The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-10-19
BIG GAINS FOR
STEEL AND IRON
is on the Jump;
Orders Pouring in and
Mills Getting Behind

Pittsburg, Oct. 1S.-Last week just
as the wiseacres were asserting that
the pace set by the pig iron market in
Pittsburg district was too fast for
present Industrial prospects in finished
material lines, the Steel Corporation
interests, the railroads and the consum-
ers of steel pipe and tubing came for
ward with evidences of the substan-
tial character of the regeneration of
the iron and steel trades. Announce
ments were made of price advances on
sheets, tin plate, wire. steet pipe and
tubing. and there was accelerated
activity in rails and every branch of
the iron and steel industry.
Meantime, all grades of pig iron held
firmly, and new high points were es-
tablished in sales of foundry and basic
irons for 1910. The continued short
age of labor in the coke fields pre-
vented the hoped for increase in pro-
duction, and gave a further excuse for
advancing furnace coke toward the
SO mark. Sixty furnaces are in blast
out of So in what commonly is known
as the Pittsburg district.
The advance of 50 a ton on the black
and galvanized sheets and tin plate,
announced on September 20 by the
American Sheet c Tin Plate Co., and
in effect the same day, came as a sur
prise to the trade, which had been eX-
pecting the old prices to hold until
late in the fall. A week previous the
combine had advanced blue and an
nealed sheets 81 a ton; and at that time
a number of the independents put up
their prices 81 on black and galvan-
lied, while there. was an irregular up
ward movement in tin plate by the in
dependents, so hat the advance may
be said to ave been forced on the
Steel Corporation. This advance puts
black sheets, 28 gauge, at 2.30c, and
galvanized 3.35; while tin plate now
stands at $3.50 per 100-pound cake tin,
with Independents asking 10 and in
some cases Is cents more. A second
advance by the leading interest is an
ticipated in tin plate before the first
of the year.
The American Steel & Wire Co. on
Thursday also announced an advance
of IA of l cent a pound, or $2.S5 cents
a ton, on steel galvanized wire. The
standard products of wire nails, barb
and plain wire were not affected. In
creased demand since the first of Sep
TENDER enabled the wire company to
make the advance above the prices es-
tablished during the depression. On
Friday the National Tube Co. joined
the procession by moving up the min
imum quotation on wrought pipe and
boiler tubes So a ton.
The award of orders from the Penn
s~ylvania, st. Paul, Missouri Pacific and
Great Western, for standard rails, to-
falling 800, 500 tons for delivery during
the winter and early months of -910-
of which practically all is for Besse-
mar-together with pending orders
from New York Central, the Grand
Trunk and other northern lines for
900, 600 tons more, encouraged the be-
lief that the Carnegie rail mills would
be operated to full capacity within an
other month Pittsburg rail experts
believe 1910 will be. a record year.
With nearly half a million tons of
standard rails on the books of the Illi-
noiS Steel Co, over half of which is
Bessemer, it seems certain future de-
mands of the Steel Corporation for
Bessemer rails must come to the Pitts
burg mills. The Alabama mills already
are we'll filled, a large part of their
tonnage being for export.
Contracts in the west for many miles
of heavy pipe lines for Oklahoma and
Texas also assure the pipe mills a
steady winters run. The Kansas Nat
ural Gas Co. will build a 60-mile 16-
inch line from Joplin, Mo-, into Okla
homa. Another order from FIT. Worth,
Texas, calls for ITO miles of heavy
pipe. Orders for boiler tubes also in
crease the work pending on the books
of the pipe and tube companies. A
requisition from lie Baltimore & Ohio
calls for tubes for so locomotives.