Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-02
TRADE STILL LIGHT.
No Change Can be Noted in the Gen-
eral Pig Iron Situation.
TIE EASTERN STEEL RAIL MILLS
Unable to Compete With the Pittsburg
Establishments.
TIE EASTERN STEEL RAIL MILLS
TIE DEPRESSION ACROSS THE OCEAN
ESPECIAL TELEeBAM TO THE pIsPATcH.I

rprcrAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPATcH.l
NEW YORK, May 1.-The Iron Age Will
print to-day the following: American pig
With the exception Of some blocks OF NO.
foundry and No. 1 soft, by Southern iur-
naces, the amount of business has been light.
General conditions remain substantially the
same. There is disposition among Southern
sellers to avoid making low prices, quite a
good many of the companies have been sold
heavily for forward delivery in other mar
kets. We quote Southern No. l, SIG 75@
IL so: No. Q SIG 259I6 so; while Northern
irons range from slS9l9 for No. l foundry and
from sl79lS for No. 2
Spiegeleisen and ferro-manganese-Aside
from a sale of 1000 tons of 20 per cent to
Pittsburg rail mill on private terms, no trans
actions are reported. AS indicative of the atti-
tudc of buyers we may note that the mill men
toned made inquiry for 5000 tons. but finally
took only the quantity named. We quote
nominally S31 50Q32 co. In ferro the business
is very light the majority of buyers being COW
cred up 60 August For forward delivery
$79 00GS0 90 could be done. while for spot and
quick shipment as much as $50 has been paid:
Billets-In the East the market is dull, there
being little demand, and. on the other hand,
little pressure to sell on the part of Eastern
mills. From the West, however, low offerings
$50 SO is considered fair quotation delivered,
with rumors of offers to sell at lower prices
Steel rails-The market continues in a very
unsatisfactory condition, sales being small and
inquiries in the territory which Eastern mills
can reach being light. Among the few now on
the market is one for Florida. The prospect
for business to the Eastern mills is not consid-
cred promising. In certain sections of the
South the competition of the Pittsburg mills is
felt. There is one circumstance, which, how
ever, tells against any such violent decline in
Rfpa ac in
Very few rails have been held by specu-
lators, while in billets both consumers
and Spectators had bought heavily
When the mills began to tender the
materials asking for specifications on
soft steel billets, the purchasers or Spectators
them. No such forced sales have taken place
in rails. The majority of the Eastern mills
purchased raw material heavily last fall and
early in the winter for delivery during a con-
well fixed their limit of cost at relatively
high figure, which they will be reluctant to ap-
proach. These facts explain the extraordinary
difference in the price of billets and steel
rails which in Pittsburg is about IS per ton,
while it is only about S30S 50 in the East.
The market at Eastern mills is difficult to
define. 1t is decidedly in buyers favor, and
while SSS is nominally quoted, that price would
be probably shaded by some sellers to secure a
desirable order. The Pittsburg mills report
sales aggregating about 5000 TONS one mill
block in OHIO. while the other has secured the
order for 1000 tons for the Northern Pacific
The rivalry between the two mills is represent
ed as being sharp. and competitive business is
taken at close figures. Of the Chicago mills,
only two are reported to be running on rails,
the other two undergoing reTodeling and
pairs The capacity is thus limited tempo
rary.
Structural Material-Local mills report fair
run of small orders and are figuring on a num-
her of larger contracts. We quote 2l502 2Oc
for plates, 210G2 Csc for angles, 25G26c for
tees and lc for beams and channels.
PlaUes-Some fair orders have been placed
for special steel and it sprobable that at early
date orders for ship plate for two new vessels
will be given out. We quote: Steel shell 274
275c, tank 235G24c and flange 23@3.lc, deliv-
cred, with iron ranging two 10 three tenths
less.
Merchant Steel-Some good orders have been
received, but have been sharply competed fer.
We quote: Machinery, 205@2 l5c; tee calk, 2lO
@2l5c, rates, and tire 205G2l0c, rates.
FaSteninCs-The marke is very quiet and is
weaker. We quote: 81 O592 1C, delivered, for
spikes and 81 20 for steel angles.
Old Rails-We note sales aggregating about
L9O0 tons during the week under review at pri-
yate terms. The market is fairly quotable at
S23 50G2, with disposition on the part Of a
few sellers to take hold Nicorouslv 500