The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-01-04
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY
To be introduced in Wheeling
on an Extensive Scale,
WIRE RODS AND WIRE NAILS
To DO Manufactured by tho Shetland
Cut Nail Manufacturers Tho
Local Factories to 20 After
this Growing Trade.

A good deal bus recently been said in
print here and elsewhere, Of the ruinous
effect Of the competition OF the wire nail
business, 1t has been stated that Of the
smaller sizes Of nails, fifty per cent of the
consumption is now Of wire nails, This
has seriously affected the demand for
cut nails, and the proportion Of wire
nails used Is growing out Of proportion
to the growth Of the country, that is, an
increasing percentage Of the entire con-
sumption Of nails Is each year composed
OF wire nails.
For several years this matter has been
o subject OF interest to the mai manuiac-
turers OF the Wheeling district, Re-
Gently the competition has made them
anxious, Plans for the introduction Of
wire nail making in connection with cut
nails have long been talked OF, and
within a few weeks these plans have
taken more definite form. Those inter-
ested arc reticent, and this Is perhaps
wise business policy. Nevertheless the
ISTELLIdENCRR has learned pretty deli
AAtely WH"P 10 kv'Hs SH'
NEW INDUSTRY.
1t is reasonably safe to predict that in.
side OF a few months there will be agen-
eral movement among the nail mills OF
this district in the direction OF wire nails,
and not only will the wire nails be man
ufaCtured here, but the raw material,
wire rods, Of whuh thousands OF tons
are now annually imported, will be made
by Wheeling concern on a larger scale
than they are now turned out anywhere
in America, Negotiations arc now In
progress for the purchase OF conYeni-
emily located factory which Is to be con-
verted into q wire rod mill, In couneC-
ton with the works Of q leading steel
producing concern, The demand for
these rods Tor the mRnulacture Of nails
has grown away beyond tho capacity Of
existing American manufactures 10 pro-
ducP, aud there Is u favorable opening
for sDch works on, the gigantic scale it is
intended to GQmnpACe operations here.
There will also be within q Compare
lively short time, a factory here for the
manufacture Of wire nails, IN connection
with one OF tho cut nail works, Iii Is
found TO work successfully 1t will not be
o greDt while until, as was tho case when
the steel nail WQs substituted for iron,
every factory ln the valley will have lii
wire nail MACHINES In Operations
FORCED 10 TAKE THE STEP,
Said u leading nail man yesterday In d
conversation on this subject: ut Is al,
most II necessity to produce the wire
nails IN connection with cut ones now.a'
! days, II not 10 the same factory, ut least
| in the same town. See, When You yet
below d certain sige Of nails, fifty iiel
cent OF the consumption is wire nails
When II lobbeF orders 0 oar load Of nails
say, he wants probably ono.third the
larger cut nails, one.third the smaller
sizes OF cut mills, and one-third wire
nails. II we cannot sell him tho wire
nails, hp Is bound to go elsewhere for the
whole order, IN order 10 secure economy
In freights, 30 you sos We are Alnosl
forced to make wire nails"
Experiments In the cutting Of wire
nails on combination machines have
heep made here for the past three years
It was thought gt ono time that the plar
OF having an attachment for the Ordl
nary cut nail machine which you'd con
vert 1t into u machine for cutting wire
nails, would be economical and Conve
pient. Mr.. McKim, the Martins Ferry
inventor Of mi making mechanism, ant
head nj the McKim Machine works ha'
for some time been experimenting Will
| d view TO deYisilg such a machine, the
Top mill company being behind the ex
pertinent bit So faT he has not succeed
ed in fulfilling the requirements Of the
problem.
FORMER EXPERIMENT.
It will be remembered that several
years Rgo q New EnglandinYentor nance
Bradford came here witllgsmall working
l ,N1Inl nf a ,Vtnnl,nn lnH nERNIt,rv tyt n al