Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-21
ITS EFFECT ON IRON.
If Prolonged, the Coke Strike Will
Make Many Furnaces Idle.
THE CONDITION GROWING WORSE.
Railroad Concessions No Longer the Key to
the Situation.
OPERATORS NOT ANXIOUS TO RESUME
BPECIAL TELEoRAM TO THE DrsPATcH.i

nrEcIAL TELEaHAM TO THE DrsPArcR.i
NEW CASTLE; March 2O.-The condition
of affairs at present among the furnaces Ii
this city is even worse than at the tim
the Mahoning and shenango Vale,
furnacemen shut down their furnaces
and thus emphasized in a mos
determined manner their declaration
that they were unable to Withstand an.
longer the outrages that were being inflicted
upon their industry by the railroads and tn
] coke combine. 1t seems that the responsi
bility for the further continuance Of th'
shutdown movement has shifted from th.
railroad companies to the coke combine. Al
result of the prevailing coke strike in th'
Connellsyille region. This statement mus
not be understood to mean that the railroad
companies have seen the error Of their way
and granted the earnestly requested reduc
tions in freight charges, but rather that the
important key to the solution of the shut
down among the valley furnaces now de-
pends on the result of the strike.
The Effects of q Prolonged Strike.
Should the strike continue for more than
a reasonable length Of time, say until May
| 1, without important change, every ton ol
coke in the hands of furnaces will be used,
and the forced idleness that must ensue will
create scarcity of iron. Even an e1traor.
binary advance in the price of iron now
would not permit the furnaces to resume un-
less the manufacture of coke was resumed.
This condition was not SO when the ques-
tion of solution lay within the power OF the
railroads. Iron, as q result of scarcity OF
oh adu IN
more than profitable basis when some fur
naces would be found willing to return to
work, so long as they could secure fuel with
which to operate their furnaces. Thus 1t Is
seen that, not only the question of resump-
ton lies wholly now within the power of
the coke combine, but the important ques-
ton whether or not the railroads should be
given traffic lies also within the power of
this giant monopoly.
The truth of this statement Is seen from
the condition of affairs among the furnaces
in this city, now and at the time when the
solution of the yexed question was in the
will of the railroads.
Not Bound by Association Rules.
None of the furnaces here are members Of
the Mahoning and Shenango Valley Iron
Manufacturers Association, and are, there
fore, not bound by any rules to cease max
ing iron.
Again, the conditions governing the con-
sumption of their product permitted their
operating, despite the claims of their neigh
boring manufacturers of high-priced coke
and excessive freight charges. Under these
favorable conditions they were not in the
least affected by the shutdown movement;
but at present those furnaces that cannot
secure coke have been compelled to close
down, thus showing that the influence of
the coke strike is vastly more extensive and
far-reaching than the influence of the rail-
roads over the market.
At the Etna furnaces Of P. L. Kimberly
& Co. one stack is in operation, as is also
the furnace of Rainey & Berger. Both
these companies are getting their coke
either from w. J. RaiDey or one Of the
small Independent operators that are max
ing coke at present.
The Etna people are greatly assisted in
operating owing to the fact that they con-
sumo the product of their furnaces in their
own mills; and In the case of the 'Rainey &
Berger firm, they manufacture superior
grade of foundry iron, unegualed, probably,
as regards quality by any other make in the
country.
Some Furnaces That are Idle.
They have practically no competition,
and ship their iron as far as Bostoh. The
fact, however, stands out boldly, that If they
were unable to secure coke they, also, would
be idle.
The Crawford Iron and Steel Company
and the Rosena turnaces of Oliver Iron and
Steel Company are idle, owing to their ina
bility to secure supplies of coke.
There is practically no iron held at the
furnace yards here. At the Rosena fur
naces what iron is now stored in the yard is
being loaded and shipped to the firms
Woods Run mill, Pittsburg. ALI compa-
nies, however, have very large stocks of ore
and limestone. The sales of ore to furnaces
in this city have been extremely light so far
this year. and notwithstanding the fact that
the price of superior ore has fallen from 81
to 81 90 per ton below last year, buyers do
not appear anxious to cover their wants, and
are simply biding their time, waiting until
the strike is settled.
Railroad interests hereabouts have also
been seriously affected by the restricted
traffic offering, and the number of idle cars
lying along the different railroad sidings
leading into the city is very large.
Many Empty Cars on the sidings.
Several train loads of loaded ore cars can
also be seen, and when spoke to furnace
man here in disregard he said the loaded cars
were probably intended originally for Valley
furnacemen, but when the shut down move
ment was decided upon the furnacemen re-
fused to receive them. Contracts with the
ore companies were annulled owing to the
financial condition of many Of the furnaces,
and not being able to pay for the ore. The
matter has been hanging FIRE since, owing to
the abnormal depression both in the pig iron
industry and other traffic. 1t is expected,
however, that lively time will be wit
messed when bills for damage are presented.
Since the question of whether the furnaces
will soon resume or not lies wholly on the |
probable duration and outcome of the strike, |
the early settlement of the trouble is sim
cerely hoped for. It's said that even should
the workmen decide to return, resumption
would probably be delayed by the operators
in order to cause furnaces to bank and pro-
duce scarcity of iron, which, in turn, will
cause prices to advance, and probably in
luce pig iron manufacturers to modify their
demand for cheaper coke.
Many conditions always arising may in
auence these probable results, and at the
present writing the duration and outcome of
;he coke trouble is hard to-conjecture.
G. j. Z.
MURRAY has sent bright, short inter
7iews with people who drift to New York.
Read to-morrow's big DISPATCH.