The Iron Age 1911-08-10: Vol 88 Iss 6

’ =——— Established 1855 Nev: 4 Published Every Thunday by the DAVID WILLIAMS COMPANY - 239 West 39th Street, New York Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Sabscription Price, United States and Mexico, $5.00 Annum ; t $7.50 a ama to Other Foreign Countries, $10.00 i 2 ee js requested, none wi sent. Credit for payment will be shown by extending t date on the wrapper of your paper. W. H. Taylor, - - - - e President and Treasurer 1A. Mekeel, - - - . e _ - Fine Vice-President Harold S. Buttenheim, - - - - Second Vice-President and Secretary Geo. W. Cope, - . » ‘ A. |. Findley, . ® és J } W. W. Macon, . e - @ M. C. Robbins, - ° . * Manager Charles S. Baur, - - - Assistant Manager Branch Offices Philadelphia, Real Estate Trust Building Chicago, Fisher Building Pittsburgh, Park Bulding Cleveland, American Trust Building Boston, Compton Building Cincinnati, 807 Andrews Building CONTENTS. eal Fireeictiaes - [Orman es oii. s ogi. sc ord indi cons cnddas kit dee Relative Tonnages of Finished Products..............eseee00: 296 Ba irs sed bie Sele LES 4 ck aes-e ¢ Cee cen en wee en 297 The Industrial Campaign Against Sickness.................6. 297 meeantaeds isk FOC y TRIE, i... cco Wbdducies sebdeeweeucewe 297 etn | SAGE “TONS. . Chcin'd.s s bats buy e-n ene velba 298 rh, Oi ee MCRD ais os oa nah Cale 60 ip sc5 be ee p+ 9 eke 298 MOT is oc HGMwaehae eda eS hee at ccbawers Feed ahesie Ebes 299 weer Pig Drom Pr ei is has. Ske EERE Ce 300 The Lake Superior Mining Institute..........cceccsecseesewes 301 Se: TeGe NN - NE OIE in han sd ne's'ces Ucn sennneeedan ae The Steel Corporation Investigation...............eceeseee. 313 A Scottish Tube Works, Consolidation. ............0seeeeeeees 317 June Iron and Steel Exports and Imports..........+-.+sseee0: 317 New Officers of Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company...... 318 July Copper Production and Stocks........ccscceeveeccccuees 318 Or ON sain eu s te dicts ok pita Seg daddies cae eae 318 MOONS. avo v aly oe nds SAAS Ree PObd OK Edin beileteeee 319 New Scheme for Storing Exhaust Steam............seceseeee8 319 Pig Iron Cost at One Southern Plant.............seeeeeneees 319 Production of Pig Iron in the United States in the First Six MOOtDe! OE SON Res FAN hac Cee cok eiehde eo cee eee Cohan 320 A Special Coal Handling Crane.\.. ici... s.cdaccsccckeceees 321 The General Refractories Company........0-04+-eeseeees eeu 323 Another Italian Steel Combination.............e-cecececeeees 323 The Wire and Horseshoe Pool Cases........000s.e.00e008 0% 323 mepere on FistE Ain. ks seams eee chi ea Warne hss crewed 323 Acid and -Basic Open-Hearth Steel... ....«+eveenss++s++eeeen 324 Mice] Shee iss ciiG bakkie aa ae ES eRe cee ioe cence 326 A Grinder for Planer Cutters...........ccccccccsucccecccecns 327 The Knight Gasoline Engine.........0...scessesecesseaveues 328 New Thomson Electric-Welder:......b...c.cccebsccscteveees 329 Pattern Handling in @ Steel BG Bis os oa vs c Mrasensabacees 330 The Newton Combination Portable Boring, Drilling and Mill- mg Machine. .i).J ARERTED Tk oh PLL. Rm i 04 AM 33 Minnesota Steel Company Blast Furnaces. ..........00eeseees 331 A Replaceable Unit Electric Furnace.......¢.seeeeceeeeeeecs 332 Growth of Enpinseriags erates t3. tis che. Pe ce 332 New Model of O'Kelly Speed-Reducing Gear.............. gos OS The Corona Drill Socket......0cctevescecceeeces ah vatGacaeon 333 ® Corporatigtt MME ke cst Gicds cies nsns od on beiakus hans the 333 The Caterpillar Traction Enginé:............).i.20..0¥eeee- 334 An Electrically Operated Stop Valve..........cecceeeeceeees 335 , cial List of Machine Tool Builders...............++2.06+ 335 Pon Brace. MMAW.. sc ccevause douse tesaukanhevecicebenes 336 Hours and Wages in the Iron Industry................000-5 - 336 » The Machimeirer:, Dilatation ns is wags ekbels winged eae 337 Government Purthdbts...-s04oss..-+ofesesoches- woes dp ands» 348 Judicial Decisions oF“Interest to “Manu Pets. et rhe i eds. 345 od a . -* THE IRON AGE _ York, August 10, 1911 VoL. 88: No. 6 Steel Production Increasing A Gain in Unfilled Orders Merchant Pig Iron Stocks and Output Reduced While the market for steel products cannot be called active, the fact remains that the large steel companies, with perhaps one or two exceptions, are operating a larger percentage of finishing capacity than at any time this year. The Steel Corporation, which, as already intimated, may be doing a little bet- ter than some of its competitors, is now producing ingots at an 8o per cent. rate. Its shipments and new orders in July exceeded those for any other month of the year and it is expected that the tonnage state- ment of August I, show a net gain of 250,000 tons in orders on the to be published August 10,, will books, Our pig iron statistics show that the July produc- tion, apart from charcoal iron, was. 1,793,068 gross tons or 57,841 tons a day, against 1,787,566 tons, or 59,585 tons a day, in June. The banking of many furnaces on both July 3 and 4 accounts for the fall- ing off last month. Thus August, with daily active capacity of 59,990 tons at the opening of the month, against 59,979 tons on July 1, should show a consid- erable gain over last month. Standjng alone the figures do not give the real story of what is going on in pig iron. It needs to be said that while 197 furnaces were active August I, or 1 less than on July 1, the list of steel works furnaces in blast made a net gain of 5 in the month, while the merchant list had a net loss of 6.. Merchant stocks were reduced in eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, the South and in most other districts last month,.so_ that the situation in foundry iron is veering toward the seller’s side. The firmer attitude of Southern furnaces has re- sulted in an advance of 25c. in some markets on deliveries. running through the year, though the $10 price for prompt shipment has not entirely disappeared. In the central West the chief transaction was. the buying of 12,400 tons by a large Pittsburgh interest for its foundries in the Pittsburgh and Cleveland dis- tricts. The prices reported were on a Valley basis of $13.50 for No. 2 for the last quarter of this year, and $13.75 for the first quarter of 