The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-08

NEW YORK, May 7.-R. C. Dun &
Company's weekly review OF trade TO-
morrow will say:
Nearly all will be astonIshed to learn
that actual sales in April by leading
houses in each line OF business in the
principal cities east OF the Rocky noun
tains average only about iOper cent less
than In April. 1892, the year of the lar
ges; business Hitherto. and we're 81 per
cent more than In the same month las:
year. Yet this is the summary OF 3j7
reports, each covering actual sales OF
leading merchants In 4 line OF business
In fourteen cities. They are es-
peclally encouraging in view OF the
great fall OF prices within the five
years and with exceptional floods and
other retardlng Influences this year.
While speculative business in nearly all
lines IS stlll and does not close clearing
house returns as IN previous years, the
volume OF legitimate trade shows no
corresponding decrease and the fact iH
one OF the highest Importance In all
business calculations.
Moreover. returns OF failures for April
by branches OF business. given only by
the mercantile agency, show decrease In
number. amount aud average OF liabll-
tiles In almost every branch OF trade
and in nearly all branches OF manufac-
ture except cotton, although failures OF
five New Bedford mills for S,9sO,7A
make the total defauited liabilities for
the month 40 per cent larger than 1884.
The value OF reports tracing failures to
barticular lines OF business Is Impress
lively illustrated.
Crop Prospects.
Crop prospects are little better force
than because OF the passing of floods
and the Increase OF acreage elsewhere
and for spring wheat because the Gus
tomary accounts OF injury 90 winter
which begin to appear and stimulate
larger sowing OF spring wheat as usual.
Western receipts continue larger than
last year, 2.34S,sO5 bushels against g.
2Os, ,972 and Atlantic exports also In
crease, amounted to 1898, i61 bushels,
flour included against l.0t0.l61 last year.
The weeks exports OF corn 2,I3O,O43
bushels, are smaller than in other re-
cent weeks The wheat market declln-
ed two cents until Thursday, and then
rose one and one-hRlt cents. Liverpool
speculations lifted cotton TO as cents,
but It has lost sixteenth ana the con-
sumption IN manufactured does not
appear TO be increasing.
The demand for cotton goods has not
met eSpectati tions and neither the pro-
longed Curtnilment OF production by
many mills, the large distribution OF
goods since November nor the great
auction sale has yet suffered TO reduce
the surplus OF goods. Print cloths are
again lower at 2.H cents. the lowest
point ever reached In previous years
and though some kinds OF goods have
found sufficient demand to advance
prices a little, the expectation OF better
prices and larger consumption In future
still seems to push the mills to exceed
present wants. The same " true az
wool manufacture In many branches,
for orders and sales thus far do not call
for as large production as appears,
though It Is ye; much below the maxi
mum, but the increasing demand has
been encouraging. Sales OF wool, at
prices arm. but no longer rising, fall
much below Tecen: records, indicating
that spectators are growing less sure
OF early profits IN view OF enormous
suppIles on hand At the three chief
markets there were SOS, 200 pounds. OF
which 5.7I4,GOO were foreign, and In five
weeks tho sales have been 49,bIS5O
pounds ngalnst 23,327100 I'm the same
weeks OF 1922, when the mills were wei
employed.
Iron aud Steel.
The anticipation OF better prices aud
great Increase in demand pushed pro-
ductlons OF iron and steel manufacture
that four furnaces in Eastern Pennsyl-
vanIa. and others In the Pittsburgh re-
gion and Ohio have stopped. Bessemer
pIg at Pittsburgh has declined TO 50 40,
and grey forge to s. 40. pressure to sell
bIllets lower TO Sli. tank steel plates
have sold below one cent, and common
bars at ninety cents per one hundred
hounds, with black sheets IN light de-
mand AT 81 so for No "a Yet the struc-
tural works are well employed on old
orders with others coming In. one OF
90 600 tons for the Montreal bridge, and
others at the east and at Chicago. The
rail works ore all busy on orders taken
months ago. though there are efforts 10
rcvIve the pool. one contract for 10000
TONS steel plates IS reported, and some
of the tin plate works are sold ahead
for the year
The visible supply OF tin has lncrens-
cd 4 900 tons IN April and the price Is
shade lower at 1915 cents. The heavy
snIes OF lake copper are believed 10
cover some large consumers Tor most oil
Failures for the week have been 22l
in the United States, against 23S last
wear, and sc in Cnnadn, against "a last
year,