Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-04
THE EDGAR THOMSON.
That Shut Down in The Braddock Rail
Mill Postponed Week
THAT A FRESH ORDER BE FILLED.
Plans for Increasing the Capacity of the
Edgar Thomson.
FINISHED STEEL AT CANTON, OHIO
OFFICE OF PITTsBURG DISPATCH, I
TUESDAY, Feb. 8.
Steel Rail Outlook.


TUESDAY, Feb. 8.
Steel Rail Outlook.
The average daily output of steel rails at
the Edgar Thomson Works for 1890 was
l ,4l7 tons, which means that the daily yield
was sufficient to Law more than ten miles of
single track 65-pound rails, or more than
1000 miles for the year. To furnish these
results required the handling daily of up
ward of 10 900 tons OF materials. The water
required daily at the Edgar Thomson is, in
round numbers, $4,000. 600 gallons. The
largest cast from a single blast furnace in one
day during the year was 457 tons. The largest
weekly yield of a single furnace was 9, 49, tons,
and the largest monthly yield was l0604 tons.
There are seven of the nine furnaces in opera
tion at present, A and d being closed for re-
pairs. On Tuesday and Wednesday of last
week, furnace II yielded SIS and 500 tons of
Bessemer iron, and i 266 and go tons on the
same days, with Sol tons on Monday. On the
first three days of last week the yield of the
seven furnaces in operation was 5,SlS tons. 1t
was announced last week that the rail mill
would shut down on February for repairs, and
extensive preparations were made to tins end.
Since this announcement mill order
for rails has come in which re-
quires a full weeks work to fill,
and the shut down has, result been post
pOned until February IA.
The improvements IN the rail works will be
very extensive and all the latest appliances
Will be added. A new converting house, built
almost entirely of iron, new cupolas, and four
l5-ton converters to take the place of the lotion
converters now in use. a new Porter Allen engine
of 9, 2,000-horse power, are some of the improve
ments and additions projected. The rail mill
and heating furnaces are to be rebuilt and en-
larged so that larger blooms can be charged
than hitherto.
From St Valentines Day on these improve
ments and additions will be pushed as fast as
ID muscle and brain can do the work. The work
Will be pushed night and day, and occupation
will be given to the entire force OF willing
workers. The cost OF the improvements will
be in round numbers s2O0OO0 and the fact that
rhe company is ready to make such an outlay
is proof of their faith in a good year ahead.
The furnaces will keep right along while the
mill is being enlarged and improved, and the
output will be worked up into finished products
1T Il homestead.
Furnace A, which has been undergoing ex.
tensive repairs for month or two past will be
ready to resume some time this week, and d in
about month hence. With the nine furnaces
working up to their capacity. the yield for 1891
will without doubt break all previous records
and no fears are entertained that there will be
market at reasonable profits for the entire
output While margins on steel rails are fully
Sc per ton less than a year ago, it is believed
that a reduction as great during the year to
come which is exceedingly improbable, would
not obliterate profits.
Canton Steel Works.
Colonel John ]. Young, formerly snperin-
tendent of the Hussey, Howe & Co. Steel
Works, of this city, for the past two years
President of the Canton Steel Works, Canton,
O., was in the city yesterday looking up bus-
ness interests. The Canton Steel Works make
a especially of spring and tool steel and much
of their material is produced in this vicinity.
Crop ends of steel blooms. produced at the Ed
gar Thomson Steel Rail Works and other works
of this region, constitute a larg. part of The
steel worked up into spring and tool steel at the
Canton works. When President Young as
sumed the management AZ Canton, the yearly
capacity was about $500 tons, aud IN the
past year has reached 10000 tons with orders
more than equal to the entire production.
Employment is given to over 200 men, and the
demand FOR the finished steel last month was
beyond any previous month. Some orders had
TO be declined because of inab bllity to fill them.
Both open hearth and crucIble steel are pro-
duced President Young has still warm side
for PlttSburg, where many of his best years
were spent. but has no reason to regret his
transfer 10 Ohio from business point of view.
He pronounces the outlook for the finished
steel trade altogether satisfactory.