The age-herald., 1900-12-16
ANOTHER BIG STEEL
 MILL FOR DISTRICT
SIOSs-ShefieId Company Will
 Probably Build
PRESIDENT HOPKINS TALKS
Many Orders for Pig Iron Rooked-In- crease In Production for First Time Since June-Prospects for the
 Future are Very Bright

President E. o. Hopkins of the sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron Company is in New York, having gone there early in the week ito attend the quarterly meeting of the di- ,rectors of the company. In an interview Mr. Hopkins stated that his company would probably begin the construction of steel mill at an early date. Later on the com pany will build rail mill and enter active- ly into the manufacture of steel rails and structural steel.
 It was stated at the time of the organiz- alton of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Company two years ago that a steel mill would be built by the company. In fact that was given as one of the reasons of the reorganization and expension of the old sloss Iron and Steel Company. MT. Hop kins stated, however, that the company was awaiting the result of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company's efforts to make steel rails before embarking in that line. If the rail mill at Ensley is suc- cess the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Com pany will put in steel mill and a rail mill. In his interview, Mr. Hopkins stated that the directors were awaiting the result of the Tennessee Company's experiment with it's Ensley mill.
 Big Orders for Iron.
 Referring to the iron market. MT. Hop kns said:
 We believe that there is a great future in store for the steel and iron concerns in the Birmingham district if it can be demon- strated that steel rails can be produced successfully. Heretofore the great draw back in our marketing of pig iron was the high freights the producers had to pay to get their goods to market. I believe if we can make rails we can utilize a great part of our raw steel close to the center of man. ufacture.
 We have orders ahead for 7S0OO tons of pig iron," he said, which is total equal to four months output of the company. In November we booked orders for 5O,0O0 tons which is included in the total. The bulk of this is sold at prices considerably above the present quotations of SIPS ton.
 we are now beginning to show the re- suits from the operation of the Sheffield property. We have put one furnace in blast, two others can be put in operation as soon as the management wishes. One is ready and the other can be made avail able within sixty days. The new furnaces will be supplied with high grade brown ore from the Russelville deposits, which have been recently acquired. This will prove a great factor in our earning capacity for when these furnaces were in operation before, the ore obtained elsewhere cost about $1 50 a ton at Florence. It costs now from 60c to 75c ton to take 1t there"
 J. w. Mcqueen, secretary of the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron Company, was asked last night for a statement bearing on the proposed steel mill and rail mill. He said that it was the intention of the com pany when it was reorganized to build a steel mill and that one would be construct ed, but just when he could not say. He said that whatever President Hopkins might say on the matter would be authori- tative, as he was in a position to give out such information.
 Mr. Mcqueen added that the iron market is firm with the sales apout equaling the make.