The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-23
o. s. STEEL Co. WON'T
RAISE RAIL PRICES
$4,000 Tons Ordered in One
Day-Few Export Con-
tracts Taken.

The steel mills are overwhelmed with
business offered 10y domestic consumer
Tie railroads are especially iin~portunate
TO secure mill positions for the rolling
of rails, and the manufacturers OF rail-
road equipment are striving for place on
tho mill schedules for delivery during
the first quarter and first half of next
year. In the last w days the railroad
companies have ordered 100000 tons Of
standard section rails. mainly for de-
livery in 1917. This makes "A total Of
$4,000 ons ordered since the first Of
March. The Pennsylvania Railroad is
expected to place rail contracts this week
for next years requirements which will
probably aggregate upward of 100000
tom. 'Rail business IL pending aggre-
eating 300, 900 tons for next years ship.
ment.
Rail contracts placed yesterday aggre-
gated $4,000 tons, including 100000
tons for the New York Central and
10000 tons additional tor the Baltimore
and Ohio. making the total purchases
for this road 1000 tons. Of which 5o.-
900 tons will he rolled by the United
States Steel Cooperation mills and the
bdidlltt ny AHP ftIIlSN lNdllld. ,dIllDlld
ard other independent companies. The
Chicago. Burlington and Quincy has or
dered 10000 tons more, the Illinois Cen.
trail $4,000 tons, the Santa fe 10000
tons and tho Union Pacific $4,000 tons
additional To- he rolled 10y the Illinois
Steel Company. Tie Missouri, Kansas
and Texas has also ordered $1,000 tons.
the Chicago and Alton 5000 tons. the
Minreapu'i, and -. Louis 5000 tons
standard sections from Chicago mills.
Several ~ the southern railroads AVE
placed additional contracts for rails.
including tj.oou tor. for tho Atlantic
Coast Line. 5000 tons for the Chesa-
peakc and Ohio and smaller supplement
tary lots BY the southern Railway and
Louisville and Nashville. The Stone
Construction Company. building rail-
wdIs In Kansas, has ordered 5000 tons
standard sections. which will probably
be rolled AZ Chicago. Numerous small
lots have also been placed. running from
500 to 9ou tons oach for this years de-
livery and 1000 to 1900 ton. each for
reNt years delivery. ~agsrecating $4,000
tons.
The United States steel Corporation
has decided TO make no advance In the
HN VI 'AhhlaNltfa IT Ft'IA'aI all no Tl3tI6I
what acton may We taken ny other rail
mills. This. OF course. means that the
railroads will secure all the t~onnages
they require at So for bessemer and
$50 "A ton Tor open hearth standard Sec
,!ons Under the circumstances IL Is
not surprising that the railroads are
buying rails heavily. when prices OF all
other rolled products have advanced from
SIS 20 s2i or even more a ton.
Shipbuildors are yy.ng with the rail-
roads 20 secure heavy tonnages " rolled
steel for delivery over the FIRST half OF
1914. tn United States steel Cor
roratiou has taken additional contracts
for about 600 900 tons OF steel bars.
plates and shapes for the CONSTRUCTION
q. about forty boats, paying "ia cents
Cor shapes and 2H0 for steel plates for
delivery during the first half OF next
YEA. The standard oil Company has
been especially active In placing contracts
tor 'a.l boats, and thus FAR has or
Gcred thirty ships. 10 carry oil. from
atlantic builders, and II Is understood
has ordered ten 20 fifteen boats from
paClfc coast yards. Il will be recalled
that the British Government early in
the war Communicated sixty-two boats
belonging 20 the Standard OIL Company.
as ihtss vessels were sailing ufrier the
iFIAHE44 ali=. ! lf va company a nv
been s~trenuouslv e~udeavoring 10 replace
this merchant tonuag. 10 sail under the
American nag.
The Wells Construction Company. which
recently rejected all bids FOR the steel
work OF the Finc' school, is again actively
iu tho market for bids on 900 to 700
tons II structural shapes. In the mean
tine, prices have advanced several dol
lars a ton.
Il is 4 significant tact that the largest
steel mills are now taking few export
contracts IN ftct. the United states
Steel Products Company is making no
quotations on foreign business tempo
rar!ir because o. the heavy demand
from domest!r consumers. 1t Is inter-
es'iue to note In this connection that
last year the United states Steel Cor
porat'on's foreign sales were nearly ~
ner cent. OF the total orders booked and
the export shipments We're abou, Is
per cent. OF the total distribution made
10y the corporation subsidiaries. Al the
, moment the eNi-prt business Of the cor
por,tion j. a negligible quantity. Mer-
chant interests are also making fewer
purchases for export account, more be-
cdu-t of the nigh prices prevailing than
of t.c inability 10 secure the material
! = It#ElI Vi'"Ht zoo, continue 10 Ne - rloSl
important factor from the standpoint
OF foreign cousumcrs. Ocean freight
rates on steel products now range from
slo to SEQ a ton tor shipment TO Brit
ish ports. SO to $50 for shipment TO
French points and from $50 to s35 :or
export 70 Mediterranean ports.
The United states S:ce! Corporation
| has appropriated sl,50u. 900 for the con-
struc;iou OF the IL inch bar mill TO lie
Installed AZ the Duquesne plant OF the
Carnegie Steel Company. The corpo-
ration viii also build probably $50 by
product coke ovens at Clarion, Pa. in
stead OF $40. as was originally intended
improvements making at the Farrell
plant include three pen hearth FUR
naces and soaking pits.
The United States Steel Corporation
has listed 1877 blast furnaces Al its vari-
Gus subsidiary plants. of which seven
are understood TO be obsolete. leaving
l20 available for active operation, OF
which 10 are now blowing. The last
furnace to Ia. introduced to the torch
as previously noted was that AZ Steu-
b~enviltc. ohio, which went IN about two
weeks ago
The Standard Steel Car Company has
- "a nAl