The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
P|G IRON MARKET HASSTRENGTHENED Business on Books of Com
 panies Increases RAILROADS BUYING
Their Activity Is Pronounced Feature of the Market-$10.75 Birming- ham for Third Quarter Is the
 Minimum in the South

New York, April 24-tspecial) )-The Iron Age will say tomorrow:
 The market for pig iron and finished steel products has broadened and strengthened and the indications of a buyers market are lessening. The ad- vances of bars to 1.20c and of plates and structural shapes to 1.25c, Pitts burgfi announced by number of steel companies in the past week, followed con siderable bookings in all three lines at the old prices. Business on the books of the steel companies has increased in spite of heavy shipments.
 Railroad buying is a more pronounced feature, the Hartman lines, Atchison, Canadian Pacific, Grand Trunk, Wabash, Louisville and Nashville, St. Paul and Kanawha inquiries are for a total of 40,OO0 cars, all of which are likely soon to be placed
 Canadian lines have yet to buy 100000 tonsNof rails for this year and half of this or more will come to this country.
 Some cutting on structural material is still noticed in eastern markets.
 The bookings of pipe and tube mills are in excess of shipments. The advance in oil is stimulating line work and 1000 ton contract of this sort is pend- ing.
 An event in the roofing trade is the an- nouncement of the leading producer that sales will be made hereafter by weight
 The Chicago and central western pig iron markets have been active and the tendency of prices is still upward. Sales at Chicago the past two weeks are put at 10000 tons. In southern iron. s1o D, Birmingham. for No. ?, third quarter de- livery appears to be minimum and s11 for fourth quarter.
 Cleveland O., April Especial. 1.-The Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say:
 Heavy buying of pig iron, extensive buying of finished materials and a pretty general acquiescence in nearly all recent advances in prices characterized the mar ket during the past week. Pig iron stocks in the country today are about 100000 tons, which Is a reduction of fully 100000 tons from the high point several months ago. All districts have shown a reduction but the shrinkage in the middle west has been specially heavy. Consumers showed a disposition to con- tract lberally and were often anxious to make contracts farther ahead than the steel makers, who were endeayoring to confine contracts, except to agri- cultural implement makers, to October 1. At the new prices bars are s4 lower than they were a year ago, and shapes and plates $3 lower A sign of returning prosperity is the increasing disposition of Chicago mills to quote on a Pittsburg basis. Makers of malleable castings have been prompt buyers, especially at Cleve- land, Cincinnati and Buffalo.
 In the basic market 15,000 tons have been sold at Cincinnati for a central western consumer An eastern buyer who has been inquiring for from 10000 10 25, 600 tons of basic has decided not to company which requires 12000 tons per month is expected to buy for at least months requirements or to make a long time contract at an early date. Cast iron pipe makers have made large purchases in eastern territory Activity has con tinued in the Chicago market, where large tonnages have been purchased. Structural awards in eastern territory amounted to from 20,0G0 to 25,000 tons, including 5300 tons for Stern Bros store; 200O tons for New York; 1000 tons for an insurance companys building at Hart ford, Conn, awarded to A. F.. Norton & Co.,; 29O0 tons for a loft at Twenty sixth street and Broadway, New York | awarded to Milliken Bros; 1000 tons for a factory in New York, awarded to Ra- witch Bros. The American Bridge com- pany has taken from 400 to 5000 tons for the Widener hotel, Atlantic City. The Brier Hill Steel company, Youngstown. has awarded a contract for about 10,o0o tons of steel for it's new open-hearth plant | to the American Bridge company 1 The first cargo of Wabana Newfound- Ia nd o,.a ic a1 n In delphia the first week in May. About l 165 900 tons of this ore is now under con- tract. The buying of Lake Superior ore l is continuing at a reduced rate. as nearly | all the large consumers have provided I for their requirements. Although an un- precedented amount of ice covered the lakes this spring, 1t has been disappear ing much more rapidly than usual after cold winter, and it is said that there will be heavy movement of ore fearly in May.