Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-14
NOT EVEN IN SMOKE
Do the Ducats in Pittsburg's
Modern Fuel Vanish.
THE GOLD GOES UP IN GAS,
And One Firms Annual Bill There
for is $45O,0O0.
ACHECKMATE on MIGHTY WASTE.
Rebuilt Furnaces and Meter Work Won
derS in Fuel Finance.
A CHECKMATE on MIGHTY WASTE.
ESTIMATES BASED ON COST OF COAL

In COuQ6CI1Ou WIFI luC ICCCub
down of the Vesuvius mill, throwing 450
men out of work, it is stated that the fuel
dispute which brought about that crisis was
more serious than the general public dreamed
Of Mr.. John Moorhead, proprietor of the
mill, is said to have paid the Philadelphia
company last year, for natural gas fuel for
the entire works, $4,000 That is at least
an impressive sum for one mill to pay. But
the statement made in the same connection,
that the gas company proposed to raise the
rates to an equivalent of $50, 900 year, is
enough to explain the shutdown and the
projected revolution embraced in adopting
fuel gas instead of natural throughout the
works
The item of fuel for the great iron and
steel mills of even the Pittsburg region
(where fuel is as cheap and as plentiful as
anywhere else in the world) entails an enor-
nous outlay. The recital of a few facts
bearing upon this point will, therefore,
prove seasonable and interesting, as there
is even yet quite a controversy between
manufacturers and gas companies as to the
terms for fuel in the mills for the ensuing
year.
When gas was first introduced in the
Union mill of Carnegie Bros. & Co., at
Thirty-third street, in November, 1884, that
firm Immediately went to work and rebuilt
all its furnaces, at a cost of $500 to every
furnace, but this all the other manufactur-
ers, excepting one firm, refused to do. The
only change made in most of the mills was
50 small that bricklayer could change
half adozen furnaces in one day with a very
small amount of brick.
CLEVER SCHEME.
The gas people, after seeing that the fur |
naces were not to be changed, went to work |
and put up a gas meter in number of |
mills, making the Thirty-third street estab- |
lishment sample of the cheapest and least |
use of gas to a ton of iron; and it was not |
long until the gas company found out that |
the consumption of gas in q furnace in this
mill was from 1000 to 1000 cubic feet less
in a hours than in others. That fact |
started the bali rolling on the high rates.
The fuel used to make net ton of iron bv
the pudding process is nearly double as
much as for ton of steel The rates on
gas now are such that, in some iron mills, |
it is a dollar a ton more than coal, includ |
ing the handling and removing the ashes. |
That makes it about IS to ton on iron, and
from IS to 81 for a net ton of steel. That
includes the use of gas for all kinds of fur
naces and boilers.
Based as they are upon the above condi-
tions and upon the recently-known coal
consumption of various mills named, the
following estimates of cost for gas in some
of Pittsburg's mills will prove interesting,
though not computed upon the secret con-
tracts, which may vary widely:
SOME ROUGH ESTIMATES.
The leading consumer has been the Ameri-
can Iron Works of Jones & Laughlins, 2000O
bushels day. or s55O,OOO for gas per year;
Oliver Bros & Phillips 10000 bushels day,
535eOOO for gas yearly; Painter & Sons, l4,OOO.
s150OO0; the Republic Iron Works. 5000,
$1,000; the Keystone Mill, 5000, SS5, 900;
the Soho Mill, $500, $4,000; Star
Iron Works of Lindsay & AcCutcheon,
5000 100000; Sable Iron Works of Zug e. Co.,
6OOU $4,000: Sligo mill of Phillips, Nimick &
Co, $500 S67, 600; Shoenberger & Co.'S Iron and
Steel Works, 5000, s125 600; Solar mill of Will
lam Clark & Co, 3,OOO S60,0OO; Anchor nail and
tack mill of Chess, Cook & Co., 1900. S53, 600;
Kensington mill of Lloyd Sons & Go. (which is
at present the smallestl, 25OO. $4,000; Black
y. Os.
1000; steel mill of Howe Brown & Co.. 5000,
Brown, Brown & Co, $500 s65, 900; Vesuvius mill
co., ron and RG pipe works Of a. NJ eB Byers
Co. 900. $4,000; Linden Steel Mill, $500, $780,
O0O: Spang Steel and Iron Company, 1000, S75,-
TSi this 'f city w" togeIher' 1000 ss5OooO Singer
Nimick & Co., 5000 $4,000: Pittsburg Forge
and Iron Works, at Woods Run, 1000, 100000;
Pittsburg Tube Works, $500. $4,000; LaBelle
Steel Mill, 1000, $4,000; Crescent Steel Mill,
1000 $4,000; Glendon Spike Works, 5000,
$4,000.
That makes a total of l6l. 500 bushels of coal,
or the equivalent, to tile gas companies in one
year of So 26l, 900.
The next largest consumers are the glass
manufacturers. There are 80 window and 40
bottle glass houses that, if using coal, would
consume Just 10000 bushels day. These were
davs, SiSOOGO, but they have now, it is said been
raised to $4,000 year.
TRYING COAL AND HOT AIR.
A second process is now in progress at the
Vesuvus Mill at Sharpsburg. Mr.. John
Moorhead, sole owner of the plant, is deter
mined to lessen the cost of fuel, and if pos
sible dispense with the use of natural gas. |
The present experiment in pudding is TO
use coal, or coal slack, with a nitrogen gas,
or hot air. Success seems to be probable, if
not altogether assured, or the company
would not make Ine necessary changes Ior |
its future adaptation.
Since the 1st of February the mill has
been idle for repairs, but week before it
was closed a furnace was tried on the new
system, and since that eight more have been
changed. A number of puddlers were seen
by a representative OF THE DISPATCH
about it, and all seemed to be well enough
satisfied, but thought it too soon to pass an
opinion.
BY the new process the nitrogen, or con-
densed hot air, is conveyed in small pipe
from the boilers. The plant has % single
pudding furnaces, and If all of these are to
be changed in all probability it will be nec-
essary to erect battery of boilers to furnish
the steam. So far, it has been discovered
that with So bushels of slack, ten heats, or
5000 pounds of muck iron, can be made.
At cents per bushel, delivered. it would
cost 81 16 or difference of over 81 on gas.
Some time ago it was stated in The DIS
PATCH that two double pudding furnaces
and beating furnace were built last sum-
mer for coal gas, which now gives the
utmost satisfaction. Ii coal gas shall be the
future fuel, the eexpenses will be very great,
as double pudding, or heating furnace,
cannot be built for less than s., 900. The
most important part about such furnaces is
the subterranean f1ue. but on the slack and
bot air plan. there is no change necessary