Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-15
BUSINESS CONTINUES HEAVY
Progresses Satisfactorily in Spite Of HEAVY
Losses through ElsnsHti.
FLOODS, SNOW AND FIRE HAVE NO EFFECT
Plans for Rebuilding on n GrRnder
Scale Made before the shock of
the Catastrophe Has Fully
Passed.

NEW YORK, Feb. 14.-R. @. Dun & Co.'S
Weekly Review Of Trade tomorrow will say:
Business continues to progress satisfac-
torily. notwithstanding heavy losses
through the elements. The new year has
been unusually handicapped in this way,
floods and snow blockades being closely
followed by fires and explosions, destroy
ing much property and retarding traffic.
1t is cniy another evidence of the solid
basis upon which the nations industries
are established that in each case plans
for rebuilding on a grander scale were
made before the shock of the catastrophe
had fully passed.
proved during the last week. Disputes at
wooden mills were adjusted except as to
the. weavers; threatened disturbance in
coal mines was averted, while some rail-
way employees received voluntary advances
in wages.
A slight decrease of 3.5 per cent in rail-
way earnings for the first week of Feb
ruary as compared with the same week
of last year was not surprising in view of
the many severe storms and the diminished
movement of grain.
Too Much Prosperity In Iron.
In the iron, and steel industry it is now
being demonstrated that there Is such a
thing as too much prosperity. During the
lest few years there has been such a mar
velous expansion in domestic business that
the capacity of furnaces and mills as well
as transportation facilities have failed to
keep pace, The result is a gradual falling
behind Will deliveries and a tendency of
buyers to send orders abroad whenever
uttuS are urgent. One case is now III view
of steel rails to be delivered at Florida
which after paying the duty will cost 500
more a ton than the regular market price.
Yet home producers are about sold to Sep
TENDER 16.
Pig iron production during January was
at the record-breaking rate of 1,45O, 600 tons,
and the reduction in furnace stocks indi-
Gated that consumption was still greater.
1t is remarkable that these stocks are now
only l04 200 tons, against 610,b31 tons on
October /, 1900, while during that time the
weekly output Increased from 223, 169 tons
10 nats %O'S f6s on nros FetPr SrnS !; 1872 q n Tnfort tn
record-breaktng figures, because the recent
storm disordered the freight movement
and many. furnaces are now banked
through lack of coke.
Large Number of Buyers in Footwear.
the Boston footwear market promises
much business, though there is some hesi-
tation about paying the recently advanced
goods, despite, a slight shading of raw
silk. Liberal jobbing distribution of dry
goods has brought a gradually expanding
demand, except on southern orders, which
were below expectations.
Stocks of c~ottons, lightweight wooden
goods and worsted fabrics are short and
deliveries are often later than the specified
date. Print cloths advanced, but quota
lions are generally strong, with tendency
against buyers and many lines of woolens
have been withdrawn.
Higher prices were the rule in the mar
kets for leading agricultural staples. In
terruption to the movement by deep snow
and the holiday was not sufficient ex-
PLANTATION OF the decrease of western re-
ceipts of wheat to 1924, 932 bushels, against
2,940,368 last year, or of corn to 1851, 600
bushels, compared with 4,402, $50 a year ago.
Prospects of Continued strength. =
If present high figures are not attractive
enough to bring out a more liberal move
ment there Is evidence of light supplies
and prospect of continued strength. On
the other hand, some neutralizing inhu-
| enCoS must he racOQnizpd In eNnorta nj
wheat, flour included, from all ports of
the United States, aggregating only 3,429,
$40 bushels. against 1893, $50 last year, while
Atlantic ports sent out but S96,O75 bushels
of corn, compared with 1885,, 692 a year a.
Cotton was even more vigorously ~
vanced, middling uplands attaining the tor
point of the crop year. The late improve
ment will be of little benefit to producers,
since only 100000 bales have been mar.
keted and much of the balance has been
undoubtedly passed in the hands of fac
tories.
Failures for the week numbered 24O in
the United States, against 279 last year
and In Canada 3S, against 40 last year.