1912. The position of ern pigyiron producers has stiffened in view st aiiegas ee and production both in Virginia and eastern. Pennsylvania. Some sales from both districts have been made to pipe mak- ers, who are ready to. take more if it can be had at recent prices, but sellers are not anxious for such business~ AS a rule, also, they are staving-off inquiry for 1912, which is oceasional and ‘scant. Some business has been done in basic in the East and at Pittsburgh. A sale of 10,000 tons was made to a foundry in the Shenango Valley at $13 delivered, the freight ‘being 40c., but $13 is now. regarded as oO 2 le te 296 THE IRON AGE ie the Valley price. An Eastern steel company is sound- ing the market on 25,000 tons of basic iron for the first quarter, but sellers will not consider $15 deliv- ered. ; A-.2000-ton sale of ferromanganese has just been made at $37, Baltimore, delivery through most of 1912, and a 500-ton inquiry is pending. The total movement in. recent weeks, including the tonnage closed before the advance in price, is put at 6000 to 8000 tons. An inquiry for 5000 tons of billets for a railroad supply company has come up in the East and may at least serve to test that market. Railroads continue to succeed well in deferring car and rail buying. The Atlantic Coast Line has placed 1000 cars and various inquiries are still out on 12,000 to 14,000 freight cars. One sale of 20,000 tons of rails was virtually closed this week. The structural situation is more promising. In New York 16,000 tons of steel for the subway exten- sion has been closed on the Bradley contracts. For the Filene Building at Boston 6000 to 8000 tons will be required. The Point bridge at Pittsburgh, 5000 to 7000 tons, will probably be let this month. For sev- eral Western roads 3000 tons of bridge work has been taken at Pittsburgh. In metals the features are the more favorable show- ing of the copper statistics, the more marked shortage in pig tin, resultingin a premium of 3c. on sales of spot in New York, and the advance in spelter to 6c., New York, the high point of the year. Sn Relative Tonnages of Finished Products It is often remarked that since 1907 the railroads have been very light buyers of iron and steel products and that in consequence the distribution of tonnage among the different rolled forms has been materially altered. A study of the detailed statistics for 1910, which have become available in the past fortnight, supports this conclusion only in slight degree. While it is undoubtedly true that since 1907 the railroads have taken a much smaller proportion of the total product of the iron and steel industry than they did in the years of heavy expansion, 1905-6-7, the distri- bution of the tonnage among the different rolled products has not greatly altered. There have been, however, a number of cross currents of considerable interest. One may well take the year 1906 as representing the ‘crest of the wave of railroad demand. There had been heavy buying of rails, ears and locomotives in 1905, and this buying continued through 1906, while buying in that year was very heavy. In 1907 buying was not so heavy but orders were still being filled, as the mills entered the year with much rail tonnage booked and the car and locomotive shops were very well filled with orders. Comparing the years 1906 and 1910, the percentages work out as shown in the table herewith. This covers the total of rolled iron and steel, weighed, generally speaking, in the form in which it left the last hot rolling, so that structural shapes are represented rather than finished structural work, black plates for tinning rather than tin plate, rolled forging blooms and billets rather than finished forgings, rods rather than rod billets or drawn wire, skelp rather than pipe, and so on. Of the total of rolled material in 1906, 11.2 per cent. was rolled iron and 88.8 per cent. rolled steel. In 1910 81 per cent. was rolled iron and 91.9 per cent. rolled steel. There was an increase in total rolled iron and steel from 1906 to 1910 of I1.1 per August 10, 191 cent., there being an absolute as well as a relative de. crease in the tonnage of rolled iron. Production af Rolled Iron and Steel, Gross Tons and k centages. 1906——_, -——— oy Tonnage. Percent. Tonnag r cen MS ns a kK Ss 4 ee 3,977,887 20.4 3,636,03 62 Structural shapes......... 2,118,772 10.8 2,266,89 10 5 ee a wih ke his oan 2,531,552 13.0 2,807 ,72¢ 13.0 ee Pt A es Ae 1,074,525 5.5 1,435,61 67 iE CR oo es a aes o 576,079 2.9 712,137 2 2 PO GE ss cw scares site 54,211 3 45,294 We NR ie nwa dekh bys ine 1,871,614 9.5 2,241,83( 3 Forging blooms, etc...... 206,110 1.0 459,93. 1 Merchant bars... .....«ss< 3,992,200 20.4 3,785,731) 17.¢ Reimforcing bAtS.........+ ‘stsees - a 241,10 i Shei. Ae, GE son 260 cee 1,528,585 7.8 1,828,194 8.5 Sal, erie 224,911 1.1 223,022 1.0 SERGI? is rhe lan denis ee 172,332 9 262,214 1.2 3ands and cotton ties..... 408,018 2.1 424,979 2 Sheet pPMIngG. <..%'.-.isssa y ONES 7 oda 26,598 ROR ON ood 6 vig a oo soe? ee 7 ‘jas 49,048 2 Ail eas + batts cats ane 851,672 4.3 1,174,922 5.4 tee. 2 via dae Thabane 19,588,468 100.0 21,621,27 *Included in merchant bars. ‘Included in structural. From the increase in the total in the four years it follows that any line which showed unchanged per- centage in the two years compared increased its ton- nage by I1.1 per cent. Comparing the percentages, as shown in our table, it appears that rails dropped from 20.4 to 16.8 per cent., decreasing absolutely as well as relatively. -This loss has been generally recognized. The railroads were wearing out rails faster in 1909 and 1g1o than in 1906, because freight traffic increased slightly, and the laying of new track showed no de- crease, but in 1906 there was considerable replacement of old light rails with modern heavy sections, calcu- lated to bear the much heavier trains and greater speeds involved, as compared with conditions when the light rails had been laid many years earlier, and it is this which has made the decrease in tonnage. Structural shapes apparently decreased from 108 per cent. in 1906 to 10.5 per cent. in 1910, but in the latter year sheet piling, one-tenth of 1 per cent., and railroad ties, two-tenths of I per cent., were sep- arated, whereas in 1906 