The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-24
Pig Iron at the Seaboard.

1t is not sufficient to be able 10 write
THE cost per ton of pig iron below the
cost IN other districts. Birmingham has
long been able to- do that. But that will
not suffice. 1t is the s,aaboard price
that determines whether or no this dis
trict can underssll English irons in Eng
land. German irons in Germany, and
even Swedish ircns i'm Sweden 1t Hs
therefore the seaboard price that deter
mines whether this district shall be in
a condition of prosperity or the reverse
Export iron. in either words. has become
the basis, the strength, the test of the
prosperity of this district 1t will not
always be so. but ait THE present stage
of ircn Industries i'm this district 1t UNI
m1stakeably Is so.
The difference between the furnace
price and the seaboard price is summed
up in the cost Of moving the product to
Mobile, or Pensacola or New Orleans, or
possibly Savannah. The railroad charge
is ONE dollar a ten. 1T cannot we'll be
less, and leave any profit to the railroad.
No one expects it to be less.
The completion of the improvements in
the Warrior up to The bridge of the Kan
sas City, Memphis and Birmingham
iailroa j. would cut the Transportation
Ia
is not indulging in guess work or wish
work. The figures are based upon lnfor-
nation. The bridge of the Kanlzas City
road is a little less than twenty miles
from this city, and the railroads that
carry a,re at Is GENTS a ton about that
distance would doubtless be willing to
carry pig iron to the Little Warrior, or
Locust Fork as it is sometimes called, ait
a like rate. When the cars stand along
eide the barges, with am needful appli-
ances ait hand, the iron can certainly be
transferred from car to barge at 5 cents
a ton, probably for less. Col Horace
Harding, United States engineer puts
the barge transportation of coal to the
sea at rs cealks per ton. Pig iron could
certainly be carried ait equally favorable
rates. The figures then are as follows:
Railroad transportation to river ....0.15
Reload1ng 49,. 800. .........0.05
Transportation by barge to the sea. o. &c
Total per ton ........ ...... ........$ 0.46
al
sold below English iron in the heart of
England, what is net possible in the di-
rection of expansion in the pig iron pro-
duct of this district, if an. advantage of
so cents ton can be gained at this end
of the line? This question should be
considered ait Tuscaloosa, as we'll as the
questions connected with the coal trade
The opening of the Little Warrior and
eff it's trunks to slackwaber navigation
for boats drawing six feet of water
would cut into the transportation
charges upon pig iron. This cut should
be possible i'm the course of two years.
There is no reason why more time shloul1
be wasted over IT. 1t is the one request
of a people who draw practically no pen
sions, who have little more to ask from
treasury to which they contribute.
CommIon Justice and common sense de-
mand the deepening of the waterway
that reaches from the sea to the very
heart of the greatest mineral deposits
in this country.
When the Warrior canal proper is
built, transportation rates upon pig iron
Will again be cut into. The last reduc-
ton to minimum Will oome, but not
tomorrow or next day. The work in
hand is to induce congress to direct ait
once the opening Of the rivers up to the
bridge of the Memphis railroad.