The indicator., 1904-03-19

The wire mill department of the
Minnequa Steel Works Is emphatic
ally the storm center OF operations
now, and there are nearly 500 men
employed in the various departments
The galvanizing department as well as
the barb wire room are now run on
double shift, that Is day and night,
while the other departments are op-
Grating to nearly their full capacity.
a large force OF men is now neces-
sary al each of these big storehouses
from which the products OF the mill
are shipped, the market for barb and
smooth wire and nails covering near
ly all points of the compass.
Just now a great deal of barbed
wire is being shipped to points in
Texas, Oklahoma, the Indian Terri
tory, Arizona and New Mexico,
where vast stock ranges are being
inclosed. Besides this heavy shipments
are made to the Pacific coast and Old
Mexico as well as the inter noun
tai region. All the way from eight
to fifteen car loads OF the product OF
the wire mill are shipped daily, yet
there are many hundreds OF tons OF
wire and nails in stock The belief
exists among the operators IN the
wire mil that before the Jappo- Russo
war Is over great deal OF barb wire
Will be used by the contending armies
for defense purposes, hence the rap
idly Increasing stock being piled
nearly to the roof in the warehouse
and the running OF the barb wire and
galvanizing rooms on double shift.
As 1t looks now the \. f. < / Com
pany VIII be able to supply both ar
mies with all the barb or any kind OF
wire they Will need.
The work Of making changes and
| improvements on the { and ( iur-
naces has progressed iavorably dur.
ing the week Just passed. 1t Is very
likely that Superintendent Means will
make radical changes III all the fur
naces before the'- are blown IN He
mas expressed himself as beng de
/ termined to make the furnaces pro
duce to their iuii capacity and to dc
50 - will make changes according
to his own ideas.
The high wind and binding dust
OF Wednesday virtually stopped all
| ..,,r-,d. yy,rL ,t ,I., ..t..., ...l ..-E..l.
some Slight damage was done by the
tornado, nothing OF Consequence va:
reported. Chiei OF watehmen, John
/ Kane, with his usual prudence and
ioreIhousht had ms force ready toi
an emergency IN case o. nre but for
tunately there was no alarm.
Work on the new r furnace !.
progressing tavoraDly and the brick.
layers viii soon commence the III.
tenor lining with hre brick there
will be no smoke stack to tine furnace
the big stack at E furnace beng
connected tor double service, the Dig
pipes ior the blowing engines nav,
been raised and connected with IN,
furnace and stoves.
The supply OF coal from the south.
| ern heIds mas materially increased
| during the week, which clearly IndI,
Gates that more men are at work IL
the mines. Considerable lump Goa
as well as slack IS now beng re
ceIvcd ior the wre mil and power
house boil.rs.
1he rod mil is IN iull blast again
| but on single turn. Ihe supply OF
rods to the wire mill Is very saus-
factory and keeps every department
of the latter industry gong.
Ihe nine and twelye-inch mills OF
the merchant IRON department, winch
when hrst started were on double
turn are now running only IN the day
time, owing to a shortage OF stock
to work on. he wire mill consumes
nearly all the product OF the open
hearth furnaces and 1t is hardly likely
that the merchant iron mills viii
again go on double time until the fur
| naces start.
The force of men at the plant has
been materially increased during the
past week in almost every department
which fact means a greatly increased
pay roll over last month The Feb
ruary pay was for work done in Jan
uary when but few men were at
work. Februsry's roll will double
that OF January and the March pay
will be at least fifty per cent more
than that for the preceding month