they were included with structural shapes. If those percentages be added for 1910 the proportion of structural shapes is found un- changed, so that there was an increase in tonnage sub- stantially the same as the increase in all rolied steel from. 1906 to IgIo. Plates are found to be unaltered in proportion, while both sheets and black plates for tinning show 4 material increase in the proportion. Rods show an increased percentage. It is of interest here to note that the 1910 rod tonnage was less than the 1909 rod tonnage, whereas the total rolled iron and steel in- creased from 1909 to 1910. Accordingly, rods showed a still larger percentage of the total in 1909 than in 1910, even though 1910 shows a material gain over 1909. Contrary, perhaps, to what is usually assumed, merchant bars have shown a relative decrease. In 1906 concrete reinforcing bars were included with met- chant bars, while in 1910 they were segregated. In 1910 the proportion of merchant bars alone was 17° per cent. and of concrete reinforcing bars 1.1 pet cent., the total being 18.7 per cent., which compares with 20.4 per cent. in 1906. Skelp shows a slightly increased proportion, splice bars a slight decrease, quite natural considering the decrease in rails, while hoops show a slight increase and bands and cotton ties a slight decrease. On the whole, there have been no decreases 1” ¢ proportions worth mentioning, except in rails and met chant bars. The losses in these lines have been made up by increases in sheets and black plates, rods and skelp, other lines being practically unchanged. he August 10, IgIt The Industrial Campaign Against Sickness British government, under its propos@d na- insurance act, plans to carry out a universal cam- .gainst sickness, doing in a thoroughly organized r what many American manufacturers have been plishing as individuals. The act will-establish in county a local health committee, the duty of will be to carry on a campaign of education ch lectures and publications on hygienic topics, iso to exercise a general supervision over sani- conditions as they exist in the various communi- Medical attendance in sickness for the entire body he working classes will be provided. At present very large number of these people enjoy this benefit igh membership in the so-called friendly societies, hich have their counterpart in a great many indus- | establishments in this country, but a very large s exists outside of such associations. Free medi- | treatment, which may be compulsory, should play no inconspicuous part in increasing efficiency through inimizing the percentage of producers who are in- pacitated. [specially important is the provision which has to with tuberculosis. Millions of dollars a year will set aside for the maintenance of sanatoria where cases of consumption will be isolated and the victims treated, in many cases successfully, no dowbt, which will be in sharp contrast to the impossible conditions which usually surround them at the present time. The movement against tuberculosis in American factories has made enormous progress since its incep- tion a few years ago. From a beginning in a few cities has spread all over the country. Though by no means universal, the promise is that it will be prac- tically so even without the assistance of governmental compulsion. In hundreds of large establishments free expert medical examination is given in every case vere suspicion of the disease exists. If the individual manifests unwillingness to submit to the exatiiiiation, e is generally compelled to follow the rule dn penalty i dismissal. When the disease is found the effort is le to place the patient where recovery may be hoped for. If there is a sanatorium in-the territory ‘ic means are usually provided for placing the patient there, and, at least, outdoor employment is substituted r that within the shop, to the probable improvement ' the victim and the freedom from contagion on the t of his associates in the works. ‘he most essential element in combating disease - striking at its inception by making conditions sani- in every possible way. The strides taken toward end have been almost unbelievable. One has to go k but a few years to see almost the opposite ex- c, that of indifference and ignorance as to means iaimtaining the health of working people. Ventila- lighting, plumbing, the handling of dangerous s and materials, all these and other elements of ‘tation were given hardly a thought. Coupled with laws compelling the enforcement of sanitary reg- ns, the enlightenment of employers has been |. one may Say spontaneous. The motive is a dual \Most owners feel an increasing responsibility rd their employees, but they also realize more ighly than of yore that working people can pro- much more efficiently in surroundings that are ‘cive to good health and good spirits. ¢] THE IRON AGE 297 Ventilation in Factory Heating . The widespread use of the fan system of factory heating has doubtless dftéh stiggested that it was se- ~ lected for its seeming potentialities in ventilation. As a matter of fact the ventilating feature has been a secondary consideration, heating by the circulation of air proving attractive from the standpoints of first cost and of satisfactory performance. It is not un- common to find such heating systems arranged to ac- cept air from the shop interior; this air to be forced by the fan through the distributing duct system over and over again. The premeditated attempt to cir- culate the air within the shop Has undoubtedly caused many a shock to students of the humanitarian side of shop conditions. -It has its parallel in the housewife who is very much exercised on one’s suggesting a re- circulation of air even for a part of the time in a warm-air furnace heating system and who is yet not concerned if a room is warmed by means of direct radiators without apparent means for the replenish- ment of the air. It is reasonable to believe that ventilation may be defined before long, in terms nét of the pure air sup- plied per indiviual or per unit*of time, but of capacity to maintain a freshness of indoor atmosphere and thus a condition of atmosphere calculated to make the subject comfortable. It is obvious that this means that the temperature shall not be so low that