The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-15
Pic IRON MARKET
GAINING STRENGTH
Very Firm With Tendency TO
Higher Prices
FOUNDRY IRON is SCARCE
story of an Ohio Manufacturer Who
Would Not Believe Agents and
Took Trip to Birmingham
to See for Himself.
FOUNDRY IRON IS SCARCE

The Birmingham iron indfke1 - 9iohb
and prices have an upward tendency
Spot iron will bring almost anything the
seller has the conscience to ask Tor 1t.
The regular quotations for this years
delivery are SIG to 1850 on a No. basis;
for the first half, $l5
Rogers, Brown & Co.'S Cincinnati report
for the current week says
The demand for pig iron for delivery
during the first half of 1907 continues
and inquiries are coming in constantly
from unexpected sources. Some OF the
important consumers who have been
holding off have decided that nothing Will
be gained by waiting longer before plac-
ing contracts, and a considerable tonnage
has been sold.
Iron producers depending on supply Oh
Lake Superior ores are considerably
alarmed by reason of the notices received
from several ore companies cutting down
their contracts because of inability to
ship the ore this season.
There is a decided scarcity of standard
grades of ore and at present 1t is
question with number OF furnaces
whether they will be able to get SUI
ficient quantity to keep their plants In
operation until the opening of navigation
next year. In view of this fact and the
probable increased difficulty in the mat
ter of coke shipments later in the sea-
son. and the further fact that consump-
ton seems to be increasing, 1t is very
strange that iron producers are willing to
sell at lower prices for delivery during
1907 than for the remainder of 1906 All
indications at present point to as great
shortage of iron early next year as exists
now.
Spot iron, for which there is some
urgent inquiry, brings about $3.50 per ton
more than current quotations on next
years iron. Blast furnace companies evil
IDENTIFY are keeping prices down so that
consumption will not be curtailed next
year
The coke situation is serious. Scarcity of
labor and of cars combined keep the
furnaces on the ragged edge and some
of them are obliged to bank occasional
". There is no immediate prospect of re-
lief.
Matthew Addy & Co.'s Cincinnati report
follows
There are so many features in the pig
iron situation that 1t is difficult to say
which is the most interesting. The de-
mand for sp<- shipment on old orders is
strong. And the distress of foundrymen
who are short of iron Is annoying.
There is a hurry call for more iron than
can be supplied The worst of this situa-
ton is that the end is not In sight. On
the contrary there Is no doubt at all but
as we get further along in the year con-
ditions will not improve. They are GER
tain to grow more strenuous, and in
Birmingham where things are acuter
than elsewhere they are predicting that
No. 2 foundry will go to $40 before the
end of the year. One of the leading man
ufacturers o. Ohio did not believe the
stories he heard from us and others re-
garding the scarcity of iron In the SOUTH
He wouldn't take anyone's word for 1t,
and went to Birmingham to make a per-
sonal investigation. The result was that
on his return here he promptly-for he
was In need of iron-purchased the vari-
GUS odds and ends that were offered for
the balance of this year.
As one of the representatives of a large
Birmingham furnace interest put It,
spot iron is worth pretty much what
your conscience will permit you to ask
for it, The heavy tonnage has been for
shipment over the first half of 1907. Very
few furnaces are unwilling to sell ahead.
In fact most of them have no objection
at present obtainable prices to sell as far
ahead as consumers wish to go. 1t is the
general rule. however, to sell for the en-
tire first half or not at all, Everything
on the list Is selling freely for 1907, and
long before the new year comes it is like
ly that furnace order books will be full.
The railroads In the south are falling
down badly in handling coke They are
not able to supply enough empty cars,
and they are not able to move freight
quickly. In this respect the situation is
very bad. In the north things are better,
but not good enough for any Dragging.