Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-30
REVIEW OF THE
IRON MARKET
PRICES ON THE FINISHED PRO-
DUCT REMAIN ABOUT THE
SAME AS LAST WEEK.

New York. March 3O.-In its review of
trade conditions, the Iron Age says: In
many branches the iron and steel mar
kets have uuieted down somewhat. This
is due in certain lines to the withdrawal
of sellers pending the completion of ar
rangements for a consolidation of inter-
ests. In other branches it is due to the
fact that the buyers DO not share the con-
idance of makers IN the maintenance or
present prices and are beginning to test
them by withdrawal from the market.
MANY are now buying from hand to
mouth. The foundry iron markets busl-
ness has been quoting down consider
ABLY, although reports from southern
markets report a further Opln-
ions vary greatly as to the capacity pc
coming available through the blowing IN
of new plants. There is no u that
every means is being exhausted 10 get
idle furnace into line.
In Bessemer pig the market has now
been r~e-established by the sales of the as
ISOLATION at $14.50 valley furnace. The
report that sales of 13, 900 tons to the
National Steel company and others had
exhausted the supply from thai source is
pronounced absurd. There has been a
considerable movement lately in foreign
! and domestic ferro-manganes2 ore and the
prices of the associated English and
American makers have been advanced.
Serious scarcity in this material is
threatened. Reports indicate that ma
tional furnaces will blow in England. M
steel market has been quiet with only Oc-
casional small sales at fancy prices. The
National Steel company is reported to
| have sold $50, 600 tons of tin plate bars to
their affiliated interest, the American Tin
Plate The Western Steel rail
makers have made a further advance Of
81 per ton and report some business. AS
the season approaches increasing a
titles Of structural material for buildings
and bridges are reported in the leading
markets.
Prices on hoops and cotton ties have
| been withdrawn pending the consumma-
ton of the consolidation among the mills,
which is now close to a settlement. The
consolidated pa which will prOba-
bly, be called the American Steel Hoop
will take in the three 2ittsburg
plants with the three blast furnaces be-
longing to one of them, one concern in
the Shenango valley, the Youngstown
mill. which is to be transferred by the
National Steel company and Duncanville
works. The relations between the Ma
tional Steel and the American
Steel Hoop company are very close. The
subscription books of the consolidation
of the western and southern bar mills
We're opened today. A furnace property
IN the birmingham district is lncluGeQ,
but nOne of the Pittsburg or eastern mills
are in the consolidation.
The sheet mill negotiations are still
hanging fire but it is believed that ulti-
mately something will be done with this
interest. The tube consolidation is re-
ported to nave reached the point that
subscription books will be opened in a
few days. The operations of the Nation
al Steel company are attracting more anC
more attention in the trade as the com
prehensive plans to control production
from the ore and coal in the ground tC
the finished product are developing
Report has it that the concern has al
option on eonof the most famous of the
Lake Superior Bessemer ore mills and the
announcement has been just made of tn
purchase of a large tract of coal land:
in the Connellsville region. To it's Quite
in the tin plate trade it is now addins
the hoop and cotton tie industry with
gocdly share of the skelp and other lines
!, Copper has recovered from the weaken
ing influences and has during the last few
DAYS gone back to 1850 cents for lake
the result of a rise in the London market
!, From the west comes reports of some ir
: regularity in prices of tin plate due t,
aratizing on the part of jobbers.