one is chilly nor so high that he is overheated; tat there shall be a water vapor content not so low as to superinduce excessive evaporation from the skin’ nor so high as to interfere with the evaporation necessary to dissipate the heat developed by the human body. To these de- sirable requirements has lately been added the notion that. freshness is obtainable by movement or currents of air and is not realized with air in a stagnant con- dition, no matter how well the temperature and hu- midity limitations are met. Naturally, air contami- nated with disease germs or with odors of a disagree- able sort is not to be permitted. But if the manu- facturing processes do not develop obnoxious odors, if the workers are not excessively crowded, if the gen- eral conditions are attractive and if there is abundant sunlight illumination, propagation of disease is min- imized notwithstanding recirculation; and there is the added feature that the fan system permits of main- taining temperature and humidity and of providing the degree of freshness regarded so important. Of course, it must always be recognized that build- ing materials have a high degree of porosity, par- ticularly those used for industrial works, and there is always a large dilution of indoor air by leakage. It may be added that where’’conditions are unusually trying it is possible to install filtering arrangements, such as air washers, which may be made to catch bacterial and dust. impuritiés and control humidity. In short, if the present knowledge of the subject shows anything, it is that the recireulating system is nothing to be feared. { Correspondence i neeeeeeeenenRnna Bonuses and the Location of Industries To tHe Eprror: Your editorial “Two Problems of Factory Building” in the A 3 number of The Iron Age is exactly right: Y6u are not laying down an “ex. treme ruling” when you say that the only thing to be con- sidered in choosing ‘the site of a manufacturing enter- 298 THE IRON AGE August 10. 1971 prise is its adaptability to the enterprise, all things con- sidered, regardless of so-called inducements. Of course, as between two or more cities where all other things are equal, such as proximity to raw materials and selling markets, transportation facilities, labor supply, banking accommodations and residential advantages, the enjoy- ment of a free site, or a building, tax exemptions or the like, would be influential; but that does not in the slight- est degree alter the principle which you lay down, be- cause in such cases the “inducements” do not displace the more essential factors. Commercial secretaries of experience almost without exception agree unqualifiedly with your proposition. The American Association of Commercial Executives in its convention at Grand Rapids, Mich., last October debated a resolution condemning the giving of bonuses and, to the extent that it expressed the personal convicuons of the members present, it was adopted without a dissenting vote. The association *has'a standing committee whose duty is to promote the adoption of a uniform policy for all commercial organizations upon this matter. Leaving out companies pfomioted either by their orig- inators or, more frequently, by professional business brokers, for the sole purpose of obtaining a bonus (and the number of such is vastly greater than is suspected by the average man who is ‘not directly connected with town development work), the concern whose originators can be induced to choose a location solely or largely by gratui- ties is on the road to quick disaster. That sort of judg- ment is not of the caliber required for business success. Indeed, most of these emterprises are undertaken by men of so little experience’ in administration that they are apt to: make no inquiries whatever about freight rates and other fundamental and essential factors. Any commer- cial secretary’s files are full of letters (if he encumbers his files with them at all) in which the only query is, “How much will you give us?” without a question for information about commercial ‘possibilities. On the other hand there is similar inexperience or lack of judgment on the part of the town boomers. The bonuses are offered in every instance by town booming organizations which are very new and very short-sighted and which are totally ignorant of the experience of other localities and of the true, principles of industrial expan- sion. Neither do they realize that nothing on earth makes citizens “sore on the town” and discourages them from lending proper encouragement to a legitimate enterprise like an empty factory building or two standing as a constant witness to ill-advised attempts at booming. Such organizations are the prey of the professional business brokers. Better have no factories at all and remain a rural community than to be a rural town with a few gaping buildings and smokeless stacks cluttering up the landscape. Ernest H. Rowe, Secretary, Chamber of Commerce. Uniontown, Pa., August 4, 1911. —_—+-e Railroad Equipment Orders.—Contracts for cars and locomotives have recently been,»placed as follows: The Grand Trunk, 10 compound consolidation locomotives ; Chilean State Railways, 288 freight cars; Havana Central, 360° 60-ton box cars. There. are inquiries in the market for 100 refrigerator cars for the Atlantic Seaboard Dis- patch; 15 consolidation and. 5 switching locomotives for the Wabash; 25 steel underframe coaches and 25 express cars for the Grand Trunk and 1,000 box cars, 500 stock cars and 400 automobile cars for the Missouri Pacific The new furnace testing laboratory of the Electric Furnace Company, Alliance, Ohio, will be completed about August 15. The building is located on a tract of land secured from the Stark Electric Railroad Company, near Alliance, and power for tésting purposes will be re- ceived direct from the railroad company’s busbars. The plant will be supplied with a 200 k.v.a. Westinghouse special regulating transformer, a complete set of elec- trical recording and indicating instruments, pyrometers for temperature determinations, a small chemital labora- tory, and equipment for microscopic examination of metals. The Electric Furnace Company has developed a line of electric heating furnaces for forge shops and similar plants, and the new