The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-29
Prices of Wire Nails Reduced frOms
10 Cents n Pound I'm 1858 to
Cents the Present Year.
FOREIGN MAKERS ALARMED
AT THE RAPID INVASION OF THEIHL
MARETs BY AMERICANS.
Eject of the Joint Traffic Decisions
as Viewed by solicitor Richards
Naval Constructors Report. a
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2S.-The rapid
growth in expectation of American manu-
factures is illustrated by some figures which
the Bureau of Statistics has recently conn
piled regarding the exports of wire nails.
This compilation is the result of a recent
publication in the British Iron and Coal
Trades Review, which says that 1T IS
clear that the United States threatens
Europe with a serious competition In the
nail trade despite the fact that it is a
highly finished product and involves the em-
ployment of a large amount OF skilled
labor" This compilation shows that the ex-
portation of wire nails from the United
States has grown from 1,54707S pounds in
the fiscal year 1883 to 22.S94,O99 pounds in
the fiscal year 1898. The growth. which has
been phenomenal ever since the beginning,
has been especially so in the last two or
three years. In 1895 the expectations were
4,367, ,267 pounds; in 1896, SO31 1927 pounds thus
practically doubling in one year, and in 1895,
22,S94,099 showing similar gain in the last
two years, the exports of 1898 being more
than five times those of 1896.
The universal demand for this product OF
American workmen is shown by the fact
that our wire nails go to every grand divi-
sion of the globe, and to practically every
country. Germany, France Belgium. Neth-
erlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, Gem
trail America, the West Indies. all the South
American states, China, Japan. Asiatic
Russia British Australasia, French Ocean,
lea, British and Portuguese Africa, in fact.
it is difficult to find a spot amoIlg the civil
lized and semi-civilized peoples of the globo
where this recent product of American in
vention and American labor does not now
find place. To the Danish West indies the
exports last year were 1850 pounds; TO Peru,
25,9S5 pounds; to Argentina, 26S,942 poundss
to China, 1852 pounds; to British Africa,
1929 pounds to British Australasia 1.1iS,459
pounds, and to Japan, 4,3722 292 pounds, the
exports to Japan being larger than to any
other country and forming in the fiscal
year 1897 nearly one-half of the total ex-
ports of this article.
REMARKABLE GROWTH.
The growth of the Matchmaking industry
in the United States has been remarkable.
and within the past few years the growth
in the exports of this production has been
equally noteworthy. Alexander Hamilton in
his report as secretary of the treasury in
1871, called attention to the fact that s'the
United States already in a great Eleasur6
supply themselves with nails and spikes
The nails and spikes referred to by him
were all made by hand, many of them i'm
chimney corners. 1t was not until near the
end Of the first quarter of the present cen-
tury that any considerable quantity of nails
was made with the nail-cutting machines.
and not until 1888 that Bessemer steel was
used for cut nails. Wire nails began to
make their appearance in 1882, and by 1858
were being substituted for cut nails, and in
a few years not only gained in popularity.
but by reason of very great reduction in
pricd they took the place largely of the iron
and steel cut nails, of which the produce
ton had been so great prior to the Develop
ment of the wire nail industry.
The following table giving the production
of cut and wire nails, in pounds, in the
United States from 1892 to 1897, shows the
gain in popular favor which wire nails are
making: