San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-12
STOVES AND PIPING.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND
FIGURES OF THIS TRADE.
The Manufacturing of Stoves - A
Plant That Would Pay.


When the closing days of October
and the opening week Of November
begin to usher in our regular series Of
icy spells, the stove dealer stands at
one end of his establishment and
views with evident delight the long
rows of heating and cooking stoves,
polished and bedecked with accom-.
panying cooking utensils; for the
days of great activity in his line of
business are on hand.
1t Is not only in these spells of busi-
ness in which he sells his stores, but
while there is healthy sale of cook
ing stoves throughout the four sea-
sons, it is during the chilly months
that he must dispose of his large lot
of heaters. From the rush which the
heating stove trade entails, one is al
most mis.led to believe that the sale
of these kind of stoves equals or per-
haps exceeds the sale of cooking
stoves. Facts show, however, that of
the entire lot of stoves disposed of in
this city annually, but one-fourth,
literally estimated, are heaters. OF
these perhaps one-half are coal and
one-half wood stoves, with q continu-
al increase in the use of coal stoves.
AS stoves are nearly always received
in Car load lots. it is not such q diff
cult matter to make a fairly correct
estimate of stoves sold in the city,
and this number Is put by several
dealers at between twenty and twen-
ty-five carloads which means between
2Co0 and 5000 stoves.
These stoves which are shipped
into this city from the manufacture
ing centres, which are all located
outside of the state, cost the dealers
on an average something like $1,000
per car, outside of the freight.
The transportation of this article is
quite little expense in ITSELF, as
stoves being very breakable articles,
are rated by the railroads as mer-
chandise of the first class, and the
freight on them runs up to quite a
nice little sum.
An article which stands in so close
connection with the stove, as to make
it worthy of consideration under the
chapter of stoves. is the connecting
the pipe. 1t is estimated by our old
est tinsmiths, that fully six or seven
carloads of sheet iron, some l30, 900 u
ly into about 10000 joints of stove
pipe, besides large amount of ell
bows and joints of pipe that are
shipped here, ready made.
1t has been often asked, would not
n ha 10 I'm
stoves on large scale, pay in this
section of country? Does not the San
Antonio demand, and the demands Of
surrounding cities warrant the estab-
llshmeDt of a stove factory in San
Antonio?
To this it has been replied that
we have some of the most es
sential things-the good coal beds
are not far distant, the finest iron ore
in the country which is 80 essential
in the manufacture of stoves. Is to be
had in the rich Llano and Cherokee
counties. 1t is the quality of the
stove, the good iron, that is looked
after and we have that. The freight |
rates from northern and eastern |
points are such, that q stove factory |
in this section of the country could |
compete with northern and cas- tern |
factories.
"There is stove factory in Houston |
with capacity of fifty stoves day,
1 believe" said one of the dealers.
"And believe that stoves are made
in the Rusk penitentiary, however,
not very extensively. There is no
doubt but that with good access to
the coal and iron fields of our rich
q stove factory could be
made a paying institution in this
city,"
1t would prove thing of great in
terest to wear the entire tale of
stoke, from when it was dumped into
the furnace, how it was mixed with
the costly but durable aluminium, as
some of the stoves are now made, how
1t was poured into the moulds which
cost the factories many thousand dol
lars, how it was filed and finished, its
landing in the home of a newly mar
ried but decidedly green couple,
how when finally it was
cast into the yard, the
young boy, with q Yankee turn Of
mind, approaches his mother and
asks, "Say, ma, GIN me dat stove"
and his wish being granted, it finally
goes to the iron foundry at 40 cents
per 100 pounds, and there-weIl, thus
It goes on throughout the ages of
eternity. This would make a tale.
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