The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-25
Tennessee Co, Needs Larger
 Merchant Metal Output
EVERYONE MORE CHEERFUL
Plants of Southern Iron and Steel Com pany Expected to Be Put in oper- aton Soon-lron Market Is
 Very Brisk.
BY WILLIAM RYAN.

blow in several furnaces. It's only furnaces in operation since those of the Ensley division were blown out few weeks ago, have been four at Bes- semer. But the activitys in the Iron market calls for additional output of merchant metal on the part of the Tennessee company, and recent orders for rails will render 1t necessary to start up one or more pig makers on basic iron for the steel mill.
 While 1t has not been quite determ- med which of the furnaces will be lighted to meet present demands, it Is understood that one at Ensley. one al Oxmoor and the Alice in Birmingham will be blown in at about the same time. President George G. Crawford and General Manager of Sales F. A. Burr are still in the north. MT. Craw- ford will probably return early next starting the idle stacks will not be announced until his arrival.
 As was stated in this column yester- day the Tennessee company has about enough rail business on it's books now to keep the steel plant running during July and August. And with the Har- riman order for 1s,0O0 tons of rails, specifications for which will be shortly forthcoming, it Is reasonable to think that the Ensley works will be in opera ton continuously during the rest of the
 year, for before the orders in hand are
 filled considerable other rail tonnage
 is almost sure to be secured.
 The country has entered upon a new era of prosperity. Business revival has come much sooner than all but the real optimists had predicted. But it is here, and it will not be long before the Bir- mingham district Is getting it's full share of everything in the prosperity line.
 In times past panics were followed by long periods of depression but this coun- try is bigger and richer than 1t used to be and its recuperative power is correspond ingly increased. In the winter of 1907-0S all industrial centers looked like grave yards. Birmingham was not hit as hard relatively as Youngstown or Pittsburg, but things did look pretty blue here for four or five months, notwithstanding the fact that the Tennessee company kept it's Ensley plant going at full capacity right through 1908.
 But our worst depression came apparent ly in the spring of this year. just as other iron and steel districts were begin ming to recover from the panic. Early in the year 1t was known that the Ten nessee company had run out of rail orders and for weeks before the rail mill actually shut down people were going around with long faces as if the bot tom had dropped out. And to make mat ters still gloomier the high officials of the Tennessee company did not see any prospects of an early resumption at Ems ley. Of course, Birmingham is no longer as dependent upon one or two concerns as 1t was in other days, but the stopping of the steel mill was sorely felt both sentimentally and practically from pay roll point of view. Thousands of work men hereabouts continued to find employ ment at good wages; but still the public were desperately eager for the time to come when the great industry of the Steel City would be in evidence again.
 Well, now that Ensley Is resuming after brief, instead of long shut diwn. the faint hearted feel as If they had awaked, so to speak. from a troubled dream. But the effect of the resumption is far reaching and everybody Is talking about the busy summer that Is looking us in the face. Moral: Never be pessi- &t.t. &1-. as the hills are full of coal and iron and the men are here to develop and turn into gold natures vast bounty.
 President W. IL Hassingsr of the Southern Iron and Steel company smiles but declines to take the public into his confidence concerning the date when he will set his plants a. going. It can be stated semi-authorita- lively, however, that some time in July the properties of the reorganized South ern Steel will be rehabilitated and in op- eration. This company will afford employ ment for several thousand men, and will mean much in the way of augmenting the districts pay rolls.
 The pig iron market Is now stronger than it has been at any other time this year and is very active. The Brming- ham Coal and Iron company and the Re- public are still out of the selling race, and the Tennessee company stepped out of the market last Tuesday. The latter company has sold an immense tonnage, and it is not stated when it will be in the market again The northern irons have ad- vanced in price, and the Birmingham metal Is starting on an upward schedule The Sloss-S Sheffield, which had been quot ing s12, reported a sale yesterday at SIP .25 for No. g.
 I may be over-bullish. but my guess Is that iron Will climb to S15 by the coming fall