The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-28
GRATIFYING STEADINESS.
RETURN or PROSPERITY ~ .f1NIs
TESTING ITSELF EVERYWHERE.
FarsReaching Effects OF the Rise in Wheat'
Wool Market stronger-Rise In the
Price of Iron.


son, Gainging with steadiness which Is
most gratifying. The starting Of works.
Increase In hands employed, advance In
wages and in prices Of products and the
heavy movement of crops are facts before
which all speculative influences have TO
bow.
The weeks dispatches mention sixteen
iron works which have started against
one closing, nfteen wooden mills have
started. and so in many other branches,
while many more works nave IN
creased the force and many are prepar-
ing TO resume and some increased wages.
WhiIe these things continue, with grain
rising and going abroad in enormous
quantities. money markets have reason
for Astounding confidence and speculative
markets for strength.
CroD prospects are contradictory as
ueual AT such a time. but IT is noteworthy
maj none of them indicate anything less
than ample supply Of the great staples
WHEAT MARKET
Wheat rose over six cents saturday
with extra reports Of INJURY ieil nearly
four cents. again rallied and then declln-
"a qharplv closing one cent lower for the
wheat in three states but not enough 10
hrIne. the Weld below 100000 bushels. In
snito Of great lack Of cars. wheat receipts
were 40 5qi bushels for the week. and
for four weeks. 15.5S9.6Sl bushels against
II SOC 047 last wear. and Atlantic exports,
-four included. though somewhat checked
bv higher prices. were 3.56S,S69 for the
week. against 2207. SIG last year. ana Tor
four weeks. 1887. $50, against 7.3lOl0 last
var Receipts OF corn bear strong testi-
nonv IN the seriousness OF foreign needs.
beine 6S40144 for the week against 2,H3,-
g19 last year and Atlantic exports IN -FOUR
weeks have been TO- 436.47s. against b'6lLllO
last year The price rose l'l-S cents Ter
the week.
sympathy with other markets rather
than reports OF injury. which capital au-
thoritles deem not important, accounts FOR
the deviation OF tho S-ls in cotton but the
mills are resuming work with n rush.
a general replenishment or STOCKS ny
dealers Will call for heavy additional sup
plies.
The wool market also reflects In greater
strength and further advance in some
grades the heavy buying Of woolens'
which has set many mills at work night
and day. and caused makers Of many
grades to Withdraw them entirely from
the order market. but while the mills
have been buying somewhat more.
most Of them hold large stock and the
trading has been mainly speculative be-
tween dealers.
IRON STRONGER.
At last demand has so far overtaken
capacity of iron works that prices are
growing stronger. Bessemer and grey
forge p cents higher at Pittsburg. and pig
ctr
because rebates and concessions are
stopped. BHlets are 81 per ton higher
Structural angle bars and plates about
as much. Rods $50 at 81. and wire nails
five cents per keg higher. The demand is
also heavy for merchant pipe and steel,
and sheets are very active. The advance
in iron and steel prices averages 21 per
cent. for the week.
Buying Of ore continues heavy.
4CU. 900 tons IN two weeks at
Cleveland and among the Iron
works starting are four more fur
naces. While TIN IS weaker at 1875. with
large arrivals. copper is held at II Ia for
lake by the large orders and deliveries.
and lead IS scarcely obtainable below four
cents. sales having been heavy. Connells-
ville coke works increased their output
l32. 6lf tons for the week.
though packers no longer lead. but cum
try hides are called scarce. although cat
tie receipts at the four chief markets are
the largest since 1882.
Failures for the week have been 223 In
tho United States and against $50 last
year and "a I'm Canada against 80 last
year.
BRADSTREETS
NEW YORK. August H.-Bradstreets
tomorrow will say:
The general trade situation continues 10
improve. and aside from the unnecessarily
prolonged strike Of the soft coal miners
there is little in sight TO cloud the out
look
The feature OF the week Is the advance
in prices OF almost all leading staples
beginning with an upward movement all
along the line in iron and steel steel
billets are now $3.50 above the lowest FIG
ures. bars $3.50, rods 50 and plates ST.
Bessemer pig iron Is % cents and foun-
dry a like amount. Southern irons are
very strong on a continued active export
movement. Where wire mills have not
advanced prices. they have Withdrawn
quotations. Some Western steel mills are
sold up TO January 1st which, with the
demand for earlier deliveries from fur
naces than had been arranged for, are
quite significant.
Lead. too. and soft coal are higher. as
is wheat. Notwithstanding one or two
reactions. Bradstreets points out that the
statistical position OF wheat Is the
strongest since the United states became
a considerable exporter. and that It's
price. as we'll as that for bread is likely
to materially exceed the present weeks
advance.
Following wheat, prices are higher for
-four, corn. oats. lard. potatoes, butter,
eggs. beans. cheese leaf tobacco wool and
live stock. Advances for leather, hides,
lumber and hnseed oil are also reported.
RISE IN COTTON.
Cotton. which is up S-l6, reports the
smallest worlds stock for seven years
past at this period an improved tone and
higher prices for the manufactured pro-
ducts. In spite Of crop damage the ten
dency Of estimates is toward the largest
total yield on record, but with probabili-
ties favoring much better prices than
those obtained for the crop OF lSsi-5, the
out turn Of which was 9.Sl3000 bales.
Advances are being also asked for re-
orders OF wOollen goods at mills, but print
cloths. petroleum and sugar are I'M
changed for the week while print Is re-
ported slightly slow. No such general or
pronounced upward movement Of prices
OF nearly all leading staples has been
witnessed within a week for many years.
Wheat exports are Of large volume.
aggregating Cwheat and -four as wheaO.
51s9G5s bushels for the week, as against
90 600 lost x-eek 21 S54 las wear