August 24, 1912





RECORD  AND  GUIDE





357





BUILDING JWATERIALS.

Car Shortage Expected to Be Severe This
Fall, and Shippers are Sending Warnings.

More Amicable Relations in the Brick Trade—Ce¬
ment Interests Elxpect No Great Benefit From the
State Barge Canal—Structural Steel Prices As¬
cending Again.





Manufacturing interests are convinced
that the car shortage for building ma¬
terials will be severe this fall. In some
lines, as in lumber and wire, shippers are
sending out warnings to the trade and
urging that due precautions be taken.
Ocean freight rates are still soaring and
are higher than many shippers can re¬
member. The demand for materials is
steadily increasing. Structural steel quo¬
tations on plain shapes were advanced
again by some manufacturers at Pitts¬
burgh points this week, and a notice was
received of an advance in Virginia
foundry iron, but for most other material
prices were fairly steady.

The number of new building operations
in hand at the present time in the Bor¬
ough of Manhattan alone, according to
official report. Is 575, or about 100 more
than were in hand last year at this date.
The number of alterations is 1375, which
is a total of about 375 larger than the
number of jilteratlons going on a vear
ago in Manhattan. The number of new
buildings being erected is much less than
in some former years, but the average
cost has nearly doubled, and there is
more heavy construction than ever be¬
fore at one time.

Brick.

Brick market quotations are the same
as last week, $6.75 to $7 per thousand
for Hudson River common hards, to deal¬
ers, In cargo lots, at the wharf. Cargo
sales are fewer than when last reported,
numbering 49, as compared with 67 in
the previous week. The undertone of
the market is strong, but with the top
price not so easily obtainable as a fort¬
night ago.

The relations between manufacturers,
dealers and mason builders are reported
to be more satisfactory at the present
time than they were for more than a
year. The manufacturer Is receiving what
the dealer considers a good price for his
product; the dealer, who stands as a buf¬
fer between manufacturer and the mason
builder. Is asking, and in some cases re¬
ceiving more margin between cost and
selling price, and the dealer seems to be
willing to meet existing conditions and
pay a fair price  for deliveries.

Francis N. Howland, of Candee, Smith
& Howland Co., president of the deal¬
ers' association, in answer to a question,
estimated the prospects as good for a
long-continued era of fair business.

"The business public," said Mr. How¬
land, "are gradually coming to under¬
stand the political situation as to differ¬
ence in parties, and are feeling that busi¬
ness must go on regardless of who is
elected, and that nothing can stop the
wave of prosperity coming to this coun¬
try from the bumper crops of corn,
wheat, oats, and other cereals, as spoken
of in the news of the day,

"The facilities of the port for receiv¬
ing and distributing supplies are not all
that we could wish for, but under our
very efficient Dock Commissioner they
are improving, and if is easier to get to
distant points in upper Manhattan and
the Bronx than ever before, and the
dealers' association is grateful to the
municipality for every added facility to¬
ward reducing the cost of delivery of
building material  to the consumer.

"You can readily understand how es¬
sential it is for the building material In¬
terests tb have short hauls to the work,
as the longer hauls add to .the cost of
delivery   very  materially."

The  transactions  in  the  Hudson  River
brick market last week were as follows:
Lett  from   Aug.   10   for  Aug   12,   21.

Sold.

Arrived  August  12............... 1,5             17

Arrived August 13................   4               8

Arrived August 14.................   7               4

Arrived August 15................   '7               8

Arrived  August   16...............  13               8

Arrived  August 17................   7     o'i        4

Total    ..........................         74      49

Sold   ............................         49

Lett for Aug.  19................         25

Cement.

The great problem of the cement manu¬
facturers, as of the brick manufacturers,
has ever been to regulate production so
that it does not considerably exceed the
consumption in the markets immediately
available   to   the   point   of   manufacture.





