Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-20

~ 80~WQ1 20 S. 81 z9yss
While buying 100. 600 tons Bessemer
pig at Pittsburs enye reason for the
advance in price to 1850, with grey
forge quoted at So per tom it is not
quite as clear as it might be that the
output which was 255,000 tons weekly
according TO the Pittsburg record, and
has since been largely increased by the
addition of many furnaces will con-
tinue to fall below the demand. For
the requirements in various depart
ments for manufactured products it
must be recognized, is scarcely measur-
able, and does not seem as much
diminished as might be expected by
higher prices and long delay in de-
livery. In plates, for instance, the de-
mand covers many thousand tons for
bridges at Chicago and at Pittsburg,
and Philadelphia concern accepted
seven thousand tons and afterwards
was obliged to refuse more, one other
concern in the same city refusing
$4,000 tons.
The shipments Of boots and shoes
from the east have been for two weeks
of May % per cent larger than last
year and 500 per cent larger than in
1892 Higher prices which have been
asked for several months are noW
more generally paid for mems wear,
though most works are covered by
earlier orders for four months ahead,
or more. Leather shows hesitation,
dealers apparently questioning whether
the rise has not been too much, and at
Chicago the same question runs
through the hide market though adj
vances are slight.
Spectators are doing large BUSH
ness in wool. some foreign and some
American. They have bought about
100000 pounds Australian wool in
bond here, as is now reported, and
about 100000 pounds domestic terri
tory wool is also said to have been
sold for export at about AZ cents clean.
But this does not cast much light on
the question whether speculative sales
abroad have yet been covered, or will
be within short time, nor is there
any indication that the market here
will respond to the temporary foreign
demand. The orders for wooden goods
are decidedly better and although the
wooden association is not yet in opera
ton, it seems to have given certain
kind of confidence to prices in the
wooden goods department. Cotton de-
clined a. Small fraction on Monday,
owing to freer port movement, which
made it probable that at the end of
this week the amount in sight would
about equal last years record breaking
figures. But there was a recovery of
all the decline in middling uplands and
a net gain in option prices.
May wheat has risen during the past
week about four cents and nobody can
tell why, although the exports in the
past two weeks have been 10,569,0 06,
flour included, against S,135, 124 last
year. Better shipments were expected
after the opening of navigation, and
there is really no use in considering
the dreams of western spectators ana
crop reports at this time. No one can
form fair Judgment at the middle Of
May regarding the output which win
be visible to everybody in the middle
of July. The best that can be done is
to accept the crop reports, official and
otherwise, with almost indefinite al
lowances. Better shipments are eX-
pected after the opening of navigation,
and are in fact coming, the outward
movement from Duluth alone in two
weeks reaching nearly 100000 bush
els. Lack of rain in California has
caused large reduction in all esti-
mates for that State, and Pacific ex-
ports are decreasing as holders are less
ready to accept current prices with the
prospect of a shortage.
Failures for the week have been 147
in the United States, against 25o last
year, and II in Canada, against 20 last
year,