The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-28
ELECTRICAL FURNACES
ADD TO STEEL SUPPLY
Prove Great Help in Present
Critical Period at Pro-
ducing Centres.

TO activity. and vice versa. must con-
suit time when Increase in plant capac-
ity Ia essential. Basic conditions, too.
are dependent upon rela tionship to other
Industrial lines to some extent. At the
moment the scarcity Of steel. or rather
The inadequate supply TO meet the de-
mand. Ia the n factor OF all Import
ance. 1t requires many months to build
a new open hearth furnace or a besse-
mer converter to supply tho crude steel.
even at n time when the raw material
has been assembled e~xpeditiously. In
a critical time like the present II -
therefore unusually interesting TO md
that II 10 possible TO install an cleo
trical furnace, having a capacity or
one to fifteen tons. which ian be built
and operated in two to three months.
Founders and other manufacturer de-
! pendent on steel ave apparently Just
discovered this source of supply. The
product. too, IL of high grade and can
be utilized In the manufacture or many
kinds Of war munitions. MANUFACTURER
Of electrical machinery also are fnding
in the electrical furnace a solution OF
some OF the difficulties which they have
encountered In the last few months,
The railroad companies contributed
smaller orders to the steel mills last
week than during any previous week In
ment orders placed call for scarcely
more III $1,000 tons OF steel. OF which
about 5000 tons wero for standard
and light section rails. The car shops
reported orders for only about 2.b0o
cars and 500 car bodies. the contracts
being distributed among the Standard
Steel Car Company. Pressed Steel Car
| Company. the Lenoir Car Company. the
Pullman Car Company. Haskell q Bar
ker Car and tho American
| Car and Foundry Company. Orders Tor
TO cars, included in the total, were
| placed with the shops operated by the
railroads themselves. Locomotive build-
ers received contracts for only forty
eight engines. OF which wenty-seNeh
| were for the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern
and eight for the Arthur Iron Mining
Company. Bridge contracts
to only 1900 tons.
Less excitement attended the placing
| Of contracts for finished steel products
| las. week.. but there was more or less
PRESSURE brought upon the manufactur-
| era of wire by domestic consumers
For the first time in many years, the
! wire manufacturers are eliminating con-
| tracts when specifications have not been
luIUASEitu 4
|! also refusing to extend the life OF
| contracts and even when material Is
| sold NJ higher prices terms are rigid.
II Is an interesting fact that specilca-
| lions received against wire contracts
by the large interests during tho hrst
three weeks of this month are larger
than the specifications sent In during
| tina entire month OF Octobe Export or
| der. almost invariably carry spec!tca-
tons.
Cndsr present conditions,
quoted prices on various forms OF steer
do not necessarily represent the prices
at which material IL available. With
the exception Of miSft stocks. nearly
all tn. steel now sold for early shipment
commands a premium Of several dollars
u ton over the nominal quotations.
There IL n price limit. however. which
will check purchases by ordinary con-
sumers Military buyers. on the other
hand. n no price. necessity with
them IL the one element 20 he consulted.
Consequently. contracts for nearly 100
OO0 tons Of steel 90 be used IN the
manufacture Of war munitions were
| closed last week az maximum prices,
including about 10000 tons If forgings.
30, 900 tons OF round steel bars and
10000 tons Of miscellaneous products.
For nearly two months the average
daily bookings by tn. United States
Steel Corporation and by independent
companies ~ we'll have exceeded pro-
ductlve capacity 10y 80 10 80 per cent.
During the frst two weeks If tho GUY
rent month. daily orders were ever at
"A higher average rate than in October.
but in the last ten days there has been
some substantial decrease IN the rate
Of buying. Orders booked. however.
have been equal TO mill and shop ca
pac'ty.
Tho fabricatng shops last week re-
ported orders for manufacturing plant
extensions. for commercial buildings and
bridges calling for over 81 900 tons ~
plain structural material. About 40 pei
cent. Of the tonnage is required for en-
tensions TO steel works. The railroads
contributed very sparingly and very few
such bridge contracts are pending. The
other large tonnages plsced-that Is out
eide of steel plant extensions-included
5000 tons for a municipal pier at Phila.
delphia. 5000 tons for AN elevator az
Chicago and 900 ton for "A srnelter al
Baltimore.
Within tho next week tenders VIII hs
made for the construction of subway
and evated work in New York cit,
calling for nearly go .oO0 tons Of st-nc.
tural steel and iron. Two similar con.
tract. will also 10 placed In philadel,
phia but none Of the awards will bs
reflected in the November records. 1t /,
probable. however, that the contracts 10,
subway and elevate extensions If
Brooklyn, calling for 81, 000 tons Of steel
will be formally awarded. indicating
that the total November tonnage PLACED
on the books of the fahricsting shop.
will be nearly $4,000 tons. Probahl,
two-thirds 81 this tonnage. however. vii
he withheld from tho structural mill.
FOR several months.
The Tin plate situation II the strong
est in many years, Ordinarily The lara,
consumers of tin plate are able 10 secur,
substantial concessions from tho quoted
price. but under present conditions Il f.
understood hat these interests will SO
cur a dlrcrcntial OF only 10 cents n bo,
Some liberal contracts for bright Mat,
have been placed for 1916 delivery n,
tho official prlco of SO. go per bias. box
while the lnrge packing and canning in
~tefcsts are understood to have secure,
slight concessions. One interesting
feature IS that the Tin plate mills mr.,
inserting two protective clauses inn,
next years contracts. one e. predicate,
upon the .lcyyine of an export duty upor
pig tin by the British Government. n
which case the buyer of tin plate vii
lac obligated TO pay two cents Der bo,
Extra Tor each m cent per pound dut,
% n pig tin that may be Imposed. nh,
other claus limits fhe distribution nj
the tin plate in harmony with the regu
latipnR formulated hN fla nvtttal -.