Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-18
ALL FEATURES DULL.
Pig Iron and Steel Rails Being Par
ticularly Inactive.
TIE SITUATION In WIRE RODS.
A Pronounced Demand in England for Tin
to Go to America
BECAUSE OF TARIFF LEGISLATION
rsrEcrAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH:

ysrEcIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH:
NEW YORK, July 1.-THE Iron Age in
its issue of this date quotes the American
metal markets as follows:
American pig-The New York market is
very quiet, the only point worthy of interest
being indications of weakness in gray forge,
which has been offered, for good Northern
brands at a shade less than SIS, delivered.
Southern furnaces are doing very little in
this market, and are showing little disposition
to force sales. We quote No. Northern iron,
sI7 25aIs so; No 2. SIC OO917 90, and Southern
iron. No. !, SI7 O0Gl7 so: No. / soft, SIC 5O9
l6 rs; and NO. 2 SIG OO@l6 %.
Spiegeleisen and ferro-manganese -Abso-
lutely nothing has been done in spiegel. There
is no demand whatever and very little offered.
We quote nominally S3O@3G 50 for 20 per cent.
Ferro is selling in small lots at SO 90. For
larger blocks lower figures would probably be
accepted. A feature which appears to be grow
ing in importance in the ferTo trade is the de-
mand from car-wheel founders. Ihls business
has been growing during the past year.
Wire rods-The only sales reported are small
lots of foreign basic for home consumption and
one lot of 1000 tons of German basic for Pitts
burg delivery. TO be used for re-eXport, at prl-
vate terms Foreign rods can be purchased at
low price, relatively, if the buyer is willing to
take the chances on the duty. In that case
$AO OONI46 OO be done 1Or SKIES. some con-
cession is obtainabe. too. on sailer shipment
For foreign rods, sellers assuming all risks
81 00@4S 90 is quoted Eastern mills quote
S40 90, at sellers mill, but there is very little
available. In fact it looks as though there
would be quite scarcity OF wire rods for some
time to come.
Steel billets-There has been very little busi-
ness. 1t is worthy of note, however. that We
are approaching the danger line. so far as i'm
portations are concerned Foreign billets can
be laid down here at a little under S33.
Steel rails-The market is very dull, with
only small transactions being closed on the
basis of S3ld3l 80 at mill, Pittshurg quotations
being SS26S3 and Chicago $50 50GS4 The ma
1oritv of the mills are well supplied with or
ders up TO October ], although some of them
could take business for September delivery.
The only large orders now IN the market for
the Eastern mills is a lot of $500 tons for
Southern road. Savannah delivery, with an
option of 1000 tons more. Considering every
thing, the volume of business during the first
half of the year was fairly satisfactory. The
report of the board of control shows shipments
for the first six months of 7l3 2O5 tons, to which
one Western firm contributes 1920 tons. and
another Western mill l54 9Sl tons. As previ-
ously reported by Us, the Scranton Steel Com
pany shipped l0l, l43 tons. leading by y25 per cent
the next largest Eastern mill 1t should be
membered, however, that these reports do not
Include light rails, nor do they count the Al e.
gheny or the Colorado mills 1t is safe to say that
they rail product of the first half of 80 will be
found to be somewhere between 775, ,0OO and S0O-
900 gross tons. Out of the total allotment of l.
4IU.UOO tons the mills IN the association report
sales aggregating ll905l6 tons They have
therefor on their books for the second half of
1890 477.Sll tons. or about three months work
How completely the tone of the English mar
ket has changed since prices there were nearly
equal 70 our own is shown from the fact that
English rails have been sold at the range of
Sc 50G27, delivered at Montreal. We under
stand that nearly q, 000 tons have been placed.
structural materal-The strikes at a num-
her of the mills cutting off the supply of
finished material, and the tone of the riarket
is little firmer. We quote: 2l502 20c for
plates. 220d225c for angles 25G26c for tees
and Sic for beams and channels.
Old rails-Several thousand tons of old rails
were sold during the week at private terms.
closing out the holdings of one party. Sellers
generally quote SIS. but buyers are IN the ma
jority of cases unwilling to GO beyond SIG
% 50 in their bids
Track fastenings-We quote: Spikes ga
2.05c: fish plates L75GL90c. and bolts and nuts
2SOG3c delivered.