The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-02-24
THE STEEL AND IRON TRADE.
Factories 0vercrowded with Work
and Prices Advancing

New York. Feb. 23.-The conditions in
the iron and steel businesses of the Unitei
States which are forcing themselves more
and more upon the attention Of the publ:
are remarkable in their exhibition OF the
prosperity of these industries. In various
branches the factories have all they can
do for months to come, and at prices COOL
now and rapidly advancing. The market
for Bessemer pig iron has been c.eansd
dry within a couple of days, and 1t Is an
nounced that the price Of steel rails has
gone so high here that American manU-
facturers will have to forego the fore. On
trade unless they are willing TO make con-
cessions or the foreign price advances.
They are now facing the probability OF
filing an order for Il. 600 tons for Cnina.
The Iron Age of today ssid;
There is increasing excitement in the
iron trade. and prices are now advancing
in leaps and bounds. Continued heavy re-
quirements are coming into the marAe,,
both for raw material and for finished
goods. Some of the great producers are in
cOngested condition. and instances ara
quoted of great plants which are practi-
cally sold out until October. a growing
disposition is observed to Try to co.er Tor
as much of the second half as is possible
According to Pittsburg advices there
have been no questions on the product of
the furnaces after July /. the owners rot
wishing to sell yet for the second half of
the year. and it is doubtful, IL is said,
whether an order for 80. 900 tons CT pig iroh
would not have to be refused. A dispatch
from Pittsburg today says that complaints
are coming from foreign customers about
the delay in the shipment of orders. and
that there is not mill or factory there
with idle men. There have been large
sales of machinery. too at home and
abroad having sold ~ in,
the first six weeks of this year machinery
aggregating 1.770 horsepower. against Isis
horsepower in the first six months of last
year. An order has come from Punta
Arenas. Straits of Magellan. Electric
light plants are being established and re-
placed in Cuba and the Bahamas.
Another line of business in which pros
perity has especially manifested itself is
that OF cotton goods. Wednesdays Gus
toms report showed a record breaking ag-
gregate OF exports of cotton goods for last
week. The total was 2I.24S bales. as
against 2i.761 bales for the largest of pre-
vious weeks shipments. OF last weeks
exports more than $4,000 bales of heavy
brown goods went to China. The value OF
the whole weeks exports was ss51. 155
Print cloths.~the prices of which had al
ready. after the long depression. got above
the point at which il was acknowledged
they could be manufactured at a profit ad-
Ndnceu again on tuesday 10 "a cents Tor
extras. This is q rise OF about = OF a
cent from the low price of last summer
IL was fixed by the Fail River selling
committee. Fall River reports that the
sales for the week have exceeded the
weeks production. conference has been
called for Monday in the Manufacturers
Association rooms at Fall River for the
purpose OF making an effort to get the
operatives TO agree to a sliding scale OF
wages.