The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-18
PIG IRON MARLEI
NO wEAKNUss DgsCuRnynLE rs
 BIRMINGHAM nTsTnICF.
Preauct is ssla fes Msnths Ahead and Manufacturers are Hecefyang
 Healthy Price foy OutDut.
 Hepairing Furnaces.

Birmingham, Feb. 1T.--(Spectal. )--If there is any weakness in the Aisbama pig iron market tt Is not admitted al any office in Birmingham.
 A statement made by a young iron man to the effect that the railroad car shortage and the inability of the trans portation companies to move the prod uce was responsible to great extent to the strong market. could hardly be taken to mean that there was any danger in the near future that the market was going to break. While there was no great activity in the way of buying during the past week, the conditions do not warrant any worry in the least. The manufacturers have sold up as far as the probable marke for the first half of the year goes and large proportion of the third-quar- ter iron has been disposed of.
 Some few sales have been made of the probable make in the last quarter of the year. Quotations are holding firmly, No. ? foundry for delivery to- wards the latter part of the year hold ing at more than $1s.50 per ton. With few more weeks of an active mar ket the probable make for the entire year will have been disposed of. When it Is considered that a few years ago the furnace companies in this district
 
 more than three months ahead. because of the changeabie conditions of the market. the remarkable conditions with the probable, make sold up several months ahead Is easily seen.
 There Is good profit in prices that are now prevailing despite the state ments that the cost Is greater now than 1t has ever been in this section of the country. All iron that brings more than $1i has been an immense profit in it. The production of iron in Alabama is about holding it's own. For some weeks it was be lieved the production could be improved, but the repairing of furnaces Is not as easily task as one would think and all dates given for the applying of the torch go astray often.
 In the next few weeks now the torch should be applied to two furnaces al least in this State. Men are at work on five furnaces in the immediate Bir- mingham district alone. one furnace in the Sheffield district and one furnace tn the Anniston district are being re- paired and should be in readiness to make iron before long.
 Manufacturers of pig iron are still disgusted with the railroad facilities. The shipments of iron are not as ex- tensive as many thought they would be this month. The railroads show but little improvement in their capa- cities and as consequence the aggre- gate business for the month will hardly show much of an increase. If any, over the amount of iron that was moved last month.
 One half of the accumulated iron on the yards on the turn of the new year will hardly be removed by March |. As far as can be learned, there will be no change in program looking to an advance of 25 cents per ton on pig iron In freight rates from the Southern territory to the Ohio River and then the 20 cents advance in freight rates north of the river. The advance will go into effect on March 3.
 Considerable qualification is noted on the official figures as to the pig iron output in Alabama for the past year. Aiabam is fourth in the production of pig Iron in the United States, Pennsyl vania, Ohio and Illinois being ahead of this State. In the order named. Ala bama's production in 1906, amounted to I.6T4,84S tons as compared to 1,604,- 062 tons In 1905, and 1,543,513- tons in 1904 Pennsylvania last year produced f1,247, ,s69 tos of iron; Ohio, 5.327.1Ss tons and Illinois, 2,t56,S66 tons. Ala bama produced 25S< tons of charcoal iron last yeas. When 1t is considered that the United States produced last year but 25,507I9I tons of pig iron, Alabama's output Is to be considered lightly.
 Alabama and Virginia together pro- duced 569.972 basic iron (including charcoal iron) almost all of which went into steel. The charcoal iron was used in manufacturing car wheels and kindred articles. It was expected a few months since that the production in Alabama during 1906 would show a falling of as compared to the produc- ton fer the previous year, 1905, the railroad situation being very bad in the raw material field as we'll as in the carrying away of the manufactured article.
 When the figures became known and it was shown that there was an in crease show nthe past year over 1905.