Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-23

An Arvsnsnt 10 Favor Of Old
Fashioned Nails.
Carpenters and Builders Who Desire to
Boycott Stssl---lntsrestug
Sermon.
A New Railroad outlinsd-Death of s. A.
MnIer-A week OF Intense Cold
Capitol Notes shooting scraPe-
General City News.

Meeting q vel known mill man last
evening, REGISTER reporter asked him the
latest phase of the steel nail question, and
the probable outcome OF the 6ght now going
on. The iron worker did not want to haz-
ard guess as to the future, but was per
fectly willing to talk IS to the merits ofthe
two rival products, and as be iutimated that
he had spent some little time in investigat-
ing point which probably had much to do
with the action Of the master carpenters in
deciding to boycott steel, he was invited to
proceed, which he did, as follows:
II have read and heard quite anumber of
discussions on the subject Of steel nails and
their effect, but they all seem to aim at
either one or the other of two points, VIZ !:
whether or not steel is superior to iron, and
whether or not it causes more work to the
mailer and feeder. Now / viii acknoWl-
edge these two points Of difference settled,
and take up another question which Prin-
cipallY concerns the consumer. / have
made some Investigations, and though do
not claim iron to be superior to steel In any
respect, viii say that it is to the adTan-
tage Of the consumer to use iron in prefer
ence to steel. To prove this ] viii tell you
q few facts. When steel was first intro
duced the plate was rolled lighter
guage and the nail made generally
lighter than the old iron nail.
This caused trouble, because it would bend
and not drive into hard wood, and in addi-
ton there vas not material enough to make
good, Substantial, well brseed head The
head as thus made would fly off leaving the
nail comparatively useless. To obfiate this
the thickness of the plate was Increased to
the same gauge as that used in making the
old iron nails Now it is universally con-
ceded that the specific gravity of steel is
greater than that of iron, and this fact
makes il apparent that 9 steel nail will
weigh more than On iron nail Of the same
gauge. FIR example, q sheet of iron plate
rolled and shesred to the eight penny gauge
and weighing quarter OF pound, will
make twenty-five nails, while plate ofsteel
rolled and sheared to the same gauge, and
weighing the same viii only cut twenty nails.
According to this the consumer loses two
nails to the quarter of a pound when he
buys steel This does not seem ike much,
but when we consider that it makes eight
nails to the pound and eight hundred to the
keg, it looks like larger number. Elgh
hundred nails will westherbosrd the side
Of small house, and in fact, eight hundred
nails viii come in handy most anywhere. As
the nails grow smaller the number lost to
the key increases. For instance, suppose
man is using lsthing nails. In one keg Of
steel nails he will lose nearly enough to
lath whole ceiling or g wall. Iron nails
have always answered the purpose, and
have proven Satisfactory, and as my inyesti-
gation proves that you get more Of them for
your money, why should the consumer flop
and use steel for which no preference has
ever been claimed. All the arguments
which have been presented in favor Of steel
have only been used to prove that it was
equal to and not superior to iron. No one
that have ever heard Of has presented an
argument tending to prove steel better, but
rather as good and cheaper. Now leave 1t
to the consumer whether or not steel is
cheaper after you count your loss in num-
bers for which you receive no other COM
pensation."
This assertion that there were eight hun
bred more iron nails in keg than steel, was
news to the reporter, but his informant in
sisted that his statement was true. To-day
the reporter will investigate little on his
own account, the result Of which will be
made known. tomorrow.