Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-04
NOTABLE STABILITY.
Custom House Business Never Better
Than it is al Present.
DRYGOODS AND CIGARS LEADING.
A Short Apple Crop a Certainty---Eyap-
GRATED Fruit Firm.
EVOLUTION In STEEL PRODUCTION
OFFICE OF PITTsBURG DISPATCH, /
TUESDAY. September 3. lSS9. !

TUESDAY, september d, IooS-
Secretary keating, who is in charge of
Uncle Sans warehouse on the corner of
Penn avenue and Garrison alley, reports
trade in imported goods as booming. The
month of August showed the heaviest re-
ceipts in drygoods lines for this year, and
much beyond the corresponding month OF
last year.
The trade in imported iron and steel
showsa decline from previous years. Wines,
too, are coming less freely from over the
seas than in former seasons.
The imported cigar trade is, however,
steadily increasing, and during the month
of August receipts of cigars through the Gus
tom House were larger than for any one monl b
in the past two years. The heaviest importa-
tions from abroad are in the line of drygoods
and cigars The outlook for big trade in
imported goods was never better.
''Our fall trade" said Secretary Keating.
promises to go beyond anything in the past.
An amount of goods is now on the way from
foreign ports to make this a certainty. The
drygoods merchants who receive their silks,
hosiery. gloves, etc. through the Custom
House, have, very evidently, large faith in
the fall and winter trade, if we are to judge
from the amount of goods already received
and on the way
The Apple Crop.
Last seasons yield of apples the country over
was probably the largest on record. Advlces
received from sections where this staple fruit
attains its greatest perfection show that we
are to have a short crop this year. In this re-
gion the yield will be very light. Early apples
drag because of the abundance of other fruit.
Later on the old reliable will be at premium,
and the outlook now is that prices will be
higher. Western New York is the great apple
region of the United States. Advices from
that section show that the yield will not be 20
per cent of last years crop in good fail fruit
In Canada and New England the situation is
much the same. The Northwest promises bet
ter; but the yield there will fall below the aver
age The decline in volume will be great
benefit to the farmer whose orchards yield
lair quantity of good keeping apples. Last
year they were so abundant as not to be worth
bringing to market Large quantities were
consigned to our commission merchants last
fall which did not pay freight. There is no fear
of such glut this season. Choice apples
promise to be higher than for several years in
the late fall.
Evaporatort to Lie Idle.
correspondent of the Philadelphia Times
writing from Lockport N Y, under date of
August 81, thus puts the situation concerning
an important industry that will be affected Sc
predict that nearly two-thirds of the evapora-
tors in New York State, which is filled with
them in the apple-growing counties, will be idle
this fall and winter. Last year the business
done in dried apples in these evaporators was
enormous, and very little of the stock found
the market. The crop was large and the apples
had to De used in some way or other. In fact,
the farmers who really made money were those
who loaded their apples up in wagons loose and
drove them
orators.
"Where this immense stock in drled apples
has gone to has been the great question among
buyers and commission men. Although en-
deavors have been made to keep the matter
quiet, nevertheless the fact is that few men
have secured a corner on the dried apples, and
the outlook is that they have a dead sure thing
on the deal Those in the deal are H. P. Stan
ley's Sons. of Chicago; Willis Van Horn. of
Dockport and Michael Doyle & Co.. of Roches-
ter. These men have stored in their monster
storehouse-the old Monteagle Hotel at Suspen-
sion Bridge-between4 4 500 and 5 900 tons of dried
apples, which they bought at from to cents
pound. 1t is safe to estimate that they have
nearly 40 per cent of all the evaporated apples
and will hold for a raise of 10 cents a pound
The failure of the crop this year has been the
most advantageous move that could have be-
fallen this combination, and it would not be
surprising if dried fruit went up to Is or 20
cents before the winter is past"
Evolution in Steel
A gentleman who loves to delve into the be-
ginnings of Pittsburg's industries, and who is
authority on these subjects, said recently:
''Mckelvy & Blair were among the first in this
city to develop the steel industry. As long ago
as 1850 this firm was engaged in the manufac-
ture of hammered and rolled steel, which prod.
uct was converted into files that found ready
sale in the Eastern markets during the canal
and Conestoga wagon era. William Wood was
also one OF the old-time workers in Steel and
according to reliable testimony. superintended
the first steel rolling done in Pittshurg. The
first open hearth steel made in this CITY was
made in lST. The great development of steel
production here has been in the past decade, as
the Bessemer and open hearth processes have
been grated to this industry here in that pe-
riod. The crucible steel produced in Pittsburg
would cut sorry figure now in meeting the
demands OF the trade, and yet that was the
only article manufactured here In this line up
10 1871.