Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-10
SOME QUICK WORK.
A Kentucky Man is Astounded by a
Pittsburg Achievement.
sTEELMADE FOR HIM In. ONE DAY.
The Shoemakers Are Reviying Their Old
Union in This City.
THE NEWS OF THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

What Henry Tilford, of Louisville, KY,
says concerning Pittsburg and Pittsburg
enterprise is full of novelty. He tells it in
a typical Kentuckian style.
1.-THE firm I represent in Louisville, said
he, 'thave for some years been experiment
ing with hardening processes in steel, and
believe that at last they have found a way
of making steel hard enough to manufacture
armor plates for the United States Govern
ment's war vessels now building, which will
make them proof against the guns of all
nations We have been corresponding with
the authorities for some time, and month
ago the Secretary of the Navy sent us long
letter, giving his permission tor test OF our
steel. We must, therefore, make some ex-
perimental armor plates.
HIS OWN SURPRISE.
'To do this, steel of particular carbon
grade was necessary, and was sent East to
procure such material. went first to Phil
adelphia, but failed to get it there. Then 1
applied at Harrisburg and Steelton, but the
steel manufacturers there laughed at me,
saying that it would not pay them to make
a small quantity of grade of steel so sell
dom asked for. I then went to Bethlehem,
d., Will bhC oduC ICbults 4AC Aoob pihOS
visited was Pittsburg. and going to the
office of Carnegie, Phipps 6 Co.. made
known my wants They said that it was an
unusual grade OF steel, but that they could
make it for me, and asked how much I
wanted I explained that for the few ex-
periments we would need only from to 10
tons. Without much figuring they told me
that it would cost 20 cents pound for such
a small quantity, but that if would take 80
or 100 tons, it would only cost me 4
cents per pound. OF course, this margin
startled me, but I said that, inasmuch
as the Government had contracted with us
for the work, we would have to get the steel
at any price, so 1 told them to go ahead. 1
took out my note book and asked at what
date I could expect to receive the steel.
They nearly took my breath away when
they looked at me in a funny sort of way
and said: why, Just stay at your hotel un-
til tomorrow. It is now 2 o'clock P. M,
and by o'clock tomorrow afternoon we
will have the steel on the cars for you.' 1
couldn't believe that. and they, seeing my
incredulity, invited me to 60 to their great
armor plate works in Homestead and wit
ness the work.
A GREAT FEAT.
1.-THE reason of the difference in prices,
they told me, was that their furnaces were
all so large. The smallest furnaces they
had would make no less than 80 tons. Then
understood why the Eastern manufactur-
ers had all refused to fill my order. They
would have had to build furnaces purposely
for the work. Still, Carnegie's had to con-
fess that they never made this grade of steel
before, and that none of their smoke stacks
gave just the proper draught. Well, are
you going to build smoke stack in a
night?' exclaimed. I was landed in Home
stead late that afternoon. While was at
the mill they altered the damper of the
smoke stack amazingly quick, and I had
the pleasure of seeing the fur
mace fred that night, retired to bed,
and by noon the next day saw 90 tons of the
grade of steel I wanted taken out. They
took out 15 tons of the best and threw aside
the remainder for remelting. True to their
promise, my order of steel was loaded on
the cars that day, and is now in Louisville.
No other city in the United States-pos-
sibly in the world-was capable of such q
feat. It is wonderful.
"Yes. we have natural gas in Louisville.
We boasted about it good bit. used to
think we were a match for Pittsburg any
day, but since have been in Pittsburg our
little six-inch mains seem like pipe-stems
compared with your gas mains three feet in
diameter. Oh, yours is great town."