laboratory is, to enable it to test new types of furnaces that are being called for. Death of John W. Gates After battling for weeks against a serious tion of diseases which at the last developed pn John W. Gates died in Paris early Wednesday August 9. A strong constitution and his coura; 3 re- sistance, backed by every resource of medical sci longed his life for days after his case had been critical. His death removes one of the most | inent figures in the American iron and steel trade of 25 years. The fields of his operations have bee: broader than the iron industry, but it-was in the | particularly in that branch of it taking in all wire manufacture that his influence was most conspicu ous. As is well known, Mr. Gates was also a figure of national importance in railroad and security operations. and in more recent years he has been prominently con- nected with oil developments in Texas. One of the most daring, and in many respects one of the most capable, busi- ness men the country has ever known, his rise to prom- inence was largely based upon his remarkable equipment for salesmanship. He was born May 8, 1855, in Du Page County, I]! and was the son of a farmer. He was educated in distric: schools, attended Wheaton College at Wheaton. 11]. and nia, 72 JOHN WARNE GATES. graduated from Northwestern College, Naperville, Ill. in 1873. He first embarked in the grain business at Turner, now West Chicago, Ill. Selling out in 1875 he. opened a hardware store there, this early business venture show- ing him to be a man of keen business sense with an un- usual capacity for trading and an ambition for large operations. Feeling that he had little chance in so small a town, he decided to become a traveling salesman and went to Texas to sell the newly invented barb wire, then being placed on the market by Isaac L. Elwood, of De Kalb, T!. His success in inducing the ranchmen to make large purchases of barb wire was remarkable. He de- cided to engage in barb wire manufacture on his ow? account, and established at St. Louis the firm of J. \\ Gates & Co., which became, in 1881, the Southern Wire Company, of which he was president. Others connected with this company were Alfred Clifford and William Edenborn, who also became prominent in the wire trade. He and his associates formed the Braddock Wire Uom- pany in 1884 and built a plant near Pittsburgh. He was less than 30 years of age when he organized the Southern Wire Company. The Braddock plant gave the company "ts own wire, whereas previously it had purchased wire 4” barbed it. About the time of the building of the Brad- dock plant, Mr. Gates bought the Iowa Barb Wire Com- pany, which had a plant at Allentown, Pa., and became vice-president. Then he secured an ifiterest in the 5t- Louis Wire Mill, of which he also was’ made vice-pres* August 10, IQII dent. Later he-and his associates bought into the Baker Wi »mpany, Lockport, Ill. In 1891, through Mr. Gates’s eff the Columbia Patent Company was formed. It out 95 per cent. of the entire barb wire product of untry under his direction as general manager. How- ever, a few of the smaller makers withdrew after several December, 1892, Mr. Gates was prime mover in forming the Consolidated Steel & Wire Company, capital $;,000.000, taking over the St. Louis Wire Mill Company, tH wa Barb Wire Company, the Lambert & Bishop Wire oy Company, the Braddock Wire Company, the Baker \\ire Company and the Freeman Wire & Iron Company. In this consolidation John Lambert became prominent. Mr. Gates held the position of general manager until April 6, 1893, when he resigned. 1894 he was active in forming the American Steel & \\ire Company of Illinois. In 1895 he was askéd by the principal owners of the Illinois Steel Company to become its president. Its operations had for some years been on a large scale, but showed little or no profit. Under his management the company was put on a much better foot- ing. He retired from it a few years later when the Fed- eral Steel Company was formed, consisting of the Illinois Steel Company, the Minnesota Iron Company, the Lorain Steel Company and the Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad Company On retiring frém the Ilinois Steel Company the again assumed the management, of the American Steel & Wire Company of Illinois, out of which grew, in 1808, the \merican Steel & Wire Company of New Jersey, of which he was made chairman. This was the company taken over by the United States Steel Corporation. It included, in addition to the wire properties. originally consolidated, the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Company, the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and the Sheenberger Steel Company. Its operations grew so large that"it seemed necessary to have its own raw material and it_acquired ore properties, built lake vessels and took other steps which made it entirely independent of steel companies from which some of its constituents had been buying billets. This was one of the complications leading, to the strained relations which were the precursors of the United States Steel Corporation. Mr. Gates, in the late ’90s, conceived a plamefor an international iron and steel trust. He went to Germany and laid before manufacturers there a proposal for an agreement ‘which would have kept them out of the mar- kets naturally tributary to the United States or to ‘Great Britain. On the other hand, steel manufacturer$in the two latter countries were not to attempt to take y from German steel manufacturers the markets ings d held. The proposition, however, did not find favor in many While Mr. Gates was not active in the negotiations which resulted in the formation of the United States Steel Corporation, except so far as the American Steel & Wire Company was concerned, of which he was chairman, he had been an early adyocate of what was commonly styled a billion dollar consolidation” of the steel interests of the United States. Prominent as he was in the steel industry at that time, he was denied the honor of election as a di- rector or an officer of the great corporation. In 1901 the year the Steel Corporation was organized, Mr. Gates and his associates became active in the Colo- rado Fuel & Iron Company. They put a large amount of noney