Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-09-08
IRON AND STEEL BOOM.
American Mills Unable to Sup
ply the Demand.
FOREIGNERS BUYING OUR GOODS.

Demand AbrOud For Machinery,
Rails and Locomotives Did Much to
Cause the Scarcity Ia The United
states-VnIue of Exports, Including
Agricultural Implements, EnOr-
mousIy Increased.
The growing scarcity OF steel and
iron products and the inability Of the
mills TO furnish those needed in the
construction of railway bridges, equip
meut, machinery Of all kinds glrders
and beams for buildings are becoming
matters of serious Importance to the
development Of enterprise in every di-
rection.
The result Of business revival In all
parts Of the country has been n great
boom IN the building industry, as well
as the opening Of new manufacturing
plants and an increase in the capacity
of those already in operation. To meet
these enormous requirements the iron
mills and furnaces, which were idle for
years, when ovcrprOluction had
brought the iron trade to n prohtless
state Of stagnation, We're opened again
and are now being operated Mt their
full capacity, says the New York
World. They are powerless, however,
TO turn out Il sufficient supply.
For the first time IN years we have
to turn TO England and Wales for re-
lief. II is but meaEer, however. The
scarcity IS almost as great there as 1t
is in the United States. The mills
there are only taking contracts for de-
livery late in the winter. while the
American mills cannot consider any
contracts that call for delivery before
the spring Of 1900.
It is not the demands from the
United States alone, however, which
have 50 embarrassed the iron trade OF
our own country. The foreign inquiry
for our manufactures of iron and steel
has grown to enormous proportions
since the beginning of the Spanish
war. The victory Of Dewey's fleet at
Manila was worth many hundreds of
millions to our steel industry" said
prominent iron man at a luncheon In a
Wall street club the other day. 1T
made our steel and iron products for
midablc throughout the world"
This IS In measure true. The su-
periority Of the American ships of war
and guns, as demonstrated in the war,
was of course an important factor In
the development Of foreign demand
for American iron products though the
foreign knowledge Of the superiority
Of American machinery and mechanic
al products has been the result Of ex-
pcr!cncc In the cultivation Of the
peaceful art as Well
our moving, rcaping ard thrashing
machines have driven all competing
machinery out Of the wheattelds of
Russia, India, Australasia and South
America because they are more eco
nomical, lighter stronger and simpler in
construction than the cumbersome
products Of England Germany and
France. They have gradually been
growing cheaper too, because Of the
Improvement In the labor saving de-
vices used in their manufacture.
'Carry!ng Goals to Newcastle" is an
old saw that has lost its meaning In
the light OF Americas developing trade,
for we not only send coal. and tons Of
It, to Newcastle every year, but we
actually send knives and cutlery to
Sheffield where they are sold cheaper
than and are considered as good as the
product of her own famous mills.
An equally striking illustration Of
the great development Of our iron and
steel trade In directions that several
years ago would hardly have been be-
licved possible is the fact that Ameri-
can rails were for the most part used
IN the construction of the railway
which General Kitchencr's army built
along the Nile to Khartum and that
the rolling stock of this great civilized
thOroughfarc consists of locomotives
built in Paterson, \. j., and pressed
steel cars constructed In PittSburg
These are only a few familiar illus
trations of the growth of the iron
trade, and they give fair example Of
the causes which lead to the great re-
viyal of the iron industry. The actual
figures Of our exports are of them
selves sufficiently convincing even to
the most impractical mind.
In 1898 our exports Of iron and steel
and their products aggregated no less
than $S2,TT1.550, as compared with
So, 737, ,230 in 1897 and $4S,G7O,21S in
1896. This does not include agricul-
tural implements, which amounted to
$9,037 1884 in 1898, rs against 5,302,S0
In 1897 and $4,543, 729 In 1896. Just as
important are the noteworthy declines
In the value Of our imports Of iron and
steel. which in 1893 were $12, ,473, ,6317,
foreign value, against $13,S3G, ,204 In
1891 SIS, ,561 in 1896 and $25.772,-
1856 In 1895.