The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-09
MARKET FOR IRON
LONG LOOKED FOR IMPROVEMENT
 HAS COME.
The Manufacturers of Metal in the Ala bamn District Are DfspOsing Of Their Wares Rtght
 Along

| AbOnB.
 Birmingham, Nov.S-(Special)-- )--The 1 long looked for improvement in the ] Southern pig iron market Is now being | experienced.
 | The manufacturers of metal in this section of the country are dtsposing of l their wares right along, delivery next year, and the indications are that by | December there will have been enough orders received to practically care for | the probable make at furnaces in this 1 section during the first three months | of 1909.
 The sales of iron made by the fur | mace companies in Alabama during the
 past week will aggregate considerable. l It was the coneensus of opinion of the | general sales agents or higher officiais of several of the companies. and some of the larger concerns are included. that within twentY.fanr hours after the 1 election there had been sold between 1 fifty and sixty thousand tons of iron.
 There has been business transacted ev- cry day thereafter and the general tone | of satisfaction has been noticeable on
 all sides. There are a number of in- quiries received, too, which promise to result in some business before long.
 As has been mentioned before. the ef- | forts of the general sales agents are be-
 ing extended towards preventing any |
 over enthusiastic market ' prefer
 the steady improvement, no Dombastio | statements of conditions no booming ] of the market" said one of the mag
 mates to a newspaper man who had
 called to get some information as to
 conditions. Tt will be better for all | of us to tell the truth absolutely and
 care for the busifess that comes in."
 And. as the gentlemen spoke, he held
 up for exhibition from his desk an in- | quIry for 5000 tons of Iron to be ship ped to a Middle West State. a dis trict that has been buying iron from
 both the Pennsylvania and Alahamg
 manufacturers as well as from its own district.
 That there has been an appreciabie
 improvement in conditions is not de- nied and there is a general satisfaction
 noted on all sides in this district. The quotations have not changed any as yet. SIS per ton, No. foundry being
 the basis on which all business has been transacted.
 The probable make promises to be covered. that is, for the first three
 months of the coming year, by Decem-
 Der 1. if there is no change in the ex- peetations. The production is to be tn- creased some before another thirty
 days has expired. but exactly how much cannot be stated. The Bioss-Shefield Steel and Iron Company has furnace ready for the torch in the vicinity of Shefifeld- -Florepce but because of a shortage of water at the Russellville
 ore mines with which to wash ore, this iron-maker will be held of for a few days yet. Other companies have fur naces under repairs and will be in con. dition by the end of the year for the torch. if not sooner.
 While no definite statements are
 made. it Is sincerely hoped In this dis
 trict that the improvement in the pig
 iron market will carry along with 1t an improvement in the steel market. There appears to be no doubt of that but there Is no statement forthcoming as to steel as has been with the pig Iron
 conditions. The public announcements
 throughout the country that the big
 railroads will have need for thousands and thousands of tons of steel rail,
 bridge material and other things as- sures the market of both iron and steel
 in this section of the country that there Is to be a decided improvement in general conditions. Then when there is any improvement in general condi- tions the Birmingham district will come in for It's share of the business.
 Following the change for better fin this district, announcements are being made that plans for improvement in plants and property and further devel- opment will at once be taken up and put into execution. Labor Is soon to be collected to take up the immense construction that Is intended by the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Con- pany at and around Ensley. This in- cludes the construction of six-hun- dred-ton metal mixer in the steel plant
 a similar one not being in existence in the world, Onacial announcement has been made by the Alabama Consolidat- ed Coal and Iron Company that $l.bOO,- 900 will be expended In making im- proVements about their plants ana property. The Birmingham Iron and Coal Company and the Sloss-Shemeld steel and Iron Company. both have furnace needing extensive repairing and it Is understood that this will be att tended to. The Central Iron Company will most likely erect cast iron pipe plant at It's Holt furnace. Other ooncerns in this district have in con. temptation some very heavy work In the way of further development or im- movement at its works. There Is no end to the work fin hand and a statn~ ment Is made that early in next year there will be employment here for decidedly larger number of men than is here now ready for employment
 The future appears just as rosy as one would desire 1t to be.
 Cast iron pipe manufacturers in the
 Birmingham district report improve.
 ment in their business and 1t is an'
 nounced that some orders have al
 ready been received. Several bids are
 out on contracts to be awarded from now until the end of the month start
 ing with a contract for something like twelve hundred to sixteen hundred tons
 of pipe and fittings to be let by Nash ,,ltle, Tenn, this week. All pits of cast
 iran pipe makers are being started up