The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-27
IRON STEEL AND COAL
WEEKS REVIEW OF MINERAL, ms.
TRICT CONDITIONS.
Prices for Pig Iron Corts,u. Cen.
With Demand Increasin~-Um-
proving Railroad Equipment
to Handle Product

| ING from the iron mart so far az iron
LOT delivery during the fourth quar-
eef vi tnis year and the first three
months In next year is concerned,
There Is no doubt but that the con-
sumers are going to require a large
tonnage of iron to complete their CON
tracts on hand and IL there is no nm
looked for interruption the iron man
ufacturers in the Southern territory
are going to enjoy. unstinted prosper
ity Tor many months to come. There
Is absolutely nothing to be seen on
the horizon to mar the expectations.
Labor troubles are to be magnified a
| little in prospect, but the conservative
| element Is believed to be in control
and the magnificent prosperity In in
| dustria1 lines which has been on now
long and has been continually improv-
| ing until today 1t is on a high pin
nacle will continue for some time to
| come.
| The Alabama furnace companies are
| giving more attention now to the out
put than anything else It is not an
easy task by any means to keep the
furnaces in the best of repairs and
require them to keep a strong output
| up. When furnaces are once out Of
commission for repairs, this work can
not be done as rapidly as the manage
| ment desires Labor making repairs
| about furnaces is not as plentiful as
| the companies desire II and in some
instances the companies in this district
is using the same from place to place.
Furnace repairing is tedious job, too,
especially when efforts are being made
to get the Iron makers in shape as
rapidly as possible.
Iron Prices High.
Iron quotations are as high as they
have ever been, save for short Pc
Rod once when a runaway market was
on. Iron for delivery during the first
three months in next year is selling
at but from so cents to 81 per ton un-
der the iron that is TO be delivered
| during the fourth quarter of this year.
Twenty dollars per ton for No.
foundry iron appears to be a common
quotation now for the product delivery
during the latter part of the last half
of this year.
Furnace company oficials deny that
there is any iron being sold In this
district for future delivery under
1880 and $40 per ton. No. 2 foundry.
While the statement is reiterated
that the cost of making iron is high
er now than it ever was in Alabama,
1t is admitted that there Is handsome
profit In the transactions now on. The
only regrettable condition in the pres
emit mart as existing In this section
is the fact that the production Is not
as healthy as some of the manufao-
turers would like to see. 1t Is stated
on good authority also that no date
can be set when an appreciate I'M
provement In the production OF pig
iron will be brought ABOUT. heports
are received almost daily In Birming-
ham of furnaces being repaired near
ing completion but every time date
is fixed when the torch will be ap-
piled there Is a postponement TOT some
treason.
Spot iron is being dealt in by some
of the manufacturers in this state,
premium of from SO to "a per ton be-
ing given by those who need the IRON
and want Immediate delivery. Inc
railroads are giving jam-up service
and when a manufacturer sell spot
iron and stipulates the product WITHIN
| a. week, the orders are filled. AT nrse
| the smaller iron manufacturers in THIS
| district were indulging In the spot
business. but after urgent contracts
| had been filled by some of the larger
producers, they, too, entered the bust
ness and such companies as the Sioss-
Sheffield Steel and Iron are known 10
have been selling recently on the spot
| mart,
Demand for Pig.
Alabama pig iron is going out in all
directions, principally to the West.
The product has been given such
thorough test now that even consum-
ers who have never purchased OUTSIDE
of the Pittsburg district. are frequently
noticed buying from the Southern max
ers.
Not alone is pig iron booming in this
State, but cast iron pipe. soil pipe ana
steel products. The announcement or
big sales of steel rail for delivery dur
ing 1908 has had considerable erect
on the general market as well as the
statements going all over the worlo
that the open hearth steel rail Is being
sought now in preference to the Bes-
semer steel rail The Tennessee Coal,
Iron and Railroad Company expects to
have the new steel plant, located be-
tween Ensley and Wylam, in this dis
trict ready for operation by the first
of next year. The plant Is large one
and a casual inspection of the work
being done does not look so satisfae-
tory However, the company Is we'll
prepared to meet the contracts already
made 1t is understood, however, that
other business Is under consideration
as to steel rail and that before long
some other large transactions Will ne
announced. The operation OF the large
new mill will require a larger amount
of pig iron and the Tennessee Company
will desert the open mart more or less
using its own iron for the steel plant.
Local mishaps at furnaces in Ala
hama had some effect on the produc-
ton. Just as rapidly as possible, all
repairs are made about the iron max
ers and the torch is applied again.
Raw material supplies in Alabama
are being given close attention by the
iron manufacturers. Ore mines are
being enlarged or new ones being
opened up. The Sloss- Sheffield Steel
and Iron Company and the Tennessee
Coal, Iron and Railroad Company in
particular have during the past few
months been working on their ore
mines and the output has been steadily
improved The Sloss- Sheffield Company
in particular has been giving atte-
ton to their brown ore mines in the
Russellville (Ala0 district. and an of
fcial statement by the President OF
the company is to the effect that many
thousand dollars arc being expended
in placing the mines in a position to
produce a large quantity of ore The
company has three furnaces within
short distance, comparatively, of Rus
sellville.
Soil pipe makers report conditions
good with large quantities of the pro-
duct still going to the far west
steel rod, wire and nails are going
in quantity to the Southwest. Texas
points in particular
New Railroads In District.
The coming of new railroads to the