The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-17
MARKET IS BRIGHT
AS REGARDS PIG IRON AND
 sTEEL.
With Exception of Coal Mining. There is Rapid Improvement and All Lanes Lead to
 PrOsperity,

ana the future prospects are as rosy as they possibly could be.
 With the exception of the coal min- ing portion of the kindred trades, there IS rapid improvement and all lanes lead to that prosperity which caused So much boosting little over twelve munths ago. The past week brought out several incidents in corroboration of the statement of decided tendency towards better times One furnace was started up again and the pig iron production increased between two hundred and two hundred and fifty tons; repair work on another blast Iron furnace showed up some so that resumption of operations will not be delayed any beyond this month; mo- tice was given that there would be a general resumption in all depart ments of the Bessemer rolling mills this week. breaking of the record in daily output at the steel rail mill in the big plant of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company; receipt of number of orders for pig iron and indications being given that by rea- son of general buying by railroads throughout the country there would be need for larger output in both Iron and steel.
 The announcement that Alabama made stoves were attracting great att tention in the extreme northwest gave
 
 to be happy condition in that line Is evidenced by the fact that these foundries are beginning to lay in some iron for future use. There have been further reductions in the stocks of pig iron on the furnace yards fin this district. Healthy shipments of iron have recently taken place in the Florence -Sheffleld section of Alabama, where it was announced several weeks ago that 8 large tonnage of iron had been allowed to accumulate. This iron is moving out in all directions, Camden, N. J., recently getting some- thing like eleven thousand tons of have taken on some additional strength. While some orders were re- gently taken in on the SIP per ton basis, No. 2 foundry. fifty cents above that price is being asked right along In almost every ofhce in this district, large or small producers. The furnace- men assert that there are reasons why the make should be increased and eff forts in that direction are now ap- parent. Several announcements are made that within sixty days there will be another furnace ready for the torch" The second Ironaton furnace of the Alabama Consolidated Coal & Iron Company is again making Iron. and that company is shipping the product about as rapidly as 1t is be- ing maI~lfactured. The furnace of the Sloss- -Shefie1d Steel & Iron Com pany at Florence, which was to have gone back into blast the past week has been delayed by the necessity of doing additional work on the lining but the time for its resumption Is not so far removed now and fresh mark will be made on the calendar for the month in the industrial line.
 No less than three hundred men will be on hand Wednesday morning of this week when the rolling mills at Bessemer of the Tennessee Coal Iron
 Railroad Company, resume operation. It is announced that every department of the plant will go on again and in some instances on double turn, The force will most likely be increased and before long four hundred to nve hundred men will be working at this plant. The mills were closed down about two and a half weeks ago. the coal supply mostly being the cause for the shut down. It Is understood that there is a good demand for finished iron and steel produced at these mills and that there is enough busi- ness in hand or in sight to guarantee steady employment for the employees of this industry for quite while The mills in Birmingham and Gate City. property of the Republic Iron & Steel Company, are still idle with no Indications of an early resumption, rumors to the contrary notWithstand- ing. - steel plant of the Tennessee Company at Ensley The days production of steel rail was production during the past week, official figures given out show 1,504 tons of the product being produced There Is a strong demand for every ton of the rail that can be furnished and so every department or the big industry Is being operated on full time Considerable labor will be added to the forces at Ensley before the plant is working on double turn. Announcement is made that the stove foundries in this State have re- gently taken on some strong oroers and that there Is a healthy shipment of the product. As consequence the foundrymen are laying in some stock of nie iron. It is stated on the best of authority that stoves in car load lots are being shipped from this State to Arizona, Washington and other Northwestern States. Some of the product Is even finding It's way Into the gold fields of Alaska. While the cheaper grades of stoves are being sold there is a better demand felt for the better product and the prospects are exceedingly bright. An authorita- tive statement gwen Out a ASN ANJS ago was to the effect that Alabama manufacturers were securing trade for their goods in territory that has here tofore been exclusively supplied by | Chicago. St. Louis and other Western | producers.
 Attention is called to the effect that
 while prices for iron in this district are from fifty cents to one dollar per | ton greater than they were month | ago there has been no material check to the inquiry and the buying Some of the customers are making inquiry among tho Northern manufacturers at the same time they are inquiring here. being anxious to ascertain whether the | Southern prices are to be backe ed up in other sections. As far as the in- | formation here goes. the Northern men look to the Southern producers to lead a way, in fact Birmingham nrices have been for some little time now the regulator of the iron business. | so far as quotations go.
 All work in the way of repairing ] furnaces in this State is being rushed SO that there can be a resumption at | the earliest possible moment. There | will be no accumulation of iron In l this state any more this year Is the i confident belief of the producers | A short question to Guy R. Johnson. 1 vice president of the Alabama Consol-
 dated Coal and Iron Company, fin re-
 card to the iron market in this district
 dav or two ago was answered thus:
 "Answering your questionable mark ct
 ia very strong today and I am look | ~. efa or haftar ahorfI1y Tbfa