With the mills In the Lehigh and Hud¬
son River districts running to about
90 per cent, of full capacity, on the aver¬
age, an immense quantity of material is
being produced. Not all the mills that
ever made cement of any kind are run¬
ning, because some did not survive the
long depression. But it is evident that a
turning point has been passed when de¬
mand is able, as it now is, so readily to
absorb the current output. The recent ad¬
vance of ten cents per barrel to a base
quotation of $1.38 to $1.48, in cargo lots
to dealers, alongside dock, within lighter¬
age limits, is being well maintained.

EiTect of the Barge Canal,

Manufacturers and dealers In the ce¬
ment trade do not believe that the State
Barge Canal when completed will either
increase the consumption of Portland ce¬
ment or materially reduce the cost of
transportation. For this reason the Le¬
high Valley producers do not believe that
the Hudson River mills will have any ad¬
vantage  over  theirs.

Albert Moyer, manager of sales for the
Vulcanite Portland Cement Company,
pointed out this week that a number of
mills have been erected in the past with
a view of utilizing water transportation,
but with a few exceptions such mills
have not been a success. The old Hud¬
son plant went out of existence, and the
Seaboard plant has never been complet¬
ed. The plant at Norfolk, built entirely
with water transportation in view, is
bankrupt.

"The nearness of raw materials and
coal, short distances to large markets,
equitable rates for transportation, and
the ability to ship in small units, is of
far greater Importance than water trans¬
portation," declared Mr. Moyer, The Le¬
high Valley enjoys these natural advan¬
tages and will always be the most promi¬
nent factor in the manufacture of Port¬
land cement in the East and for export.

FaciUties   for   Handling   Cement.

"We are paying more today," Mr. Moyer
added, "for lighterage and more for
trucking because the lightermen have to
pay the labor more and the fuel and feed
is higher, A possible saving might be
made in certain localities In and adja¬
cent to New York by providing means for
handling cement in bulk, the handling to
be done by machinery similar to the
manner in which grain is handled.
Strange to say this is nothing new, but
was actually accomplished seventeen
years ago.

"The handling of cement in Greater New
York is a problem not well understood
even by some of the manufacturers them¬
selves. Water transportation has always
been a lure and sometimes a snare. In
the handling of Portland cement water
transportation, from the economical stand¬
point, requires large units, whereas the
geography of the City of New York neces¬
sitates the dividing up of these large units
into small ones. The congestion of the
harbor and docks makes this a consider¬
able problem. Therefore, the larger por¬
tion of cement delivered in New York is
handled from the Lehigh Valley and not
the Hudson River plants. It probably will
always be this way even though the
quality might be equal. *he Lehigh Val¬
ley has the advantage of shipping in car¬
load lots into New York, trucking from
cars at Jersey City and Hoboken across
the ferry or lightering in 250 barrel lots
from the Jersey terminals to the various
docks in New York, Therefore, small
units can be handled economically from
the Lehigh Valley, whereas the larger
units would have to be handled from the
Hudson River plants,

"A belt line railway around the water
front of Manhattan would certainly assist
in the economical Tiandling of all ma¬
terials coming in by rail to Jersey City
or Hoboken, as these materials can be
handled then in carload lots by means of
fioats and float bridges to the belt line
railroad, and there distributed in carload
lots to points nearest the job.

"The small space available for the con¬
tractor In erecting a large building does
not enable him to take a large quantity
of cement in at any one time. He can
handle a carload very easily, but he can¬
not handle 1,000 barrels. The contractor
must have the cement promptly as he
needs it, he cannot wait for a barge con¬
taining 1,000 barrels to be towed down
the river, and the manufacturer cannot
afford to store a large quantity of ce¬
ment on a number of barges, distributing
it around the immense water front of
New York.

"It would be difficult to handle cement
as brick is handled. Cement is consigned
to one dealer and that dealer only can
truck from this partlculaj barge. In the
matter of brick, all dealers can handle
from any one barge, and they select the
barge nearest to the job. If cement could
be handled the same as brick, by means





of  a  cement  exchange,   some  economies
would naturally result,"

Large   Ontgo   of   Limestone.

The stone trades throughout the metro¬
politan district are enjoying a better mar¬
ket than for years. This applies to quar-
rymen, dealers, contractors and mechanics
in every branch of the Industry. It de¬
pends on individual circumstances and
also upon one's point of view if the
status of affairs are judged entirely
normaL While the work may not be dis¬
tributed throughout the city with the
even hand charactlstlc of unalloyed good
times, it can be said that whatever con¬
gestion there may be is where it can be
most conveniently handled—In Manhat¬
tan.

Indiana limestone is in particularly
strong demand. We have recently seen
a photograph of a train of thirty car¬
loads of buff limestone, all in large blocks
and representing sixteen thousand cubic
feet, and all from one quarry and con¬
signed to one firm of dealers, Michael
Cohen & Co., of this city, who said that
from their point of view there was
nothing extraordinary in the shipment,
under the present flow of business In this
oity.

Values in the stone trades have, during
the last three months, been steadily re¬
covering lost ground. White It cannot
be said that quotations for dressed stone
have yet reached new territory, it is still
true that they have gained nearly twenty-
five per cent, over the flgures which pre¬
vailed a year ago.

Iron and Steel.

Structural work is being freely placed.
The minimum price of structural shapes,
which for some time has been $1,30 per
100 pounds, Pittsburgh, was advanced
this week by most of the leading manu¬
facturers to $1,40, and transactions in
plates are being made at prices as
high as $1,50, Merchant bars are still
nominally quoted at $1,30 per 100 pounds,
but sales are reported at $1.35 and $1.40.
Some sales for prompt delivery have re¬
cently been effected at $1.60 per 100
pounds.

In most lines of finished steel products
the mills are being pressed for deliveries.
The volume of new business is increasing
rather than otherwise. Most of the steel
companies are behind in deliveries on
contracts.

Bids were again asked this week on the
steel fer the Eighth Regiment armory.
Awards are expected on the Hell Gate
Bridge approaches for the New York-
Connecticut Railroad, bids for which
went in on August 15. A moderate ton¬
nage of concrete bars and a small lot of
steel beams is required, as most of the
approaches will be of concrete construc¬
tion.

The American Bridge Company will
supply 14,000 tons for the Biltmore Hotel
as well as 10,000 tons for the Western
Union building in this city. It is stated
that the office building to b% erected at
42 to 50 Broad street will require 2,500
tons of steel.

Bids went in on 90,000 tons of structural
shapes for the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
•Co., which, it is claimed, is for elevated
railroad extensions, rather than for sub¬
ways, but no awards are expected until
formal contracts have been signed by the
B. R, T. Co, with the city.

Copper is selling In the local market,
by second hands, almost entirely in small
lots, at 2 to 4 cents under the prices asked
by the largest selling interests, who are
holding out for 17% delivered thirty days.

Linseed Oil.

Because of the prospects of a big crop
of flax seed, lower prices continue to be
quoted for linseed oil. City brands, raw,
American seed, 67 to 70 cents per barrel
in 5-barrel lots.

Lumber.

The wholesale trade In lumber is sea¬
sonably slow. From the retail yards there
is a fair outgo, but the dealers are not
yet in a position where they will be re¬
quired to stock up heavily. The higher
price list is also an argument for post¬
poning this class of ordering, if not now
imperative. Some of the Bronx and
^r*l ,^° yards report a very active trade.

\Vholesale houses report that spruce
cargoes hold all the ground gained ear¬
lier in the season. Schedules calling for
custom sawing are placed at flgures rang-
'^^,.^'",°^*22-^ t° *27, Sales of standard
fo on . ? range in price from $3.70 to
$3.80, either by car or vessel. Hemlock is
f-l~^I on the base price of $22 estab¬
lished a month ago. White pine Is firm
and active in all the cutting-up grades
below "fine common," with quotations un¬
changed.

For thirty days there has been a very
strong requirement for low-grade hard¬
woods. Mahogany is reported by shippers
to be a very scarce article.