Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-16
IN A BUSINESS WAY.
Situation and Outlook for Trade in
Mineral Shingles,
THE PASTYEAR PROSPEROUS ONE
A Growing Taste for Artistic Fire Fronts
in PittSburg.
FACTS AS TO HOUSE FURNISHING
OFFICE OF THE PITTsBURG DISPATCH. !
TUESDAY. January Ia lSSg

OFFICE OF THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH
TUESDAY, January 10, 1889. !
The slate roof industry in this CITY i:
practically under the control of two firms,
Aiken & Co. and w. B. Lupton & Co
Both firms are interested in extensive slate
quarries in the well-known Peach Bottom
slate region of York county, Pennsylvania.
A member of one of these firms furnishes
some facts as to the situation and outlook Of
this industry. The volume of business has
been steadily growing year by year, and has
fully doubled in the past five years. The
amount of slate handled here in 1887 was
little short of 5000 tons. As that year was
an unusually active year in building lines,
it was feared that 1855 would fail to keep up
the record of the past five years by showing an
increase on the previous year. Now that re-
turns are in for the years business 1t appears
that the record has been kept up, that the year
just closed has been the best in the slate roof
ing industry, and shows an increased volume OF
business over 1887 of fully . per cent.
In the past dozen years prices of slate have
been drifting downward, and in that time there
has been a reduction of fully one-third in cost
TO the consumer. The cheaper grades of slate
cost very little If any more than the old-time
Shingle. The old-faShioned roof had an aver
age life of u or Is years. Slate roofs have been
fulfilling their functions well into q century,
with no signs of decay from the corroding
tooth of time.
New Uses for Slate.
In addition to the slate used for roofing pur-
poses there has developed in late years strong
demand for the article in many other lines,
such as mantels, sinks, laundry tubs. floors,
hearths and stair work. The Peach Bottom
slate the only thing in this line that has been
successfully worked into laundry tubs. The
trade outside of roofing material is steadily
growing, and the year just pastshow healthy
growth all along the line
1t is not many years ago that slate mantels
were manufactured elsewhere and brought to
this city. Now they are extensively
manufactured here by. Aiken & Co.,
Graf, Hugus & Co.. and Blssell &
Co. Either of these firms is equipped
to furnish as artistic a mantel in style and
design as can be found anywhere IN the land.
There has been in the past two OF three
years, remarkable growth of the taste for
ornamental fire places. The introduction of
natural gas has brought to the fire front the
finest class of work in this line. Some East
End and Allegheny houses in the past year or
TWO have been furnished with ornamental fire
fronts by our home manufacturers in a style
that would not have been possible few years
ago.
The fireplace is more and more taken into
consideration in furnishing the room. The
old-tlme mantel, loaded down with household
odds and ends, is thing of the past in the
better class of dwellings. The professional
decorator is now called into requisition in the
ornamentation of tirst-class dwelling houses
and drapery, carpets, upholstering and fire
fronts are made to blend and produce a har-
monious whole
Artistic Fire Fronts.
In addition to the firms already named that
of L. H. Smith & Co. is engaged in the fire
front furnishing department These firms re-
port growing taste in this city and vIcnityt for
artistic work, and readiness to pay for things
Of beauty in the shape of tile and brass work
for fire fronts. A dwelling in Allegheny and
one at Shadyside are spoken of as equal to any,
thing East or West in the line of arti site fire
fronts.
Said member of one of the firms engaged in
this line of trade: I'VE furnish just as pretty
things IN tile and brass ornaments as can be
had anywhere in the land though we could not
have done SO few years ago. What we cannot
produce at home we import, but the imported
material is now very small part of the total |
used.
There are few things we are still compelled |
TO bring from abroad in order to have a COM /
plete variety for the fire front department
But every year we grow more independent of |
England in this line and the time is not far
away when we will be able to go entirely alone
Few people have any idea of the rapid strides |
Pittsburg has made in recent years In fire
front ornamentation"