The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-06-25
MANY MILLS WILL
CLOSE FOR REPAIRS
Idle Capacity In All Branch
es Sharply Increased
RAIL ORDER BY FRISCO
32,000-T0n Order Placed With Ten
nessee Company-Activity In Pig
Iron Limited Almost En-
tirely to East
RAIL ORDER BY FRISCO

Cleveland, o.. June 24--(Spacial.) 1.-THE
Iron Trade Review tomorrow win say:
with the advent of mid-year, idle ca.
pacity in all branches of the iron ano
steel industry will be sharply increased
for periods varying from two weeks tc
a month for making alterations and re.
pairs and IS Independent sheet and tir
plate plants operating under the Amaaga.
mated scale close June 10 for an indefinite
period
'The demand of the association fol
slightly increased wages was refused by
the manufacturers and the conference
adjourned without effecting an agreement
for the year, beginning July l.
Operations on the Lake Superior Iron
ranges are being greatly curtailed The
Stevenson mine, one of the biggest pro-
ducers on the Mesabi range, has been
placed on the idle list. Few of the mines
are being operated to their normal output,
and 1t predicted that shipments from the
great Mesabi range will show a decline
from IL, 100000 to 100000 tons from the
movement of last year when $4,000
tons were shipped.
During the month of July additional
merchant blast furnace capacity will be
placed on the idle list Mills and blast
furnaces will carry over into the second
half a large unspecified tonnage not
taken by consumers on contracts for ship
ment during the first six months of the
year
Activity in pig iron Is limited almost
entirely to the east and the Cincinnati
district, but prices are not yielding as
operators have reached, and in some CEN
tiers have crossed the cost line. The Tun-
nell Segment contract for 10000 tons of
castings has been divided between the
Wheeling Mould and Foundry company,
Wheeling, w. Va, and the New York Car
Wheel company. Buffalo. The pig iron
requirements for this order estimated at
10000 to $1,000 has not been placed, al
thought 1t is certain that the iron will
be shipped from Buffalo and either val
ley or southern Ohio furnaces. The GEN
eral Electric company is in the market
for 12.5O0,0OO tons of foundry iron and
the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing
company, Pittsburg, shortly will cover the
needs of all of its plants through the last
half In the east orders are pending for
5000 or 1000 tons respectively. Corrigan
Mckinney & Co., Cleveland. will proceed
Immediately with the erection Of two blast
furnaces to serve its steel plant now in
course of construction.
Car buying has improved and the rail-
roads are placing contracts more freely
than at any time this year. The Illinois
Central has increased its order from 5000
to 5000 cars. That the railroads contem-
plate an increase in track work is indI-
Gated by the demand FOR rail fastenings.
The Carnegie Steel company has taken
thousands of tons of tie plates and west
ern mills report greater activity. The St.
Louis and San Francisco railroad has
placed an order for $1,000 tons of rails
with the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail-
road company The American Bridge
company was awarded 1000 tons for a
hotel at Pittsburg. Corrigan Mckinney &
Co., Cleveland, are considering bids for
$4,000 tons of plates and shapes for two
blast furnaces and an Ohio manufacturer
has closed ris six months requirements
of structural material aggregating H.
coo TONS
New York, June 24-(Special)- THE Iron
Age will say tomorrow: June buying of
steel products. though considerably in
creased over the poor business in May,
has not met the expectations of the more
hopeful in the trade, prices have been
even less satisfactory than volume. Great
er concessions by sellers coming in the
past week than In those preceding. The
additions to order books have been chief
ly for third quarter delivery. though bars.
which have contributed an important part
of the new tonnage deliveries extend
through the year. There is no indica-
ton in the business of the month that
the country's consumption of iron steel
is increasing. Merchant blast furnace
operations, which gauge the demand for
a wide variety of foundry products are
on a diminishing scale. A number of
furnaces in Pennsylvania and Ohio will
be blown out in the next fortnight. ~
year rolling mill shutdowns which begin
next month. are likely to last longer
than usual. With business as slack as
it is today. A number of sheet mills
might be idle until late in July in view of
the wage scale disagreement at Atlantic
City. The railroads continue to dole out
business in a careful way. Their at
titude as to requirement that may be
released when a rate advance is granted
makes the steel trade less inclined to
think of the decision as a turning point.
There had been a fair run of rail or
ders. St. Louis and San Francisco re-
ceivers placed 5000 tons with the Ala
bama mill the Boston and Maine 5000 tons
with the Pennsylvania Steel company.
the Pennsylvania railroad 5000 tons with
the Cambria Steel company A South
American inquiry is for 15 900 tons and
Siam has bought 10000 tons from this
country. Plate mills in the scramble for
tonnage have made new cuts An east
ern order went at 81 .05 Pittsburg and
this price was duplicated on some attrac-
90 OF I&rrct