Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-03
TIN PLATE RESUMED.
The First Manufactured in This
Country in 20 Years Shows Up.
WHAT THE TARIFF MAY RESTORE
How the Product is Made, and Why it At
tracts Such Attention.
INDUSTRIAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY

The first tin plate to be made complete in
this country for the past 20 years or more is
now being manufactured at the Exposition.
Yesterday the plant was put into operation,
and the lawmakers of the nation will now
have practical demonstration that tin plate
can be made in this country.
For nearly 20 years the timed plate
manufacturers of this country have been
trying to get the tariff on tin advanced
high enough to protect the industry in
America. The duty at present is one cent
per pound, which permits the English
manufacturers to ship their tin to the
United States and sell it much cheaper
than 1t could be made in this country.
This entirely killed the business, and
until now 1t has never been revived.
The tariff of cent per pound was put
upon the tin in a novel way. In 1864,
when the government adopted protective
tariff policy, tin plate was claSsed among
the protected industries Owing to the
Interpretation placed upon the law by Sec
retary Fessenden, of the Treasury Depart
ment, the duty was reduced from ~ cents
to cent per pound. The clause covering
the matter read "Tin plate, and iron gal
Vanlzed or coated with any other metal shall
pay duty at 2H cents per pound"
HE MIXED THOSE COMMAS UP.
The Secretary decided that the clause was
wrong in punctuation and blamed clerk
for making mistake by putting a comma
after the word tin plate, when he should
have put it after the word iron. He said
that in order to come under the provision
tin plates as we'll as iron, must be galvan-
lied or coated second time. He
therefore classed tin and iron plates
with tin In sheets or pure tin, at 10 per cent
ad valorem. Since then the trade has DRIFT
ed into the hands of few importing houses,
who have since enjoyed a monopoly. The
annual consumption of tin in the United
States is estimated to amount to $25, ,OOO, 900
to S35. .OOO.O 900. Since the decision of the
Secretary this money has been flowing into
England instead of figuring in this coun-
try's balance of trade.
The plant at the Exposition is in the
west end of the building and was estab-
hshed by the American Timed Plate As
socistion.
LOOK TO PITTSBURG.
The object Of the establishment of the
plant In Plttsburg is to awaken the Interest,"
OF the public in the matter and practically
demonstrate that tin plates can be made
mere as well as anywhere else in the world
Inc plant was started yesterday afternoon
ana VIII! De under the charge of John d.
plate workers. -en'eu 'in
Inc piock iron or steel plates from which
tne tln is made, are manufactured in the
!oillng mills In this city. 1t is first pickled
aa Iiiuteo suiphuric acid in order to take
on i.e oxide which accumulates in the an
neaiing process. After doing this it appears
as white sheet 1t is then riused and
Masneo 70 take off the acid. The block is
snen pathed in palm oil and soaked
lor few minutes. This makes it
ready Tor the tin pot, where the plate
gets the actual thinning" 1t is then laid
on the washman's plate and afterward put
In the washpot, containing high grade of
refined tin. After that the block is polished
with a hemDen brush and lowered into
another bath of palm OIL 1t is then rolled
through five highly polished rolls, and
aIterward cooled off. 1t is then placed in a
box OF bran, and from there goes into box
OF mlddlings, where it is cleaned.
POLISHING THE PLATE.
The plate is laid on q table and polished |
with sheep skin. The tin is then branded |
according to its quality. The defective ma |
terial is called water plate
W. c. Cronemyer, Secretary Of the asso-
citation, stated yesterday that the process
they had is better than the method of max
ing the plates in England There they
'fux" them and this often leaves impuri-
ties under the surface of the tin coating.
These defects are known as pin holes. The
Tin made yesterday could be bent and
twisted in every way but the coating would
not crack or come of.
Before the tariff of cent per pound was
placed on the product there were three tin
plate mills in this country. They were
situated at Leechburg and Demmler. Pa.
md Wellsville, o. Two of them made
What is known as terne plate, which is the
heavier or inferior grade of tinware.