Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-24
SODA ASH ALSO TO BE MADE HERE.
A Series Of 1S5 Holly Contested Euchre
Games That Lasted From Queens
town to Altoona.
DEMAND FOR A TICKET TO HEAVEN.
Lnegheny's Meat and Milk Inspector Tells Some In.
teresting Stories.


Hotel registers knew him not and still
less was known about his intentions.
From the facts that he was accompa-
MED by his attorney, Charles Baird,
ESQ.,, of Akron, and that sundry real
estate in and out of the city was inspected,
it was inferred that some big "dear' was
in the wind. When q DISPATCH reporter
Yesterday encountered Messrs. Barber and
Baird, in a railroad depot, with Mr. M.
J. Alexander, the hustllng manager of
Charleroi, the inference was so plain that
the question was put plump at Mr.. Barber:
'Are you going to move the match works to
Charlerois"
"WelI," said Mr. Barber, sit will do no
harm to say that we're thinking of remov-
ing from Akron. Mr.. Baird and I have
gone over Charleroi very thoroughly, and
great many points which were in doubt as
to the availability of that new town for our
purposes, have been very satisfactorily
cleared up. We have been in correspond
ence with Mr.. Alexander for some time, but
did not think of any definite move in the
matter without making a thorough in
spection of the ground. No, L will not say
positively that we will remove as there are
others to be consulted"
WHAT THE WORKS ARE
The Diamond Match Trust controls the
match market of the United States, and the
factories operated by Mr.. Barber and his
associates are located at Akron, Syracuse,
Windsor. Canada, and two other American
cities. The largest factory is in Akron,
where 100000 matches are made
daily. 1t was inferred from Mr.. Bsrber's
reluctant admissions ia answer to a series
of questions that it is the Akron factory
which is to be removed to Pittsburg, but it
is by no means improbable that the whole
series of factories will be brought together
in Charleroi, as Mr.. Barber seemed much
impressed with the advantages Of shipping
by land and water from so central a section
as Pittsburg. There are ], 900 operatives at
the Akron factory, nearly all of whom would
follow the change of base.
Mr.. Barber said, intTregard to the pine
lands from which the lumber supplies are
drawn, that the match trust had lately
been acquiring more land, and that in the
vicinity of Ontonagon, Mich, they owned
81, SOC, 600 worth of the best pine lands. He
thought that shipments of lumber from the
stump to Pittsburg and Charleroi could be
as cheap in cost, via Cleveland, as to any
other point
WILL MAKE SODA ASH.
But while Mr.. Barber seemed disinclined
to speak In positive terms of match trust
matters, he talked at length about an i'm
pending revolution in regard to one of the
most important component parts Of manu-
factured glass, matter, of course, of vital
interest in this city, which is the vey hot
bed of glass interests. Mr.. Barber has se-
cured site at Charleroi for the erection of
q huge mandatory of soda ash and
salt-cake, His action was somewhat
hurried in the matter of deciding
TO locate at CharIeroi, on account
of the necessity of securing a site and some
lots before the second sale of lots, which
takes place at Charleroi September 2. He
had intended to locate his factory at or near
PittsbuTg, and after looking the situation
over, he decided to go to Charleroi, as there
would be a market at the doors of the fac
tory for large amount of the output, beside
which consideration the proximity of the
river guaranteed cheap frelghtage to the
glaSS1ouSes OF FlCtSDurg.
In the course of long conversation upon
the subject, the following points of interest
were CLEANED in regard to Mr.. Barber's
plans for his factory:
''Soda-ash and salt-cake," said he, 'have
never been subjected to the advantages of
natural gas, and il is strange thing, too,
in nv opinion. as fierce heat is a potent
factor in the success Of their manufacture.
1t is singular, also, that in the very center
of glass-making, with salt in large quanti-
ties right at hand, no more has yet been
made to manufacture a commodity so neces-
ssry in glass manufacturing.
THE SALT THAT Is NEEDED.
ga secret and new process has been Sc
cured by me, and trial is now being made
at Cleveland on a small scale. L have had
q we'll bored at-well, I'll dispense with
mention Of the locality, and what promises
to be an excellent article of salt has been
found Experiments are being made with
salt from various localities, in order
to ascertain which brand possesses the
best qualities for our purposes. 1t is
always an essential that salt from which
soda ash can be successfully manufactured
must be Tree from magnesia. The statistics
show that immense quantities of soda ash
and salt-cake are consumed in Pittsburg.
am informed that Jeannette, alone, makes
use of 500 tons week. This amount will
be doubled soon, as four more tanks are be-
ing built by Chambers & Mckee.
1.-THE plate glass works at CharIeroi are
likely 10 use immense quantities of soda-ash
and salt-cake, and the company made very
liberal terms, with view to mutual accom-
mediation. The works are really starting,
the pot factory now being in operation: We
shall lose no time in getting started, but L
am unable to say how large the factory will
be. A large amount OF money will be In
yeried if the tests now in progress continue
to pan out favorsbly."
TARIFF on THE ARTICLE.
Mr.. Barber was asked how the Mckinley
tariff bill would affect the industry. In
Schedule A, under the head of "Soda, the
duty upon soda ash is placed at u of q cent
per pound. Mr.. Barber stated that the fac
tory now in operation at Syracuse, N. Y,
was the only one in this country, very large
importations coming from St Helens,
England, where the largest factory
in the world exists. The tariff
is hardly prohibitive. in view of the fact
that owing to limited production the COM
modities are necessities to the American
trade. Mr.. Barber believes, however. that
new and cheaper process, with the aid of
natural gas, will eventually tend to cheaper
the cost and undercut the foreign article to
the extent of excluding it from the Ameri-
can market.
It is easy to infer from what Mr.. Barber
said that the profusion of natural gas at
Charleroi had astonished him. He said that
he could not understand how people could
operate factories requiring heat at any other
place than around Pittsburg. Mr.. Barber
is 3 millionaire, and is way up in the
Strawboard Trust, and is the head and front
of the Buckexe Raaner Cnmnanr Pitts