Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-06
THE COKE MARKET.
A Slight Falling OF In Consumption-No
Change In Prices Expected-Rail-
roads Extending Into UndeveI-
,-o1 Zeal E,,ld.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.I !


ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATCH.1
ScoTTDALB, March 5.-There has not been
any decided change in the condition of the
coke trade since our last report There seems
to be willingness by all of the consumers of
Connellsville coke to continue ordering, al
though not in large lots. The i'm mense and
probably unbeaten record of shipments for the
month of January bear marked contrast to
the coke sent out last month. True, it may be
that some of the consumers were not pleased
at the radical advance in coke prices, and may
have shut Off some of their orders for that
reason, but the principal cause of the down.
ward tendency in shipments, is, in nutshell
the overfiowing stockhouses. The trade can
not be termed dull. however, as a weekly con-
sumption Of over 5000 cars of coke and over
la 600 tons plainly prove that there is still an
enormous amount of business being done in
the coke region.
The estimated production from January to
February was over $4,000 tons. and the pro-
duction for last month will fall considerably
good feeling is prevalent. No change in prices
is contemplated, and it may be dotted down as
verify that the present price will rule for the
balance of the year. The proposed advance of
10 cents has been knocked silly, as the opera
tors say they had not the least provocation for
any such move.
r. The West Virginia operators feel that they
will get a slice of trade from the Connellsville
region, and are building ovens in view of that.
Their product is of inferior quality, and the
iron men have long since realized that fact.
Work has been actually commenced on the
new branch railroad leading from Hecla to Mt
Pleasant. and, as THE DISPATCH mentioned
several weeks since, it will be the result of the
building of several hundred new ovens The
White hill farm, which is stretched along the
route. consists of many hundred acres, and is
underlaid with the best quality of coking coal.
There is only couple of miles yet to be built
on the new Hempfield road which terminates
near Aroma Westmoreland county. This will
one or two new coke oven plants to be
erected in the coke region, but they
have not yet been given out. All of the
H c. Frick Coke Company's works from here
to Broadford, save Summit, on the northern
route, are idle to-day. PennsvIlle Dexter
Home, Overton, Emma, Fort Hill and Paul.
will all be idle one day this week. Speaking of
have gone to much inconvenience to place |
them. An operator said yesterday: "The car |
service is quite different now from that in 1878
when coke was selling for 81 so per ton. When |
the cars would leave Pittsburg a man would be |
placed on them to see that they reached the |
proper destination. There was lots of money |
in coke then. and it was no strange occurrence |
taken off and other ones placed on instead so |
that they could get the use of the cars"
Coke shipment last week averaged l,030 cars
per day. There was a falling off in Western
shipments. The shipments. aggregating e. $50 |
cars, were consigned to the various points of /
consumption as follows: To points west of |
Pittsburg. 3.475 cars; to Pittshurg and river
points. !, $50 cars; to points east OF Plttsburg,
325 cars.
Prices are without change: Furnace coke,
SO 10: foundry, 81 IS; crushed coke, 81 g.
Freight rates are: