Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-07-13
FIRE FURNACE FOR
FIRST TIME IN YEAR
Largest Order for Past Three
Years for C. Pardee Works
Boom in Steel Work.
600 MEN ARE AT WORK NOW
Big Steel Contract is to Keep
the Plant Busy for the Next
Six Months.
600 MEN ARE AT WORK NOW

With the general upward trend Of
business in this city comes the an
nouncement that the c. Pardee
Works, which has been operating at
its minimum capacity during the
past two years, has felt the boom in
the manufacture of steel products.
1t was learned today that the com
pany has practically secured con-
tract for 1900 tons of steel shaftlng,
representing the largest order re-
ceived by the works during the past
three years. The open hearth fur
naces were fired last week for the
first time during the past twelve
months, and the employees are work
ing every day in the week, with ono
half day off on Saturday, whereas a
short time ago they were employed
on the four-days-a-week schedule. 1t
is estimated that considering the
number Of men employed by the Par
dee Tile Works, there are now nearly
600 men at work In both the tile and
steel departments.
Largest Order in Some Time.
But the recent order does not war
rant too much optimism, according
to Charles H. Edwards, vice presi-
dent of the C. Pardee Works. He
stated today that working at ca
pacity the present order could be
rushed out within a months time,
but acknowledged that 1t was the
largest received by the company dur
ing the past few years. He stated
that it will be spread over six
months, by which means the COM
pany hopes to keep the present com
plement of men steadily employed
until other orders come in. Mr.. Ed
wards said that the present force
will, therefore, not be increased,
though admitted that the present
number of men employed is larger
than has been on the payroll In a
number of months. Mr.. Edwards
said that the company had not actu-
ally secured the contract for the
whole l, 500 tons of shafting, but ex-
pected to execute the contract for
the remaining 1000 tons shortly.
Part of the 500-ton contract has al
ready been shipped, and the remain
der Is being turned out now by the
shafting department. When asked if
the war caused the securing of the
large order for shafting, Mr.. Ed
wards said that he did not know for
what the product would be used. 1t
is believed, however, that the de-
mand for machinery to make muni-
tions, is partly responsible for the in
creased demand for shafting.
Mr.. Edwards stated that the open
hearth furnaces, which have been
lying idle for a year were not only
fired up to prepare tngots of steel to
be reduced to billots and rolled and
shaped into shafting, but that they
were also opened for the purpose OF
converting a large supply of scrap
iron on hand and keep same from
deteriorating. The furnaces work
night and day employing two shifts
of fifty men each.
The order Is for one and three
quarter inch shafting, which is used
on the manufacture of myriad ma
chimes and parts of machinery One
thousand five hundred tons or g.
10000 pounds of the finished pro-
duct is considered a pretty big order
in the most prosperous seasons, and
unusually large for the depression
experienced by the local steel works
during the past two years.
More Work For Men.
A number of men from this city
are still securing employment at the
two powder works at Parlin and the
Nixon plant at Millville. 1t is de-
clared on good authority that with
the steady upward trend of industry
there are but few men, if any, in the
city today, who really want work,
that cannot secure employment It
is no difficult proposition for man
willing to work to secure employ
ment at one of the three powder fac
tories in the county, if he can prove
himself reliable without a develope-
ed pro-German sympathy. To this
end a number Of men have secured
recommendations from prominent
men of this city to enable them to
get work. Chief of Police Burke has
signed applications for a number of
men, as have other city officials.