The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-16

| d Hfs put the mine temporarily out OF
business and necessitated the scatter
ing of the convicts worked by the COM
pany throughout the other mines OF
the company. Immediately after the
fire was extinguished. with about 10O
conyicts. work of rehablitating the
mine was underta ken.
The Pratt company works state coa-
victs and the convicts of Jefferson and
about 15 other counties
/ prices for hoops and bands, the mills
nave not been rolling the stock of
cotton ties usually accumulated in adj
vance of the season. Europe, under
present conditions, could do little to
make up any shortage that might re-
suit.
| Cleveland, January 15.--(Special.) =
The Iron Trade Review today says:
The pressure for delivery of finished
materials continues very strong and
quotations on sheets have been adj
lvaneed So a ton above the prevailing
minimum quotations and on other steel
products recent prices, including some
very high premiums for prompt deliv-
cry, are fully maintained. Leading
steel makers declare that there Is not
a defect in the physical and underly-
ing conditions in the industry at pres
ent. and they ascribe the current de-
cline in securities TO professional
manipulation Though the market is
seasonable quieter there is nothing in
sight that indicates any fundamental
reaction Heavy sales of finished ma
terials, particularly plates shapes and
bars are being made by the larger
producers for third and fourth quar-
! tiers at regular prices.
, Indications are that recent heavy
buying by railroads has been heavier
than was reported. In the case of the
order for the Hartman lines it is now
believed that the order was for more
than 10000 cars as one builder is said
to have received 1880 cars. Addi-
tiona1 financing has just been con-
cluded by the Baltimore and Ohio on
heavy scale and it is intender in part
to provide for new equipment. The
United States Steel corporation has
bought 1000 cars, divided among the
Pressed Steel Car company the Stand
ard Steel Car company and the Ameri-
can Car and Foundry company for its
railroads in Minnesota. 1t has also or
dered 13 locomotives.
Otis Steel company steel has been
for the recent large order for loco
motives for the Hartman lines.
An order of unusual interest is that
placed by the Harlan & Hollinsworth
corporation with English mills for sew
eral thousand tons of ship building ma
terial under the recent ruling of the
United States treasury department ad-
mitting free of duty materials for YES
sells intended for the American mer-
chant marine. The price Is understood
to have been about equal to that pre-
vailing in the eastern market. Heavy
inquiries for structural material for ex-
port to England are pending in the
east.
The furnaces of the great steel max
ing concerns have been under a tre-
mendous pressure and have been un-
able to turn out all the pig iron de-
manded by the steel plants. There has
already been some heavy buying of
Bessemer during the past week and 9TH
er important interests Will place large
tonnages one Jones & Laughlin Steel
Co furnace has been forced out for
repairs. one McKeesport stack of the
National Tube company is out and sew
eral other corporation stacks in the
Pittsburg district are not working
well. One leading southern maker has
sold two lots of 5000 tons of basic
each for second and third quarter ship
ment to st. Louis territory at prevail
ing quotations