The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-15
PIG IRON MARKET
SOME IMPROVEMENT REPORTED IN
 PIG IRON DISTRICT.
The Pipe Makers Have Been the saI- vation Practically of Iron Mak-
 CTS During the Past Three Months.

Birmingham, March 14.-(Special. J. There Is, some improvement reported in the pig iron market in Alabama and
 some little iron is selling.
 Iron quotations are beginning to
 harden a little. No. foundry being sold yet at $12 though one or two fur | mace companies are holding out for | $12.5o per ton. It is yet reported that l one furnace company is selling under the. SIP per ton rate but 1t is not be- lieved that there Is any great quantity | of iron being disposed of.
 There is some inquiry being received
 for pig ron. The fact that the cast
 iron pipe manufacturers have a large quantity of business on hand with pros- poets of more is most encouraging. The pipe makers have been the salvation practically of the iron makers during the past three months in the South It Is reported currently that the Unit ed States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company will find itself well supplied
 with business for the balance of the year with the 50, 900 ton order said to have been received from San Francisco and that not only will the plants at Chattanooga, Tenn. Anniston and Bes- semer. Ala, be kept in full operation but that other pipe plants in the Southern territory will be given a piece of the work. All the pipe mak- cI nave DOoh piCNNy WClA buppIlSu WlIu business for some time. Just Satur. day the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company shipped four train loads of pipe from their Besse- mer plant on the Cuba order. The pipe presented most encouraging picture. It is proposed to handle the San Francicso order as promptly as possible. This will mean that there will be some iron buying in the near future. The pipe companies buy all of their iron right in the Birmingham dis trict and if 50.O0o tons of iron Is to be counted on this will revive spirits won derfully.
 There has been no reduction so far in the production of pig iron in the Bir- mingham district. and as far as can be learned there is no set date for fur naces to go out of blast. Preparations are still under way to put more fur naces in operation. and at the least need two or three iron makers could be started up.
 The big steel plant of the Tennes- see Company Limited States Steel Corr poration) at Ensley is in operation yet and there is a healthy production. Con. siderable steel is being accumulated. The starting up of the rolling mills of the company at Bessemer tomorrow week will require considerable steel, and 1t Is believed the demand otherwise VIII SnOTLly ldho Ail0 SO Ihdt IHSTV need be no curtailment of production whatsoever, There are rumors that the big mills may be closed down for repairs next month but there Is posi- lively no verihcation of the rumors It is heard on the other hand that South ern and other railroads are in the mar ket for a large tonnage of steel rail manufactured at Ensley and4s that some of the inquiries will result in business. There is a little army of men being given employment at the steel plant.
 Much comment is being made on the annual report submitted at the meet ing of the stockholders of the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron Company at the meeting the past week in Jersey City. J. c. Maben. the president, showed that despite the depression the company was able to add to The sur plus. There were 150,000 tons of pig iron stacked on the yards of the com pany at the end of the year. November s0 1908, but since that time practical ly all of 1t was sold. the statement be- ing made authoritatively that on March 1 this year there was less than 5000 tons of pig iron to be found belonging