the trade has known for years. o
the $3.50 ovens no less than 4,417 ar,
smokeless, as against 4,043 q fortnight ago
First there are the forty percent shut
down OF the pool, amounting to 5000
ovens. In addition to this the Alice works
200 ovens, are dead because OF lack Of
water; and the Fairchance, ~ ovens, the
Percy, G2 ovens, and tho Ferguson, 20
ovens, IN all Ia ovens. These works be.
long to the Coke Producers Association,
They have shut down within the past few
days for some mysterious reason known
only to the pool managers aud BY them
thus Tar kept profound secret. OF the
other pool ovens Standard, Warden, Tin
Top, White. Sterling, Enterprise and Star
arc idle, being included in the shut down
percentage. Standard is running 81 ovens
but the product goes 10 the coke cr,isher:
It is not made for the market. or the In.
dependent ovens, Emma IL running IS out
ol 50, and Rcdstone 100 out oi 3l3; and Of
the furnace ovens, Lemont is running 25
out OF l52, Youngstown 10 out OF o4O, and
the 100 Of Charlotte and kiter are wholly
idle. Stewart, which has been running 90
ovens is tiringup to run full, its owners,
tho Stewart Iron Company Mt Sharon,
having decided to blow in their furnaces.
toit Hill, which two weeks ago was run.
ming 90 out 98 ovens, Is also firing up
iul!.f All the other ovens are running
full, or in accordance with the pool agree.
ment. -.
THE OUTLOOK NOT ENCOURAGING.
Shipments remain ut about 52j cars
dlily. Though several furnaces have re,
sumed and are taking coke, the demand
seems to remain about the same. There
has been o slight falling off in eastern or.
!!eEs,. but this Is balanced by correspond.
ing increase from the west. Sbipments
are now about evenly divided between
Pittsburgh and the East, and pointu west
Of Pittsburgh. 1t Is reported that tho
SSlpearman Iron Company Of sharpsville,
the Stewart Iron Company Of Sharon, and
the Brlar Hill furnace at Youngstown, are
about to blow in, and a slightly increased
demand is antici pated from these
sources. Labor is plenty and prices sta.
tlonary. A number OF the Hungarians
are leaving the region, many Of them
going to the Hacking Valley, others to
Canada and others back to their native
land. A reduction OF 10 percent in wages
is announced at Morrell and Wheeler, but
at other places wages remain as hereto
lore. Ihe syndicate gave orders to run
iull TINS week, but many Of the works
found it convenient to lay off one or two
days. Some OF the smaller pool operators
complain that the syndicate does not take
away. their coke promptly, hut this
is being remedied this week. The out.
look Is by mo- means brilliant, but the
operators live in hopes Of brighter skies
atterthe election.
THE COST OF MAEISo coHE.
Talking about reduction in tile price
OF coke, the answer OF ]. W. Moore and
Presley II. Moore to the bill in equity
filed by Col. J, NJ, schoonmaker, demand.
ing an account Of the operation OF the
Redstone works in January last. 1t
shows an actual loss OF Sl54 II in the op-
Grafton of the works for one week. 1t is
true that the coke was sold low, the prices
ranging from 81. to p5 cents, the greater
portion, however. at the latter figure but
1t will also be seen by dividing the net
operating expenses, Sl,il4.l5, by the
product Of the works, 1887 tons,
that the actual cost Of manufacturing was
about 81 O6 per ton. This. too, does not
include anything for the coal or for the
general management OF the works, There
can be no doubt as to the accusacyof these
figures. The expenses are strictly itelniz.
ed, the statement is backed by the oath OF
the operators, and the figures were not in
tended for publication. Accepting them
as correct, then, it will lie seen that the
Connellsvil!e coke operators are running
on 50 fine margin ot profit that one can't
see It Titha masnifying glass; and when
the value Of the coal is taken into con
sideration the invisible profit becomes a
very visible loss. Small wonder that the
operators are united in maintaing the pres.
ent price Of coke! ~. -. -