Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-06
A NEW FACTOR IN THE STEEL
TRADE

A Pittsburg correspondent OF the
New York Sun calls attention at length
to a brand new factor In the iron and
steel market that has come into ex-
istence and grown with mighty strides
in the past few years, namely, the
pressed steel car industry. The press
ed steel car is an invention coming rap
idly into use on railroads on account OF
it's durability, lightness and conven-
fence and is controlled by the Press
ed Steel Car Company whose main Of
fees are in Pittsburg and whose works
are in Pittsburg, Allegheny and Joliet,
Ill. This concern has been using an
nually 400, 900 tons of steel, which enor-
NOUS quantity has been Withdrawn
from the general market and is cited
as one potent cause Of the scarcity
and high prices of steel Of late. The
Sun correspondent interestingly follows
the pressed steel car tonnage OF ma
terial into the various industries into
which 1t would have gone had the new
car remained uninvented, which will be
of interest to the steel trade:
Take the matter of steel-construction
buildings in New York alone. To build the
waldorf Astoria and annex 10000 tons of
structural steel was required. Estimating
the car companys consumption at 1900 tons
day, that company uses in eight and one
ird <5ox
frame like the steel interior of the Wal
dorf-Astoria At the rate of 100000 tons
a year forty buildings like the Waldorf
Astoria could be built with the steel now
used in the steel car industry. The latest
figures obtainable show that last year u.s.
OoO tons of structural steel was used in
erecting buildings in New York, thus dem
onstrating that the annual quantity or
steel 100000 tons, that goes into steel
cars would furnish more than three years
supply of steel building material for New
York at last years rate of construction.
1t is not to be wondered at, then, that
building material has lately been scarce
The Sixth street suspension bridge, con-
Meeting Pittsburg and Allegheny, contains
$500 tons of Steel The building OF steel
cars requires, therefore, metal SUFFICIENT
to build SO bridges like that at Sixth street
That explains why bridge material is still
scarce Taking the length of the railroad
bridges that cross rivers, creeks and ra-
vines, it is found that the average single
track railroad is of 200 feet span and weighs
about a ton to the running foot. That the
railroads have found it difficult in the last
year or two to replace worn and old-style
bridges with new ones is not therefore, to
be wondered at when one considers that O.
900 bridges weighing 200 tons each could
be built each within a year with the steel
that is used for new cars.
Were il not for the demands of freight
traffic the machinery that is in. daily use
turning out 1200 tons of steel plates to be
pressed into shapes for cars could be util-
ICED in making plates TO form the hulls Of
ocean going steamers. To build a steam
er 500 feet long, of so feet beam and so
feet depth, about 5000 tons of steel in the
form of hull plates and structural shapes
is required, and, therefore, 1882 steamers
of the size indicated could be built with
the 100000 tons that the car industry con-
sumes at present each year. When
the railroads began to enjoy their share
of prosperity and freight traffic was re-
sumed, new rails were needed and old
bridges had to be repaired and replaced.
The need was urgent, but the railroads
were confronted with the fact that a new
industry had arisen, dependent upon the
railroads themselves for its prosperity,
and yet depriving them of the material
they needed for extension and repairs
When railroad officials asked for quick
delivery of rails and bridge material they
learned that from 500 to 1900 tons of steel
was daily diverted from accustomed cham
nels of consumption into the new car in
dustry The favorite rail weighs 80 pounds
to the yard. One thousand tons of rail is
equal to fourteen miles of rail or seven
miles of track.