into that corporation, but their connection lasted about two years, when they sold their interests to vthers. In 1905 Mr. Gates, with Charles S. Guthrie, L. C. fianna, E. J. Berwind and others, bought a controlling interest in tle Republic Iron & Steel Company, which they proceeded to develop into a strong factor in the iron trade. Soon after they acquired control of the Tennessee |, Iron & Railroad Company, and so far as Southern rations were concerned the two companies were de- ped on lines mutually profitable. The relinquishment ntrol of the Tennessee Company to the United States eel ‘orporation in 1907 is quite prominent in the public | at present. Mr. Gates took much interest in stock speculation | about the time he became connected with the Jilinois Company and his operations steadily grew in mag- ‘ec until, in the period from. about 1808 to 1007, he ranked among the leading operators in Wall Street cup in securing control of the Louisyille & Nashyille ( + ‘] THE IRON AGE 299 Railroad will long be remembered as one of the most audacious and successful operations ever carried out in Wall Street. In 1904 the.stock brokerage house of C. G. Gates & Co. was established, i which the senior part- ner was the son of Jolin W. Gates,,and this house for several years was the largest speculative house in the street, largely through the operations of the fatter. The panic of 1907 apparently satisfjed Mr. Gates that the time had come for him to retire from leadership in the stock market and he turned his attention to the de- velopment of oil and other properties in southern Texas, building up an important business center at Port Arthur. He established the Texas Company, which is an important competitor of the Standard Oil Company. Mr. Gates leaves a widow and one son, Charles G. Gates. Obituary Ironton A. Kelly Ironton A. Kelly, president of the Ashland Steel Com- pany, Inc, Ashland, Ky., died in that city August 6, aged’ 62 years. He was born in Ironton, Ohio, and was edu- cated in the public schools ofthat city. In 1884 he and others organized the Kelly Nail & Iron Company, of Ironton, of which he was vice-president and general manager until 1891. He then removed to Ashland, Ky., and with his associates organized the Ashland Steel Company, of which he was made president and general manager and had held this position continuously from its organization. The company operated a Bessemer steel plant and manu- factured billets, sheet bars and. wire rods. Mr. Kelly re- tained his interest in the Kelly Nail & Iron Company, of which he was vice-president and a director at the time of his death. He was also vice-president and director of the Merchants Bank & Trust Company, Ashland; which he and others organized in 1906. For some years he was a member and president of the City Council of Ironton, Ohio. IrvinG E. INGRAHAM, vice-president ‘of the E. Ingraham Company, Bristol, Conn., died Aug. 2 at his home, Los Angeles, Cal., aged 52 years. He was the son of Edward Ingraham, who éstablished the clock manufacturing busi- ness which bears his name. The son’s younger life was passed in the factory, and he was the superintendent from 1890 until 1895, when he retired. He leaves a widow. Joun R. MitcHett, president of the -machine;:com- pany bearing his name at Baltimore, Md., died Aug. 3 of pneumonia. Mr. Mitchell was the head of one of the oldest machine firms in the city. He learned his trade with Flynn, Emerich & Mitchell and later was with John Ives & Son. Cor. W. C. Green, for many years prominent in copper mining operations in the Southwest, died at Cananea, Mex- ico, August 6, of pneumonia, aged 58 years. His original venture in copper was at the old and practically abandoned La Cananea mines, purchased from the widow of Governor Pesquiera, of Sonora, México. These he developed until they reached a productive capacity of 100,000,000 pounds of copper a year. He was forced in the panic of 1907 t6 give over the control of the C ananea properties, but he still re- tained large interests. Henry G. Trout. president of the H. G. Trout Com- pany, Buffalo, a pioneer in the manufacture of power boat propellers, died July 22, in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he was visiting while en route to Nova Scotia. He had suffered from penumonia during the past year. a The West Penn Steel Company. Brackenridge, Pa., has received a contract for 100 tons of pickled and cold rolled deep stamping sheet steel for export to England. The business was secured direct, after a sample lot had been submitted for tests. The Pittsburgh Steel Conant Frick Building, Pitts- burgh, will soon commence the erection of four more 60-ton open-hearth furnaces i its plant at Monessen, Pa., which will give it a total of 12 69-ton furnaces. It is also understood that work on the. building of two or more blast furnaces, plaris for which have been under way for some time, will be started in the near future. : 300 July Pig Iron Production _ Slight Falling Off from the June Rate Active Capacity August 1 the Same as on July 1 Our blast furnace statistics show that the production of coke and anthracite pig iron in, July was 1,793,068 gross tons, against 1,787,566 tons in June. The daily rate in July Was 57,841 tons as against, 59;585 tons in June. The steel works companies in many cases banked their furnaces on July 3 and July 4, so that! Jast*month, with 31 days, only slightly exceeded the total! for the 30 days of June. The great heat and humidity ‘in July also had their effect upon production. ‘ At the opening of August,197 furnaces were in blast, with a daily capacity of 59,990 tons, |as compared with 1908 furnaces July 1, with a daily capacity df 59,979 tons. It thus appears that production is stationary. The merchant furnaces further reduced their output in July, their daily average production being 15,369 tons as against 16,877 tons in June. Steel works furnaces entered August with an ac- tive capacity somewhat greater than that of July. Two new .stacks were blown in last month. One of these was Furnace D of the Central group of the American Steel & Wire Company, at Cleveland, Ohio, this being one of the largest and best equipped of the Steel Corporation’s blast furnaces. The other was Furnace G of the Bethlehem