The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-01-08
Steel TRADE DRIFTS into
new YEAR VERY QUIETLY
December Buying Liberal in Compar-
ison With Previous Month-Mm
Operations This Week Show Better
Schedules Than Those of Holidays

New York, Jan. S.-"The Iron Age"
says the steel trade has drifted quietly
into the new year. December buying
in bars, plates and shapes was liberal
in comparison with November and the
advance to 1.10c. Pittsburgh which all
important producers announced, to be
effective January /, led to fair
amount of covering at lower figures.
Mill operations this week have nat
urally shown rather better schedules
than those of the holidays, but the in
crease is not pronounced.
Actual and prospective buying by
the railroads has had a good deal of
publicity, particularly as to rails. A
40,000-ton order has been placed by
the Louisville & Nashville with the
Tennessee Company. The Pere Mar
quette has bought 10000 tons and the
Reading has placed some business, in
cluding $500 tons at Pittsburgh. The
Pennsylvania order is expected to be
placed soon and the New York Central
is making up its requirements.
Much has been made in current news
of the few rail contracts thus far
placed, but 10000 tons was bought by
two lines at the opening of 1914.
The Pere Marquette order has been
widely advertised as going to Ca
madam mill. It's tariff phase is inter
esting, since $25 at mill, or $26.5O at
/ lower lake port, was charged for the
rails to be delivered in the United
States, while $50 was the mill price on
the Canadian part of the order. Can
ada IS rail tariff is 81. Another Central
Western road, which earlier in the year
had low price from the Ontario mill,
but did not buy there, is understood
again to have Canadian prices below
those of domestic rail mills.
The report of a purchase of 10000
tons of Canadian rails by an eastern
road lacks definite confirmation.
Probably 250,000 tons of rails are
now under consideration, as against
100000 tons referred to in the same
way in the market reports of the first
week of 1914.
Some good spike contracts have been
closed at Pittsburgh, including 10000
kegs for the Pennsylvania Lines West
and 10000 kegs for the B. & o. Two
1,OUV-Cdr inquiries Hd'S coiio UP - -
Middle West. These cars were condi'
! tionally placed some months ago, but
could not be financed.
More activity in new structural work
is reported in districts apart from the
East and fabricators look for some i'm
provement. The Pennsylvania railroad
is taking bids on part of its bridge
steel requirements for 1915.
The Steel Corporation S new orders
in December averaged close to $4,000
tons a day, figuring in tin plate and
other long time contracts. Its ship
ments were well under that figure, SO
that very considerable increase in I'M
filed orders will be reported.
Pig iron production in December was
1,515,752 tons, or 4S,S96 tons a day
as compared with 1,51S,316 tons in No
vember, or 50,611 tons a day. On
January /, with 147 furnaces in blast
the active capacity was 4S,S4S tons q
day, against 4S,464 tons a day fol
the same number of furnaces on Decem'
Der /. Six furnaces blew in and six
furnaces blew out in the month.
The production Of coke and anthra
! cite pig iron in the second half of 1914
was 10,647,737 gross tons. In the
first half the production of all kinds OF
pig iron was 12,536,094 tons. EST
mating charcoal iron in the second halt
at 115, 900 tons, the total for the yeai
is about 23,300,000 tons, as against
80, ,966, 6,O0O tons in 1913 and 1921,
600 tons in 1912.