New-York tribune., 1922-10-15
Steel Trade Il
Showing Some
improvement
Car ShortageL Lessening: ca,
Supplies and Reserves e,
creasing in Pittsburpb
and Wheeling Districts
speesa, Dispatch 70 rhs nx.,,....,

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 14-.Tba
INDUSTRY IS in somewhat Of an ess;s. ss;s.
position chan week ago. yaria',s sslef
currences have controbuted r. 49, ee-
dition, principal among which '' sosls
lessening of the car shortage arJ = .
consequent ability to take soyaa .a sne
mage off the ground and start If ~ 'vsa' -
way to customers. Coal sunnlisa s's sss
reserves also have increased rsniS,,s anu 20
the Pittsburgh and Wheeling dissry;.t =
due to the availability OF the rivers 'sss. ~
transport. iof
To-day finds the principal stee1 IA.
in the Pittsburgh district transnortsas ats.ss
coal in barges at the rate Of sf ssfsg aas
tons a day, and storing II for the mn" NV,
ter supply. For this purpose Ia rss ",aS ~
ders for new river equipment have ~. ~.
placed, notable among which were ~ -
ders to the American Bridge Comnanr ~.
from the Carnegie Steel Comnangp psss ~
forty steel barges with capac;3, Aos ~
1000 tons each, and an order from ~ =
American Steel and Wire Comnapy ses .as
twenty similar barges. Other can,ns NJ
nies also have placed orders for ~.
steamboats, and barges or are nnrchss ns"
ing old steamers and securing tho i.
land waterways for barge equipment
Building Terminals
Terminals for transfer Of matsr;.,.
from cars to barges are being con.
structed by nearly all the larger enrn
panies, and activities on the waserwar.
have reached degree Of intensity
never before witnessed
From shipping coal to the mills ard
transporting steel commodities by river
between various works, the next ssen
will be to resume the delivery Of stesI
products to customers in the Soutl
Southwest and West by water trans.
port ON the Ohio and Mississippi river
and trans-sfripment from down-riyg
ports to the interior by rail. Pra
arations are already being made i
several of the larger companies for y.
sumption of this service, interruptea
during the summer by lack of water 4
the Ohio, which is still in an incor.
plete condition so far as locks and
dams are concerned.
The Jones e. Laughlin Steel Con.
pany, the pioneer in this activity. i
already loading barges for it's first fail
top, which is expected to depart late
in the month
In the Mahoning and Shenango val
leys the steel industry will consider e.
self fortunate if operations VARYING
irom so TO rs per cent can be masr.
tanned through the winter. TranspoY-
tation shows moderate Improvement
but will soon encounter the dificulties
imposed by cold weather. Accordingls.
in some quarters the view is enter
tanned that normal transportation is
not likely to be restored until neu
spring. Meanwhile shop forces CT the
carriers in this territory are getting
back to normal basis A considerable
tcp1age of steel is piled in both val
leys, estimated at fully 10000 tons.
James A. Campbell, president of the
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company,
points out, however, that the industry
had become SO accustomed in the last
few years to operating difficulties, such
as strikes and car shortage, that The
situation does not present obstacles
out Of the ordinary. 1t is, therefor
not viewed with any unusual alarm.
Seek Priority Modification
Efforts are being put forth to induce
the Interstate Commerce Commission
to modify Priority No. %, under which
shipments other than coal can only be
loaded in gondola cars with fat liked
bottoms and sides forty-two inches or
less in height, except building mater
ais, which can be loaded in cars Of any
height moving in the direction OF the
mines, but not beyond.
Executives are also endeavorlng %
persuade the Interstate Commere
Commission to institute regulation.
which will divert per diem supply q
box cars to the Manoning districs. Less
headway has been made in MOVING
steel products requiring box cars ief
shipment than in shipping mill proc,
ucts using open-top car equipment
Traffic officials of steel plants say fns
is due to diversion of box cars wesl
for the grain movement and tneir uss
in hauling foodstuffs, perishable ana
otherwise, for the West to the csntefs
of population IN the East, where nan,
are held in traffic jams. The need oi2
a more adequate supply of box cars
particularly stressed. s.
There has been lull IN buying q
scrap metals, but quotations aie no'u,
ing strong because of cursalimen1 y