The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-04
Demands of Operation Create
 Need For Steel Production. Additional Open Hearth Mills Is Forecast as Result of Use of New Development
M'WANE CAST IRON PIPE WORKS TO OPERATE SOON
Construction Under Way of Large Manufacturing Estab-
 ments Harbinger of Pace Exceeding Present Peak Ef- forts of Operators Here

The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company, which signal ized the peak industrial pace of the Birmingham district by breaking 10 production records in as many departments in January, as an- nounced in Saturdays Age-Herald, will probably present the Birming- ham district with pre-Easter gift. Indications point to completion and operation during March of the large merchant bar mill now being built at Fairfield. Exact date depends on arrival and placement of some of the last of the machinery.
 Steel consumers agree that this mill will fill q long-felt want. Pres ident Crawford, in announcing the construction of the mill last May, said; "The capacity of the mill is estimated at 10000 tons of plain or deformed bars, rounds and squares per month. The mill is to be built to care for the increased demands for bars in thes southern territory and for export" ~vs Description of MllI
 Describing the mill Mir. Crawford said:
 Tt will be so located as to receive billets from the Fairfield blooming mill, to which tables will be added so that long billets can be delivered to the merchant mill without the ne- nessity of switching cars.
 The new mill will consist Cf a regular train of six stands of 1S- inch rolls, an intermediate mill of five stands of 12-inch rolls and fin ishing train of two stands of finish ing rolls, provided with 11-inch pin ions, making it possible to use either 10-inch or 12-inch rolls.
 "A mechanical hot-bed 255 feet in length will receive the hot bars from the roll trains and after cooling, the bars will be sheared and stored in stores and shipping room especial ly adapted for storing concrete re- inforcing bars. and with a storage capacity for limited tonnage of merchant bars. The mill and stock
 
 feet long and will be erected by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company
 This new mill will establish an other and additional demand on the Tennessee company for steel and that will establish a further need for en- largement of the steel producing capacity of the Tennessee company. The next announcement from the Tennessee company with regard to construction is expected to relate to additional open hearth mills to care for the growing need of steel not only by the company's finishing mills, put by those Of the district at large
 New Pipe Plant Another important plant to coma with March is the new and large pressure pipe works of the McWane Cast Iron Pipe company. which ex- poets to begin making pipe March 1. This plant will make a speciality of small sizes of pressure pipe which this company has already successful ly introduced both at home and abroad.
 The Alabama By-products corpora- main into East Birmingham in oper- mains Into East Birmingham in oper- ation some time in March, it is ex- PcNbSU. 1 HIS IS to pc 1U, lZ and l4 inches in diameter at different stretches of the Az miles that it will traverse in order to reach the inn portant manufacturing plants of East Birmingham which 1t is to supply with gas for fuel purposes.
 The two new cement plants will probably not come in before early summer, but it is expected in both instances to have them participate in the cement business of the last half of the year. Both the Lehigh and Phoenix plants are showing finished form outlines, the steel framework being erected. The steel was fur nished by the Ingalls, Iron Works and the Virginia Bridge and Iron com pany.
 The George C. Brown company will begin construction of their cedar ve- neering plant at an early date.
 The Birmingham Stove and Range company will also present the district with a spring-time contribution to it's new industries, it's S100,0 aux Hilary for the manufacture cf gas ranges Icing well under way. This will be a new Birmingham produce