The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-24
ALABAMA PIG IRON
TWO BLAST FURNACES ARE PUT
 IN EXPIRATION.
Sales Are Reporxed to Be Good But h sninll Lefn--There Has Been
 No Ehanxe tn QuOta- f 31cuA.

. down of the cast iron pipe plant of the United. States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company at Bessemer and the embarrassment of pipe concern in the Sheffield territory Announcement Is made, however, that the big United States Company cast iron pipe plant at Anniston. which. has been out of blast for several weeks will be start ed up again Monday a week. The Bes- semer rolling mills, belonging to the Tennessee Goal. Iron and Railroad Company. are now working day and night, with the machinery, recently re- paired turning out a larger amount of the product than ever before. A large number of mill bands are being given employment and statements coming from apparently authoritative sources would indicate that there will be steady operation for some time to come. SssS
 On top of this is the fact that roc ords at the big steel splant of the Ten- nessee Company at Ensley are still be- ing smashed, the open hearth mills turning out a larger tonnage of in- gots one night the past week than ever before in the same length of time.
 Alabama pig iron makers are sell ing iron right along though in small lots. There has been no change in quotations. the s1s.se per ton rate for No. foundry, still being maintained notwithstanding theae1ow demand. The manufacturers assert that conditions are beginning fo look up some and the announcements of assumptions around the country are encouraging. All or ders, are being filled promptly, in fact the consumers gre having all desires met in regard to delivery.
 The Sloss-Shefiield Steel and Iron Company are. now getting iron from their No furnace at North Birming- ham. while the. torch has been applied to the Central Iron Company's fur. mace at Holt. in Tuscaloosa County. The Sloss- -Sheffield Steel and Iron Company has three other furnaces in the immediate Birmingham district, two of which could be started up on very short notice, but so far there is no Intention In that direction. As stated before there has been a little Improvement in the demand for local brand iron but not enough to warrant the bettering Of the output to the ex- tent of second furnace being blown in at once. It ig believed however that before President J. C. Maben of the sIoss-shefieid Steel and Iron Com pany, returns from his trip to Rome Italy, that there win have been occa- sion for the torch to have been placed to second furnace in the immediate district.
 Thesvisit of T ". Guthrie of Pitts burg. President of the Republic Iron and Steel Company, to the Birmingham district. means something and 1t is ex- pected that ere long this company will be in a position to not only start up one or two blast iron furnaces but one or both of the rolling mills. Du- ring his stay in the district Mir. Guth rife was quoted as saying that the flu. ture looked bright and that he be- lieved that it would not be long be. fore there would be q general resump- ton of plants and the establishment the present slump set in. Mir. Guthrie spoke in an optimistic vein while in the Birmingham district.
 J. w. Mcqueen, President of the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron Com pany, who is the. general sales agent of the company also, was not back ward whatsoever, in .expressing him. self during the week. He said that there YVES no doubt whatsoever as to the iron market improving steadily, He said that he did not believe fine time was far distant when conditions would be found in the same condition so happily talked about this time last wear.
 Other authorities on iron and steel when seen were just as frank in their expression as to the bright future. On all sides the only qualifications of an early resumption up and down the Iine was that this being a presidential year the improvement might not Ix as rapid as some would like to see it.
 The smaller producers of iron in this district are again selling their product right along and in a short while if is expected that the books. will begin to show quite an aggregate for the first half of the year. the sales for the first make.
 Many rumors are still heard. the United States Steel Corporation com. ing In for the bulk of the talk. If i, pretty generally heard in this secfior that the big steel corporation is after more property. It is hardly probable that the properties in/ this section of the Republic Iron and Steel Company Will be taken over as 1t will be re. memoered there was some inuuiry l made before the Tennessee Coal, Iroy and Railroad Companys propertfe, were acquired to find out whether there would be any violation of the trust laws. The Republic Company owns ir this section three blast iron furnaces two rolling mills, a number of ore anC coal mines. coke ovens and other prop critics. There Is some talk heard alsC Of the Steel Corporation acouirins ] properties of the Bessemer Land anC | Improvement Company. including coa mines and land and lots and blocl | property in Bessemer. Still other tall Is heard but there is no definite infor nation to be given out in this sectio1 | of the country.
 Coal and Coke.
 | The coal operations in Alabama ar, | uAe made that the Tennessee Conpany fl now getting coal from its No. i2 shaf in the Pratt mines division. A Ilttl later on 1t Is proposed to place cou victs at work in this shaft. Othe mines which have been idle for severa weeks have been started up again an, there has been a decided improvement The Republic Company has all of It coal mines in operation again. Tn Tennessee Company started up anoth I CT battery of coke ovens in the Prat mines division Saturday and wil | shortly have the others in blast. Ther
 Is little better demand for coke. Tn Sloss-Shefleld Steel and Iron Conlpan, recently started up some of it's cok ovens also.
 The annual report of the State Min 1 Inspector of Alabama for the year I9O
 shows that there were 14,417,S63 ton
 Of coal mined last year. 3,O96.722 ton
 of coke; 20.3SS men and boys empIoye, in and outside of coal mines, of wllicI number there were 13.690 0Nminers. Du
 ring the past year 154 men lost thei | lives in coal mines of Alabama, 57 o these meeting their fate on Decembe IS when the explosion occurred in tn YoIande mines. The prospects for tn l present year are exceptionally bright
 If there Is decided Improvement Il the danoand in the ffnra adfafa fYrff1g.