Gates was riding high with both Republic and Tennessee Coal and Iron doing well with more orders that both could fill. His assessment of the open-hearth process for steel production was confirmed by a report from the US Bureau of Corporations. The report stated that an agent for U. S. Steel and a large railroad affiliated with J. P. Morgan pronounced the rails produced by the open-hearth process to be twice as good at those made by the Bessemer process, which was used by U. S. Steel. The report went on to praise Gates and his competitiveness.