The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-08-07
GREAT ANXIETY
IN STEEL TRADE
NECESSARY FOR oURTAnu9 PRO.
DUCTIoN HAS GREATLY IN
CREASED. AND UNITS ARE
BEING TAKEN OFF.
Quick Return 10 Normally Slim Even
II Rail and Coal Strikes Should
End at Onoo.

Special dispatch to the Intell'gencer.
Pittsburgh. Aug. 6.-The week has
been one OF great anxiety TO the steel
manufacturers Of the Pittsburgh,
Youngstown and Wheeling districts.
The fuel situation has not improved
and the necessity for curtailinE steel
production has greatly increased, re-
sulting In the taking off OF productive
units by practically every steel COM
pany in the three districts. klast tur-
naces have been banked or blown out.
open hearths taken off and coke produc-
Ing units shut down or reduced IN opcr-
alton. Rolling schedules are now be-
ginning 10 he affected and the prospects
ahead OF the industry Is discouraSlnS
In the extreme.
beading steel manufacturers feel that
oven though the rail and mine strikes
should come to an end soon, the chances
for a quick return OF steel making t"
normally are mighty slim, inGsmuch "a
the caol produced and the cars restored
TO service would be required for supply
Ing public utilities. public works ana
domestic requirements ahead or the
steel industry and that no surplus would
he left for the mills for several months
10 come.
Many Furnaces Out
During the current week the Carnegie
Setcl Company has banked or blown OUT
three blast furnaces. Thlrty-s"Ntn or
the rifty-nine United States steel Cor
porat!on blast furnaces are blast. tne
Jones & Laughln Steel Company has
blown out one furnace and reduced coke
production. The Pittsburgh Crucih'r
Steel Company Is operating only four
out Of twelve open hearth furnaces ana
me blast furnace. Bethlehem steel mas
.anked five blast furnaces. The An'rr'-
can Sheet and Tinplatc has shut down
several OF their largest mills! 'nIcu
Engineering and Foundry Company mas
closed some OF It's foundrics: founES-
town Sheet and Tube Company Is opera
ting only three out OF six blast furnaces
and plans further curtailment next week
the Cambria Steel Company mas 'hree
out of eleven blast furnaces Operations
and has taken of its plate mills VI"
oorarily: the Republic Iron ana toc''
Company Is operating only one n'HS'
,rrpace and one pipe furnace; the br'er
tIilI Stsel C.ompany Is operating two
stacks and has banked five open heaT'h
ma Sharon Steel Hoop Company mas
ono furnace making pig iron.
most serious aspect In the cn"'
.srIke developed this week In IN" as.
trIct when Il was ascertained mat Goa
IN transit fo- tho mills was being con-
fiscated. With rapidly depicting STOCK
and no additional carsocs coming III
preparations were being made Tor SuS'
persion OF operation. II is eNpcctc"
,hot the Farrell Works OF the Carnegie
steel company will go down, deprN'
ing 1900 men Of employment Ire
American Sheet and Tinpiate company
AT Farrell is having difficulty In On
timing sheet and tin bar ana scNera
mills have been forced TO colse TOT
few days at a time. 1t Ia predicleu
that unless the coal strike Is sct;'e9
there will be few plants operating III
the Shenango valley within the next
.wo weeks.
Situation More Serious.
Leading figures in the industry. such
a. James A. Campbell. president OF
tho YOUNGSTOWN Sheet and Tube com
pany; James II. Grosc. president 81
the Brler Hi Stee, company. and
Thomas J. Bray. president Of the Re
public Ir!on and steel company, say
that tho situation ~ getting more
serious every day. Failure or IN" ma
ticnal Administration 70 secure better
results In endeavorinG 10 settle tina Ia
hor disputes has produced considerable
disappointment In this territory.
Intermitten; employment Is. there
fore. Increasing. while the number "t
steel workers wholly thrown out or en-
ployment is gaining.
As vet, curtailmcntS have aftect"d
plg iron and semi-finished steel OUTPUT
principally but are gradually extend
Inx TO finishing mills. Semi-ftnished
material. In the form IF sheet bars
hillets and clabs Is ditficlt 10 obtain
aarlG n
sheet rollers dependent on the outside
sources for sheet bars.
An outcome Of the situation Is tina:
buyers in some lines are pressing tor
deliveries. particularly the lighter
products required by the motor indus
try. such AS sheets. strips and light
plates Warehouses and johbins In
terests were among the first to al
vance prices. For instance. warehouN c
prices on black sheets have advanced u
81 100 pounds. which compares with
a quotation OF 1915. at which indie
rendents were booking tonnaEcs before
the shopmens strike. Galvanized
sheets have likewise been marked IN
hv warehouses to IS 100 pounds,
while blue annealcd grades arc quoted
from $3.50 to $3.50.
Little New Business.
Mills are enuedNorins W ""'" Pi'''7
IN check. and point out there iS ltth
advantage in negotiating sales during
periods such rs the present whom tie
liveries are uncertain. and largely our
Of the question. Little new business IS
being considered in any lines.
Steel manufacturers. however. lool,
for a great boom in The iron and steel
Industry just as soon as the coal ard
railroad strikes are settled They state
that while few orders are being booked
now there Is great volume OF husi'
ness In sight.