New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-19
FREE SILVER AND TRADE.
MANUFACTURERS TELL OF THE BAD
EFFECTS OF THE AGITATION.

ORDERS rEW--NovEi. BET OF WEALTHY
cIqlzi.N--A LESSON 70 TIE PEOPLE
Il will bet you $50 that you cannot borrow
$1,000 on my Endorsement in any bank In BROOK
lyn to-day" said wealthy man 10 reporter
yesterday at the Brooklyn Club.
oh nonsense" replied the reporter
1T isn't any nonsense at ALL but fact. and
viii bet the so on it now although my name
ought TO be good tor S2Oo0WJu or s"'o"V'"
The speaker was Elphslet w. Bliss. one of the
largest manufacturers in this city lie owns
the T.. W. Bliss Works at Adsms-st and the
river. and the United States Projectile Works al
Bay Ridge He was discussing the effect of the
silver craze when he made the statement. At
first the reporter thought that Mr.. Bliss was
licking but soon found that he was in dead
earnest.
You have 10 idea how this craze is affecting
business At the f. ". Bliss Works where we
manufacture presses of all ldnA. plants for the
manufacture of electrical machinery and appli-
ances and petroleum machinery, our domestic
orders have fallen off to ore-tenth OF what they
were. and ii not for our Government con-
tracts aud foreign orders. | do not know what we
should do. The former consists of tcrpedoes
tubes, mounts and lot Of material OF that KIND
We send presses of all kinds To- France Germany.
Belgium and Switzerland. and do you know, all
those countries are busy
AT the United States Projectile Works at Bay
Ridge we have doubled the capacity Of the works
but although the new extension is ready for bust
ness We have been obliged TO lay off $50 men
We have orders for 4,WmWW feet of bicycle tub
ing and were ready to begin, but the firms began
TO get afraid and hold back about signing the
contracts The market was flooded with cheap
.
however | ordered all the works TO start up
yesterday, because l have guarantee that VIII
keep us going at Bay Ridge"
THE men there can he utilized in the pro1ectlle
works." interjected the reporter.
Yes OF course, are working there night ana
day on the S-inch Shells and are now commcnc-
in. on q. 900 G-inch shells; but you must not
confound this business with that in Adams-st
There the one-fourth of our output Is ~ Tor
,ign markets, and, as told YOU, the local orders
have fallen off to one-tenth of what they
were This ! entirely ascribe to the disastrous
effects of this silver agitation Men are be-
coming more cautious every DAY. II YOU see
other manufacturers. they VIII Tell you 'he
same"
The j. II. Williams Company Is one or the
largest drop forging firms In this city; running
from Nh Q TO No Il Richard-st. 1t manu-
features parts for bicycles, firearms and other
fine work the parts being formed in dies Presl-
dent Williams said yesterday in answer to ques-
tons Il regret to say that many OF our orders
are being cancelled. These are for goods for
future deliver. A number Of them have been
PARTIALLY cancelled, or the orders ere smaller
than they would otherwise he Another feature
of the situation is difficulty in making collec-
lions Peuplc seem inclined To hold off in max
ing payments; To pay by note rather than III
CASH 80 80,
TO what do YOU ascribe this state Of affairs?
''TC q great extent TO the free-siVer agitation
and The uncertainty Of the political situation
Philip II. Gill is q large manufacturer or eie-
vator machinery and of dish-wasning machinery
for use in hotels His mandatory Is In Bovine
st from NO . t. No y. He said: our princi-
nal orders for dsh-washng machinery come
from hotels | do not think we have had sin
gle one for a month or two, whereas We used 10
get them from all over the country THESE are
very dull times. and think this state OF AFFAIRS
&c largely due to the free-silVeT talk