The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-05
.P|G IRON PRICES FAVOR THE BUYER However, the Market Has
 Grown More Active CANADIAN CONTRACT Calgary Buys 10000 Tons of Line Pipe-Demand for Finished
 Products Holds Up Bet
 ter Than Expected

New York, October 4.-(Special)-The
 Iron Age will say tomorrow:
 The answer the September pig iron
 statistics give to the question everywhere
 asked as to the effect on demand of the
 recent disturbances in the steel trade is
 certainly not unfavorable. Pig iron pro- duction increased last month and Is still increasing. The total output of coke and anthracite iron last month was 1,917,lO2 gross tons or 65,9OS tons day, against a rate of 62,15O tons day in August. The active list showed a net gain of 10 furnaces last month and the producing
 capacity was 66, 46S tons day from 21S
 furnaces on October l, against 6s,214 tons day from 2o3 furnaces on September 1. The pig iron market has grown more active, but the course of prices still favors the buyer. In basic iron, sales east of the Alleghanies in the past week
 have amounted to about 15.00O tons, di- vided among steel works in Connecticut,
 New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
 The volume of demand for finished
 products has held up bette rthan has been
 generally credited. There was some de- crease in the total of orders on the books
 of the steel companies in September. but it was not large. Prices have yielded in
 some directions. One of the largest mer-
 chant pipe contracts in years has been
 closed by the leading producer with the
 Western Gas Light, Heat and Power
 company of Calgary, Canada. It calls for
 10000 tons of line pipe.
 | Cleveland, October 4.-(Special. 1.-The | Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say: | The outlook for better railroad buying | in the iron and steel market is more
 favorable. Leading fabricating interests
 report gratifying inquiry for bridge work 1 in different sections and indications con- | tinue to point to more active buying of equipment.
 l The Baltimore and Ohio railroad, it is
 reported on good authority, will soon | take up the purchase of coco cars. The
 corporation's thrilled tonnage will show
 considerable shrinkage when the next
 statement is made New business on ac- count of disturbed conditions has de- l clined. Export business continues favor
 able. The National Tube company has
 received an order for 40,000 tons of steel
 line pipe for the Canadian Western Gas | Light Heat and Power company. Pig ] l to 1,96S, ,593 tons, an increase of 46,761 tons. l Daily average for September was 65,620 | tons, compared with 61,995 tons for Au- | gust Production of non-merchant fur
 naces increased only 7197 tons, compared
 with August. while merchant furnaces in
 creased 36,345 tons. The number of stacks
 in blast increased by TO- The most inter-
 esting event of the week in the pig iron
 market was the breaking of the market | on Bessemer pig iron held for over a year at $15 valley. A sale of 1000 tons was
 made to a Cleveland consumer at S14.65 valley.
 In another case $14eO valley was bid, | but the order was not placed, as it was | dependent upon getting a contract for castings. The basic average for Septem- Der was $12.66 valley, the lowest price in years. On the inquiry of the Common
 wealth Steel company of St. Louis for
 2500 tons of basic, bid of sl2.50 has been
 made, but the order has not been placed. | Recent sales of basic pig iron to the East ern Steel works aggregate from 15,000 to 1 10000 tons, the largest sale being for | 10000 tons, running into the first quarter In the Philadelphia district 5000 to COCO | tons of basic were purchased during he
 week and 5000 tons of low phosphorus | iron was taken by a Western Pennsyl- | vania steel company from the Lebanon I district at about $16.50 furnace.
 | Cast iron pipe buyers have been liberal | buyers in eastern territory.