Steel Company, which is of the same size as the large fur- nace this company blew iin March, of this year. Daily Rate of Production The daily rate of production of coke and anthracite pig iron by months, beginning with July, 1910, is as fol- lows:: Daily Rate of Pig Iron Production by Months—Gross Tons Steel works. Merchant. Total. Rabe, BOO os tac cnet «cs as 47,183 22,122 69,305 MO ican saseabadeRonts ete 46,534 21.429 67,963 See? >... Vaedeckibosess 47,007 21,536 68,542 ee cd wee ak bee teen os 45,794 21,726 67,520 PE... 54 ia tule ed bers a oy 41,427 22,232 63,659 LEE. sag sid eaten ace 35,909 21,440 57,349 Sethe WON nso Ei nha vewe 054 36,401 20,351 56,752 PEED vane Vike osw es as 42,349 21,741 64,090 MOG gownrst nacgauincn cae 48,970 21,066 70,036 DO 0506 SRE awe 47,805 21,031 68,836 SO ine bs enn sees aden bbe 42,270 18,809 61,079 TOD . «a.» <hpdd one n i edientaaibae 42,708 16,877 59,585 1 oweds wan cbae eas 42,472 15,369 57,841 Capacity in Blast August 1 and July 1 The following table shows the daily capacity of fur- naces in blast, August 1 and July 1: Coke and Anthracite Furnaces-in Blast. Total -—August 1.—, July 1.——-, number Number, Capacity Number Capacity Location of furnaces. of stacks. in blast. perday. in blast. per day. New York: eer ere 17 e 3,297 12 4,05€ Other New York..... 7 585 3 495 wo aa eres 7 ° 0 1 183 Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley ........ 24 12 2,381 11 1,976 OS Oe ae 3 2 160 2 145 Schuykill Valley ..... 16 6 1,554 6 1,468 Low. Susqvehanna ... 7 3 637 3 611 Lebanon Valley ..... 10 5 616 5 780 Pittsburgh district ... 50 33 13,467 35 14,367 RE Sings ko000 3 2 332 2 340 Shenango Valley .... 20 9 2,752 7 2,368 West. Penn. ......... 27 i} , 3.025 7 2,520 EE bens cain’ bx 4 3 752 3 706 Wheeling district ...... i4 9 3,135 9 3,120 Ohio: Mahoning Valley .... 24 .. 17 6,660 17 6,615 Central and North.... 2: 10 3,942 9 3,350 Hocking Val., Hanging Rock and S.W. Ohio. 15 2 230 3 407 Illinois and Indiana.... 32 21 8,742 20 8,480 BONEN icc Goa 0000930 2 1 60 2 255 Mich., Wis. and Minn.. 10 4 744 4 752 Colo., Mo. and Wash.... 7 3 1,050 4 1,117 The South: EE: ca as bo. wy aes 6 665 6 650 ee ME ee 5 l 156 2 245 RON nn ob osnvndrd 40 17 4,175 16 4,148 Tenn. and Georgia... 20 8 873 8 825 Tete, .éasFinae 416 197 59,990 198 59,979 Chart of Pig Iron Production and Prices The fluctuations in pig iron production from January, 1907, to the present time are shown in the accompanying chart. The figures represented by the heavy line are those of daily average production, by months, of coke and anth- racite iron. The two other curves on the chart represent monthly average prices of ‘Southern No. 2 foundry pig iron at Cincinnati and of local No. 2 foundry iron at furnace at Chicago. They are based on the weekly market THE IRON AGE August to, quotations of The Iron Age. The two sets of figur. 2 > are as follows: Daily Average Production of Coke and Anthracite Pig Irov i» the United States by Months Since January 1, 1907—Gross Tons 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 91} TOURER ig a os. cate Aaa teka on 71,149 33,718 57,975 84,148 36.759 DOE f5.000s seal ee ase 73,038 37,163 60,976 85,616 64.999 PRES oa 5 cv isweedes cueeee 71,821 39,619 59,232 84,459 1,036 ee RA Sr er Pore 73,885 38,289 57,962 82,792 4x.936 BO S.5 5 0s sot wee eS ae 74,048 37,603 60,753 77,102 61.079 SROs uatah eh A Cand ap 0 6 baba 74,486 36,444 64,656 75,516 59.585 SEED ogc ouin owS¥E5 4 Kasia eae 72,763 39,287 67,793 69,305 57,84) BE nese akin eaeee 72,594 43,851 72,546 67,963 ee TO LE COE. 72,783 47,300 79,507 68,476 CRONE (nas sdk keietedaaiea 75,386 50,554 83,856 67,520 PRS Neca sace ae eee 60,937 51,595 ~84,917 63,659 DRG) nc ha 5 Swe tewsar 39,815 56,158 85,022 57,349 |... Monthly Average Prices in Dollars of Southern No. 2 Foundry Iron at Cincinnati and Local No. 2 Foundry at Chicagy Djs. ‘trict Furnace Since January, 1907. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. Sou. Loc. Sou. Loe. Sou. Loe. Sou. Loc. Sou. Loc. No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2. Cin. Che. Cin. Chi. Cin. Chr. 3 Cin. Chi. Cin. Chi. Jan. 26.00 25.00 16.15 18.10 16.26 17.00 17.25 18.50 14.25 15.00 Feb. 26.00 25.50 15.75 17.81 16.13 16.40 17.06 18.50 14.25 15.00 Mar. 26.00 25.75 15.50 17.50 15.05 16.15 16.30 17.80 14.25 15.00 Apr. 25.06 26.00 15.20 17/38 14.25 16.15 15.37 17.00 14.25 15.00 May 24.25 26.50 14.75 17.28 14.50 16.15 15.00 16.56 14.00 15,00 June 24.10 26.25 15.25 17.38 14.70 16.15 14.85 16.25 13.50 15.00 July 23.85 25.20 15.00 17.20 15.75 16.65 14.75 16.06 13.25 14.87 Aug. 23.00 24.50 15.25 17.00 16.38 16.78 14.31 16.00 ..... ..... Sept. 21.50 23.75 15.65 16.70 17.35 18.35 14.25 15.90 Oct. 20.95 22.10 15.75 16.50 17.88 18.50 14.25 15.56 Nov. 19.50 20.31 16.00 16.75 17.75 18.50 14.25 15.50 16.25 17.00 17.45 18.50 14.25 15.50 Dec. 17.00 18.55 4 The Record of Production Production of Coke and Anthracite Pig Iron in the United States by Months Since January 1, 1907. Gross Tons. 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 Jan, .........+2,205,607 1,045,250 1,797,560 2,608,605 1,759,326 Feb. .........-2,045,068 1,077,740 1,707,340 2,397,254 1.794.509 Mar. ..........2)226,457 1,228,204 1,832,194 2,617,949 2.171.111 Apr. ..........2,216,558 1,149,602 1,738,877 2,483,763 2,064,086 ie cee e cuca 2,295,505 1,165,688 1,883,330 2,390,180 1,893,456 , AR meee. 2,234,575 1,092,131 1,930,866 2,265,478 1,787,566 July ..........2,255,660 1,218,129 2,103,431 2,148,442 1,793,068 MOR. Gn Hoenn 2,250,410 1,359,831 2,248,930 2.106847 ........ Sent’ .caestina’ 2,183,487 1,418,998 2,385,206 2)056,275 ........ Oe. pct scene 2,336,972 1,567,198 2,599,541 2,093,121 ........ Wee ccc aavies 1,828,125 1,577,854 2,547,508 1,909,780 ........ OR. X. sane so 1,234,279 1,740,912 2,635,680 1,777,817 Preduction of Steel Companies Returns from all plants of the United States Steel Corporation and the various independent steel companies show the following totals of product month by month. Only steel making iron is included in these figures, to- gether with ferromanganese, spiegeleisen and ferrosilicon. These last, while stated separately, are also included in the columns of “total production” : Production of Steel Companies—Gross Tons. Spiegeleisen and -—Pig.