The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-21
ALREADY A MARKET IN STEEL.
San Francisco Losing No Time In PlaaniR Q
10 Rebuild the City.

Before San Francisco's ruins have ooled
many orders will have been placed for
structural steel for rebuilding. Owners
of some of San Francisco's destroyed Office
buildings who are in this city are already
sounding the market, and an order for
5000 tons will be placed in this market on
next Monday from plans accepted for a
sixteen story Office building projected by
a San Francisco banker six months ago.
Among local capitalists interested in San
Francisco real estate there is a belief that
in the present state of the structural steel
trades it will be impossible to obtain material
for reasonably quick deliveries in San Fran
cisco, and for that reason it may be neces-
sary to place orders in Germany and BEL
GUM. Commercial bodies in San Francisco
nave already sent in several kilograms
asking how the East is situated for quick
shipments OF building materials.
A reporter for THE sun asked Ebert H.
Gary, chairman of the board of directors
Of the United States Steel Corpo ration,
yesterday whether the present high degree
of activity in the structural steel mills of
the corporation would prevent the reasona-
bly, prompt delivery of requirements by the
San Francisco builders. Judge Gary said:
"Our mills are crowded TO the utmost
capacity to fill specifications for structural
steel. However, we shall make extraor-
binary efforts to increase our output, and
will probably meet all requirements without
very much delay"
Theodore Starrett OF the Thompson
Starret Company arrived in this city yestcr-
day from Chicago. His company decided
to fall in line with the other big companies
10 ,bf, oit., ,,l gapl mn opriroor o,, o.. c.,
Francisco to study the ruins. Mr.. Starrett
reiterated the opinion expressed on Thur
day by the chief engineer of the company
that Office buildings with steel frames could
be erected in San Francisco which would
withstand an earthquake shock as severe
as the one which has laid the city in ruins.
Mr., Starrett based his opinion chiefly
on the resistance shown by the Chronicle
building in San Francisco. He had helped
in dra wing the plans for that building. That
building, Mr.. Starrett said, had no steel
uprights in it's framework, only c~rossbeams.
Yet, with the exception Of the masonry
falling away in a few places. the building
is reported to have come through in fairly
good shape.
1t is reasonable to suppose, in Mr.. Star
rett's opinion, that if the building had been
cOnStruCted around a modern steel frame
such as is used in the New York skysora per
it would have stood the strain. None of
the big construction companies would say
yesterday that they intended TO enter the
field for contracts in rebuilding San Fran
cisco, but it is thought they will, New
York contractors put up a good many of
Baltimore's modern skyscrapers.
Several prominent business men in Wall
Street suggested yesterday that a good,
practical way for the Federal Government
to help San Francisco would be to make a
fiat rate Of 81 so a ton for building material
moved over the Panama Railroad. This
ratio would, it was said, pay o good profit
for the haul over the Isthmus and for
handling at the terminals. John F. Wal
laoc, formerly chief engineer of the Panama
Canal Commission, said yesterday that
such a suggestion was entirely practical.
The United Cigar Stores Company an
nounced yesterday that it will open
new stores in San Francisco at the
earliest possible moment.