The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-10
1NpusrRIA1 NOTES.


Up to October / 3.7S2 miles of new
railroads had been built in this country
since the beginning of the year. The
States showing the largest amount oil
new mileage are: Georgia, 323 miles;
Montana, 3I2; North Carolina, 226, ana
Washington, 307. 1t is estimated that
the total construction in 1890 will be
from six thousand to sixty-tiye hundred
miles, against &, ZOO reported in 1889.
<x*
The Pennsylvania Steel Company has
increared it's capital from S3,O0O,OoO to
81, 200, 900. The last six months were
the most profitable on record. Actual
profits were 30 per cent. for the year,
and dividends OF Is per cent. in cash
and stock were paid.
The Virginia, Tennessee and Caro-
lima Steel and Iron Company. that owns
the Pocahontas coal fields in Virginia
and the South Atlantic and Ohio rail
road. constructed from Bristol, Tenn,
to Big Stone esp, are surveying Il line
from Bristol to Linville. y. c.. where
connection will be made with the ). and
w. air line. Two parties of engineers
are now in the field. and the officers of
the company say they will build the
road if they can get reasonably good
The steel and iron company owns So
600 acres of land in Mitchell county. adj
joining the lands of the Linnville I'm
prOvement Company. on which they
have found magnetic ore.
sSsss
The New York and Perry Coal and
Iron Company, al Shawnee, Perry
county o.. has contracted for the cree
ton of seventy-two coke ovens adjoin-
H. . -. f,,4 has
that, while costing a little moro. they
produce high-class coke. Furnace
men in tho Hooking Valley have been
more or less handicapped by the high
price of coke, and if the experimental
plant now about to be erected gives
satisfactory results, the erection of
large number of ovens may follow.
Some two or three years ago furnace
flag was source of the greatest annoy
ance to makers of pig iron, for, as nobody
would accept it as gift, it occupied
most valuable ground, and at the same
time was most unsightly heap. Since
then it has become an article of value
and of considerable commercial impor
tancc. 1t has been used for the making
and repairing of roads. used as n build
ing material instead of bricks and stone,
made into capital cement, and in its
molten state converted into bottles the
same as ordinary glass. 1t has also
been utilized for boiler coverings and
similar purposes, by first being by means
of spray blown SO as to be quite like
flake cotton-indced, it is known as
silicate of observation-disclosures German
Trade Review.
The American Manufacturer reports
the Edgar Thomson Steel Works again
broke the record on September LIST. Dur
ing the night turn 81 heats were made
in IL hours, with total outpout of raw
steel of $50 tons in the converting mill.
The blooming mill made 73 heats, and
the rail mill over $500 rails. Tuesday
occurred the highest run, IS heats in the
blooming mill and 2.1OG rails. The
highest previous record was "a heats,
made last March. The same paper also
says that the Allegheny lsessemer Steel
Works, at Duquense, made in July the
largest run in their history. They made
1854 tons of rails, 20, 900 tons of raw
steel in the converting mill, and $1,000
tons of blooms. The output is to be in
creased steadily to 20, 600 tons of rails
per month.
A Glasgow engineer now in New York
says he finds an error prevalent in this
GOuHtIJ W Ilc cllcCb lntJ DrlblSu SklllCu
workmen get far less remuneration than
their American brethren. In actual
money" he says, I'VE may pay only
about half the American rate of wages
but the expense Of living with us is not
more than half the expenses here. In
the first place, the rents in most of our
British cities are not half as high as the
rents in New York and then. again,
the price of nearly all kinds of provis-
ions IS far lower In Great Britain than
the price here. Our meal, sugar. and
other supplies are very cheap in com
parison with the ruling rates here.
Then, through our cooperative building
system, vast numbers of our workmcn
are the owners of their domicilcs:
while, through our cooperative shops.
wholesale and retail, they procure adj
vantages unknown to their American
brethren Wages in britain OF thirty
shillings week. or six dollars. will go
further than wages of twice the amount
here. There has been vast improve
ment in the condition of British skilled
workmcn during the present genera ton,
and the Improvement il still in progress
1t is true that in the low, grades Of life
and labor we have plenty o. men and
women who cannot fnl employment,
5 and that we have great SUR lui of mis-
e cradles who lead lives tf poverty and
want. but it is also true that we arc be-
ginning to look after them. and are
adopting means of amcliorating their
lot
COlored men are now working their
way into many of the skilled trades in
New York, and there are employers who
speak highly of their capacity. industry,
and faithfulneSS eve can hold our