Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-03-27
The Industrial Movement Southwark.

The Philadelphia North American an
nounces as result of the recent Southern
tour Of ex-Mayors AS. Hewitt and Edward
Cooper, of New York, that these great
manufacturers have determined to remove
the New Jersey Steel and Iron Works, of
which they are the proprietors. and located
at Trenton, N. j., to Chattanooga, Tenn.
The work of removal will begin about the
first of April. Mr.. Joseph Stokes, the su-
perintendent of the works, who accompani-
ed Messrs. Hewitt and Cooper on their
Southern tour, said to a representative of
the North American that the Trenton loca.
ton had ceased to be satisfactory because
the raw material has to be freighted to
Trenton at large expsuse from Southern
points and from Pennsylvania, aud then
shipped back at additional expense over
much the same route in the shape of finish
ed products to the markets. The fact of
the works being located so far from the
coal and iron fields makes the freight rates
much higher. In the South Superintendent
Stokes said that they found that freight
rates were less than one-balf of those in the
North. The best coal is delivered right in
to the yards of the Tennessee Coal aud Iron
Company, the Atlanta Rolling Mill and the
Chattanooga Rolling Iron Mill for 81 % per
ton. 1t is delivered at the New Jersey
Steel and Iron Works, and all other works
in Trenton, for 1895, and at the former
works 50, 600 tons are used per year. Thus
| it will be seen that 50 would be saved on
every ton of coal, or $751; 900 year. This
would be sufficient alone TO pay handsome
dividend. There ia the same relative differ
ence in iron freight rates. The New Jersey
Steel and Iron Works employ an average
Of /, 300 men, who are paid about 5000, 900
per year in wages. In the whole plant,
which covers thirty acres of ground, many
millions of dollars are invested. The con-
sumption per year of raw naterial-pig iron
and ore-is rs, 200 tons, and 10000 tons of
finished product are shipped every year to
all parts of the United States The priuci-
pal business is the manufacture Of beams,
channels, angles and bar iron for bridge
and roof structural purposes. The works
were established in Trenton in 1848 by
portant and significant events recently
chronicled, and emphasizes the CLAIM that
industrial movements have a decidedly
Sauthward inclination. Chattanooga, fifteen
years ago, was sorry looking place of ten
or fifteen thousand population. Now it has
over 40, 600 inhabitants, and ia making won
derful strides in business and manufactur
ing enterprises. 1t is a great railroad Gen.
tire, and with the improvements now in prog
ress at the Muscle Shoals, the Tennessee
river will be navigable to large boats from
Chattanooga to the Mississippi river. The
great industry which Messrs. Hewitt and
Cooper propose to transfer from New Jer-
sey to Chattanooga will give an additional
impetus to development in that section.
p s Since the above was put in type, We
have seen, in the N. Y. Herald, report of
an interview by Its Atlanta, Ga, correspon-
dent with Mr.. Hewitt in which he is report
ed as saying
LAS have said, Mr.. Cooper and 1 do
not contemplate moving our plant from
Trenton as l see it reported, though if we
were younger men / think we would be
tempted to do SO Were these gentleman
(pointing to Mr.. Iuman ard Mr.. Calhoun)
to insugurate any new Industries in their
line We might be very likely to take some
stock"
The correspondent adds
cit is the general belief, however, that
Mr. Hewitt and Mr.. Cooper contemplate
Southern investments at Rome 10 the man.
ufactdre of basic steel and that they intend
sending experts to different parts of the
iron territory to look into deposits"