Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-12-17

PittSburg dispatch credits the
United States Steel corporation with ax-
erting restraining influence on the
market. 1t says the corporation checked
the rising tide of prices on some grades
OF Pig iron, crude steel and even tiu-
ished product. In It's recent advance on
sheets, tin plates. pipe and tube products
and crude and rolled steel, it has always
been anticipated by the Independents,
having maintained the lower price levels
Tor several weeks after the INDEPENDENTS
have Withdrawn them.
A tlttsburg observer states that there
seems to be little doubt that consumers
of sheet bars are facing serious short
age OF that product for first quarter of
the new year. There is some tonnage of
sheet bars in speculative hands. which
VIII probably come out just before the
first OF the year, Prompt sheet bars
We're easy 10 obtain the last two or three
weeks, which has luiled some consumers
INTO a false security as to next years
supply
The November preliminary returns in,
dicate that new orders for wire products
have averaged 1900 tons per day, while
specifications have been at the rate of
1000 tons per day. These are the two
most conspicuous examples of activity
IN finished steel. but with the exception
OF rails there has been scarcely depart
ment that has not been crowded with ac-
cnmulatcd business, and the IIesSure ON
the crude steel output has been even
greater than in October, although some
relief has been obtained through the
turning over of the rail mills 10 billets
and the putting in of additional open
hearth capacity at Gary
Owing to rush orders for steel wheels,
to be delivered not later than February
l. all the matchmaking plants of the
pittshurg district have begun To pnlor.ye
their plants. The Pennsylvania Rail-
road company's order for 10000 wheels
alone will consume 10000 tons of open
hearth steel and will neceSSitate the sew
eral companies handling this order to en-
large their plants SO as to make the
quick delivery demanded The Brooklyn
Rapid Transit company has placed an
order for 1900 wheels with the Carnegie
Steel Wheel company.
Men connected with the Baldwin I.o-
comotive works of Philadelphia conf
IDENTIFY believe they have worked out
problem and developed a method where
by single expansion on locomtives may
be made double-expansion, articulated
engines of the Mallet type. That this
comotiyes now running, but which, be
cause of inferior efficiency, would soon
go to the scrap heap, is believed to be
certain.
Railroad activities have been notable
mainly in placing of large orders for
cars The November orders have aggre-
gated $4,000 cars. Locomotive contracts
too, have been less LIBERAL preliminary
|, N ~
Der against 600 in October. Rail con-
tracts. too. have been only about half
what they were in October, the rail mills
receiving new business for less than 300,
600 tons in November, against 5O0OO0
tons in October. but specifications ON con,
tracts previously reported have also been
250000 tons. Incidental to the placing
OF car contracts. 100000 steel wheels
have been ordered, while nearly double
this number of east wheels have been re-
qltfred
Prospects are that the heavy pressure
on the plate mills will continue. In ad-
dition to the large volume of business
now on the order books through the
large work in steel car, steel ship and
structural work already placed, large
projects in car, boat and CONSTITUTIONAL
work are constantly appearing.
The Erie railroad has closed contracts
for 10000 kegs of spikes and good bit
of this kind Of work is now being placed,
but rails are still dull The Lehigh Val
ley has ordered 1000 tons from the Beth
lehem Steel company and $500 tons from
the Carnegie Steel company,
The Carnegie Steel company is rushing
work on its new steel wheel plant nj
Homestead, where wheels will be made
by the new process, and the plant is eN-
pected to be ready for operation Janu-
airy /. 1t will have capacity of 400
wheels a DAY and is said 20 be only a
| forerunner Of what will be done along
the line of turning out that kind of wheel
| in the near future.
The Wilkes rolling mills at Sharon.
| Pa, has resumed after shutdown of
several months, during which repairs and
alterations have been completed that
| have changed the nature of the plant. 1t
| has returned to the making Of the old
| fashioned iron base tin plate. the orig
| inal form of making tin plate out Of
wrought iron sheets instead of steel
| sheets. 1t is claimed that tin plate with
the pure iron base will last longer than
| any steel sheet stock and is less in.
| clned to corrosion.
| The output Of the last half of this
| year with December estimated, is expect
| ed to run very close to 14,5OO,OOO tons
| or at the rate of 100000 tons per an
mum, whereas the first six months pro
| duccd only 11,022,0O0 tons, but little
| above a yearly rate Of 22,OOO,0OO tons
! If the prosperity Of the iron trade con
| tnues throughout next year. and this
| prophets of the trade are 80 predicting
| the American iron trade should show d
| total production Of between 81 10000
| and 33OO0,OOO tons Of iron.
4 contract has been completed with
| the Colorado Fuel & Iron company for
the early delivery Of GOO tons Of 10
| pound steel rails to be used on the San
| Diego d Arizona railroad, eastward from
TIA Juana through Mexico. Six thou
| sand tons of these steel rails viii make
200 carloads, and they will be sufficient
| to lay about forty-three miles of road
This order means an expenditure Of
$4,000.
Last week the sales Of standard stee
| rails by the Illinois Steel compan.
| amounted to about 10000 tons. practi
| caly all being Bessemer, The cntir,
| quantity was sold to western roads ant