—Total production.——, ferromanganese. 1909 1910 1911 1910 1911 tomate eins ou 1,117,823 1,773,201 1,128,448 19,538. 8,360 February cain each ee 1,073,363 1,620,539 1,185,782 21,396 12,821 RS ree 1,140,553 1,739,212 1,518,063 25,591 11,784 Peek: SEB cciciens 1,093,092 1,669,898 1,434,142 22,304 10,657 ae pile ky n'a cee 1,256,448 1,619,283 1,310,378 26,529 13,641 ME . 5$i'et-cen Sees 1 ,365,527 1,549,112 1,281,241 27,680 22,611 MA a Selb-xcoren seat 1,508,762 1,462,689 1,316,646 22,924 17,067 PE: ceca wpaskown 1,591,991 A SA BaF OO sc coees Deaber oso coun 1,660,839 1,410,221 ...c%ess 15,151 CRADEE onic ekas wupe 1,769,094. 1,419,624 ... 000% 8,500 a a 1,689,994 1,242,804 ........ 9,032 Decwtslbes . ..x4gp ee se 1,208,799 ASRS ATE - ov cv cvics 12,178 Output by Districts The table below gives the production of all coke and anthracite furnaces in July and the four months pre- ceding : Monthly Pig Iron Production—Gross ‘an March. April. May July. (31 days) (30 days) (31 clays) ca das ys) = days) New York ....... 157,624 139,674 130,927 0,395 24,347 New Jersey’ ..... 5,869 5,510 9,788 1,386 Lehigh Valley .++ 69,263 78,182 79,731 72 O87 66,404 Schuylkill Valley 67,634 55,305 46,827 44.039 45,859 Lower Susquehanna and Lebanon Val. 46,980 44,537 44,179 41,751 40,084 Pittsburgh district. 531,521 488,447. 422,000 415,519 419,248 Shenango Valley .. 109,799 109,239 88,170 78,196 79,571 West. Penn. ..... 120,464 100,593 61,892 60,047 73,177 Maryland; Virginia oe and Kentucky 61,628 60,978 53,271 48,969 52,583 Wheeling district... 135,775 119,489 115,213 93,617 93,973 Mahoning Valley.. 203,006 189,822 187,748 188,187. 184,402 Central and North. 53 eee ee 170,914 161,742 152,909 141,973 116,95 Hocking Valley, Hanging Rock “* = aie and S. W. Ohio 35,173 27,084 27,185 | 20,245 = 11,321 Mich., Minn., Mo., a Plt Wis., Col., Wash. 69,741 76,379 71,938 54,391 57,661 Chicagy district 213,638 235,550 238,424 249,666 272,817 Alahama@ ........-; 143,751 149,737 134,386 117,015 126,200 Tenn., Georgia and 37,082 OURS” sasccmasas 28,331 22,178 | 28,868 27,169 082 Total 5 oat Bs 111 2,065, 086 1,893,456 1, 1,787, 566 1, 1,793 068 Among furnaces blown out in July were Lackawanna No. 1 and New York State Steel at Buffalo, Oxford in CT NAA MI / ap ATT OAT VANEERREAABZON ist 10, IQII THE IRON AGE 301 et 1907 1910 * 1911 : «| i eid nf f Coo a r we eased hs a o AL PECL Vi ahr i ACUPRLELEETL TTT ES | dl Oat ep Bee PAL TT “aya a PTT TTT TT PTI TT TTT a “oar MGCL CCE Pt Ha TAA Mere oP oA ttt PEEECEEEEEEe EEA ee LLLTT TTT ATT EEE Te aT a ECCCCBRE EE EEE EEE MEN ELT eT a OT of eB EERE EEE EEE ELLE TELL AL wo HITT TT TTT a PT a Cp YELL PL A * a LTT TTT TT ee Ped TO a PIB LTT Sn» > PIRI INI TTT TAT ET IV al TTA TT ANAT Rel Alt td Lt Td de oe wre PETA TT TT a At SEMPLE LEIS Ee) Eee COC ee CONECPPCCCer aL TT TT TENT | fa SeGte aden e ht PT Ie) HW Tey \ A | | bd N | tT fs f fir LTT MV PEELE TTT att Ca ok ae 4. poh ad = = = cnn MTSE SS ta PL PCE ee 82 wo LLL LTTE TTT ETT ede os Diagram of Daily Average Producti ion by Months of Coke and Anthracite Pig pen in the United States from Also of Monthly Average Prices of Southern No, 2 August 1, 1911 peaaeey 1, 1907, to Foundry Iron ‘&t Cincinnati and Local No; 2 Foundry Iron at Chicago District Furnace. New Jersey, Keystone in the Schuylkill Valley, Robesonia in the Lebanon Valley, one Schoenberger in the Pitts- burgh District, Perry in Western Pennsylvania, West End and Radford Crane in Virginia, Ashland in Kentucky, Struthers and No. 2 Haselton in the Mahoning Valley, Lawrence in the Hanging Rock District, Missouri at St. Louis, the Detroit Iron & Steel Company’s furnace in Michigan, and Alabama City in Alabama. The list of furnaces blown in last month includes the The Lake Superior Mining Institute The sixteenth annual meeting of the Lake Superior \lining Institute will be held on the Menominee Range \ugust 22 to 24. The meeting point is Crystal Falls, Mich., but mines in the Iron River and Dickinson County listricts will also be visited. The programme as just an- nounced by Secretary A. J. Yungbluth provides for the arrival and reception of visitors at Crystal Falls Tuesday forenoon, August 22. In the afternoon visits will be made the Tobin, Bristol and Hollister mines, a new ore Iryer being inspected at the last named. The Crystal Falls Commercial Club will entertain the institute at 6 p. m., and ‘ 8 p. m. a business session will be held in the court se T h ie members will leave Crystal Falls Wednesday morn- ig in automobiles for the Iron River district, visiting Chicagoan Lake, Swanson, Baltic, Caspian, James, David- 1 and other mines. Concrete shaft sinking willebe seen ‘ the Swanson. The Iron River Commercial Club will ‘icrtain the visitors at 6 p. m. and at 8 o’clock a session ' be held at the Opera House with election of officers ' the ensuing year. Thursday will be spent at Dickin- County mines the Loretto mine being reached at 9 m. Changes in the river’s course and mining in the river bed will be the features inspected. The hydro- ‘ric plant at Sturgeon. Falls will be seen on an auto- ¢] new Bethlehem Furnace G in the Lehigh Valley, No, 2 Warwick in the Schuylkill Valley, No. 6 Duquesne in the Pittsburgh District, Atlantic and Hall in the Shenango Valley, No. 2:and No. 4 Cambria and Josephine in "West- ern Pennsylvania, Alleghany in Virginia, No. 1 and No. 3 Ohio in the Mahoning Valley, one ‘Columbus in Ohio, two Ensley in Alabama. The blowing in of the new Central Furnace D at Cleveland, ‘Ohio’ is balanced by the blowing out of another furnace of the same group. mobile trip, also the electric equipment and concrete lined shaft at Vulcan. The visitors will be taken from Vuléan to Norway and Iron Mountain by automobiles, visiting the Chapin mine and inspecting the construction of a dam at Twin Falls. The list of papers prepared for the meeting includes the following: “Accidents in the Transportation, Storage and Use of Explosives,” by Charles S. Hurter, Duluth, Minn. “Some Safety Devices of the’ Oliver Iron Mining Company,” by Alexander M. Gow, Duluth, Minn. “Tobin Mine Sub and Caving System,” by Fred C. Roberts, Crystal Falls, Mich. . — and Gaving System in the Stambaugh District,” by Ww, Sasbren, Iren River, Mich. “Square = Mining,” by Floyd L. Burr, Vulcan,