Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-01
STEEL TRADE HAS
ENORMOUS BOOM
Railroads, Ship Builders, Car shops
and MunitiOn Makers Placing
Large Orders.
ALL PLANTS WILL ENLARGE

NEW YORK, Feb. 29.--orders ag-
gregating 100000 tons. valued at
s240, 900, 600. have been placed In
the steel market since January /. and
the crest Of the boom has not yet
been reached, according to state
n,ents made here today by leaders IN
tie industry.
The orders placed in the last two
months indicate profits to the mills
OF $50, 900, 900, half OF which is ex-
pected to flow into the Golfers Of
the United States Steel corporation.
Even this tremendous tide Of pros
perity. it is declared, will be sur
passed before the close of the year.
1t is pointed out that prices have ad-
vanced IS and $40 since New Years
day, and further advances are looked
fer in the near future, which will
eclipse the record of 1899 and 1900.
VIII Enlarge Plants.
Reports from different parts Of the
country reveal strong efforts to improve
and extend existing plants with the
prophesy that the productive capacity Of
the United States will have been increased
by 1917 at the rate Of 4.0000o0 tons an
nuaily. Apart from the direct effects of
tins European war. the industry has been
given tremendous impetus by the orders
placed for equipment by the land and
water transportation companies which arc
almost swampcd by an unprecedented
volume Of trcffic.
It is estimated that 20 per cent Of
contracts for railroad equipment and for
steamships calling for 100000 tons OF steel
at cost Of sl2sIooo.oOo for construction
have been let The orders booked by
the car shops alone are valued at 80.
! 10000 and locomotive builders have ac-
cepted contracts snvoling q total Of tis.-
100000
Many Contracts for ships.
in the ship building industry every
American yard Is said TO be engaged to
its fullest capacity for several years.
Orders have been placed for forty-throe
boats since January 1 and ~ ships are
already under contract, 276 for the mer-
chant marine and fifty-nine for the United
States government
IL is estimated that forty per cent OF
the export steel sales have been for the
manufacture OF war munitions in Europe.
In addition. heavy sales have been made
| to domestic manufacturers OF shrapnel
and high explosive shells which will
eventually find their way across the
Atlantic.
February's sales of war munitions are
estimated at 10000 tons for direct ex-
port and total war sales since the first
Of the year at 100000 tons.
Export orders Are Large.
One indication OF the mighty effect
OF the European war on the steel in
dustry is shown m figures presented by
the Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic
commerce. which shows that the total
foreign shipments in 1915 were Asia. a5s
tons. an increase OF 2s per cent over the
previous maximum established In 1913 and
nearly 1a6 per cent greater than the
exports IN 1914 As the total domestic
and foreign Shipments in 1915 were esti-
mated at 2Ao00.0o0 tons. the exports were
i4h per cent OF the whole as against II
per cent in ordinary years.
The prosperity IN the steel market has
also spread 70 the pig iron industry,
which Is reviving after q period OF de-
preston. IN the last ton days sales In
all distributing districts have aggregated
10000 tons. more than half OF which was
steel making iron. The total sales IN
February were in excess Of 10000 tons
and since the first OF January i.25o,OoC