The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-27
THAT PIQUA TIN.

1t may be regarded by some as bordering
upon cruelty to refer again to that Piqua
affair when Major MCKINLEY, with great
ado, dipped a sheet of iron into pot of
metal waste and called il tin plate. The
incident has been so severely burlesqued
through the publication of the facts, that
the Republican candidate for governor of
Ohio is said to want to smash some
body over the head whenever any
body says anything about tin-plate in
his hearing. But as the MCKINLEY fol-
lowers are still trying to dupe the public
by imposing upon them badges made of
foreign tin plate and wickedly labeled as
having come from the Piqua works, which
have never turned out sheet of plate
made from American rolled steel and
American tin, 1t is only proper that the
following letter should be published. 1t
was written by the editor of the Piqua
Leader and states accurately the situation ::
PIQUA O., Oct 6, 1884,
Governor James E. Campbell, Columbus:
MY DEAR SIR-About year ago the Corfu
eating company added to its establishment a
plant for the production of galvanized iron. In
Guided in this galvanizing plant is an iron pot
about SO inches IN diameter and 20 inches deep,
set in furnace OF brick work, for melting up
the refuse or waste stuff from 5the galvanizing
operation. The resulting metal being an alloy
called spelter which has considerable value in
the metal market, but it is not made further
use of in the Corrugating company. frequently
visit the establishment and am well acquainted
with the gentlemen who manage it.
While there recently, Mr.. JAMES HICKS, the
president, volunteered to show me how they
made the sheets of metal 'terne roofing plate. -
We first went into the rolling mill, where he
showed up an improvised pair Of rolls, which he
said were for the cold rolling of iron steel for
the metal plates. The machine was idle at the
time. NJ. HICKS explained that this pair OF
rolls were improvised from lathe which was
used for turning up the rolls of tn e rolling mill
We then went into the galvanizing depart
ment, where the work of dipping steel oil
iron sheets in molten metal, contained in the
iron kettle to which referred, was in progress
Engaged in this duty were Mr.. McCABE, fore
man, his assistant and two boys. Mr. HICK;
stated that the sheets then being dipped were
intended for the order received from Mr. H S
! STERNBERGER. Mr.. HICKS made no claim t.
having any special plant for the production o
|
operations were tentative and he did not know
what the result would be-
Very sincerely your friend,
JEROME SMILEY.
In speaking of the matter Mr.. sTERNBERGER
who is himself u large manufacturer, said: g
had bought several iron roofs from the Corfu
eating company. believe in patronizing hom
industries, and when l heard that they wer
making tin roofing I ordered roof for my barr
in good faith l wanted tin for barn roof, AM
not political tin. They violated the rules of bust
ness courtesy by permitting Major MCKINLEY
to use our contract in his speech. As proof O
the actual existence OF tin factory, the stui
that they delivered me was not tin. 1 paid 70
it because did not want it to get out of M
hands. In the letter accompanying my remit
tance, 1 stated that metal was not what
ordered, and that it would be used in the pres
ent campaign as my friends and myself though
best