The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-28
HEAVY BUYING OF
STEEL MAKING PIG
FEATURES MARKET
Large Purchases Are Re-
port From All Districts.
Many Inquiries Are
Being Received

Cleveland, o., September 27.-(special]
The Daily Iron Trade Review tomorrow
will say:
Heavy buying of pig iron, especially OF
steel making grades continues and the
trend is upward In the Philadelphia dis
trict the tonnage purchased amounted to
fully 100000 tons of various grades, in
Guiding 10000 tons of basic by the Lukens
Iron and Steel company of which 10000
tons was taken by eastern Pennsylvania
makers at $50 delivered and the remain
der by. an Alabama company at Sl9.75,
delivered
The Trumbull Steel company, Warren,
o., is in the market for 5000 tons for
its new plant, the Newport Rolling Mill
company is inquiring for 1900 to 1900
tons and the Republic Iron and Steel
company is figuring on 1900 tons. The
price of Bessemer is now established at
$22 valley with No foundry being
freely sold at s19, valley, while basic is
held at s19. which appadently is the low
est price obtainable
Many orders for foundry irons nave also
been placed, including 10000 tons by the
National Radiator company, for it's new
plants at Johnstown, Pa, and Trenton,
N. J., and 5000 tons by the American
Stove company for it's plant at Bedford
o. The Cleveland market is very strong
with one furnace company temporarily
withdrawn from the market.
The Italian government has again en-
tered the market for shell steel and is
inquiring for 10000 five-inch rounds or
squares for as early delivery as the mills
can make
The Argentine government is understood
to be figuring on having 10 merchant
vessels built in this country. at cost
of about $25,000,000. Pending the awarding
of contracts by the government in car
rying out its naval programme, there has
been some holding back on merchant
vessels, but it is expected that as soon
as the government is protected contracts
for many more ships will be awarded.
Buyers of plates other than ship builders
are active, including leading locomotive
car and boiler manufacturers who have
opened negotiations for contracts for large
tonnages. One buyer placed 1900 tons,
and another $500 tons for first quarter of
next year at $40, Pittsburg. pipe line
of 800 miles to be laid from the Tulsa
Okla, oil fields to Chicago will require
about 10000 tons of pipe and inquiries
Ior TINS tonnage are now pending. This
is one of the most important enterprises
of it's kind ever undertaken.
The scarcity of semi-finished material
is very serious matter especially to
consumers who have not we'll established
sources of supply. While some contracts
for sheet bars for the last quarter of
the year recently have been adjusted on
basis of $40 the minimum quotation
is now $45. and many contracts are being
adjusted on that basis, while in some
cases even higher prices prevail A year
ago, sheet bars were selling at about s25
The scarcity of laborers in the coke re-
gions is causing considerable emparrass-
ment and deliveries especially to foun-
dries are slow and uncertain. A sale of
1900 tons of old range non-bessemer ore
has been made to an eastern consumer
for delivery this year at an advance of
rs cents and a tonnage of Bessemer ore
has been offered at an advance of 40
cents. Railroads particularly in western
territory are making an unusual effort to
place orders for rolling stock Inquiries
include 1000 box cars for the Pere Mar
quette, 1000 hoppers for the Chesapeake
and Ohio and general service for the
Western Maryland, and numerous smaller
inquiries.
There is considerable domestic inquiry
for rails and some orders have been
taken Railroads are perfectly willing
to pay present prices but the difficulty
is to get mills to accept additional orders.