MANUFACTURES
CXVll
Iron Manufactures The development of the iron and steel industries since 1875 is shown by the following figures, supplied by the American Iron and Steel Associa- tion :
Years Furnaces iu Blast Pig Iron Produced Pig Iron Consumed Rails Produced Steel Ingots and Cast- Iron Steel ings Number Gross Tons Gross Tons Gross Tons Gross Tons Gross Tons 1875 . . 293 2,023,733 2,000,000 447,901 259,699 389,799 1885 . 276 4,044,526 4,348,844 13,228 963.750 1,711,920 1892 . 253 9,157,000 9,303,315 10,487 1,541,407 4,927,581 1893 . 137 7,124,502 6,982,607 6,090 1,130,368 4,019,995 1894 . . 185 6,657,388 6,694,478 4,674 1,017,098 4,412,032 1895 . . 242 9,446,308 9,628,572 5,810 1,300,825 6,114,a34 1896 . 159 8,623,127 8,275,774 4,347 1,117,663 5,281,689 1897 . . — 9,652,680 2,872 1,(>45,020 7,156,957
The latest bulletin of the American Iron and Steel Association says that the total production of pig iron in 1898 was 11,783,934 gross tons, an increase of 2,121,264 over the production of 1897. The production in the second half of the year exceeded that of the first half by 34,528 tons. The production of bessemer pig iron in 1898 was 7,337,384 tons, an increase over 1897 of 1,541,800 tons. The production of basic pig iron was 785,444 tons, against 556,391 tons in 1897. The production of basic pig iron in 1898 was distributed as follows : Allegheny County, Pa., 378,156 tons; other counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 205,192 tons; Maryland and Virginia, 54,535 tons; Ala- bama, 100,294 tons ; and Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, 47,267 tons. The production of spiegeleisen and ferro-manganese wa � 213,769 tons, against 173,695 tons in 1897. The production of charcoal pig iron was 296,750 tons, against 255,211 tons in 1897. The stock of pig iron unsold in the hands of manufacturers on Decem- ber 31, 1898, was 291,233 gross tons, against 656,489 tons similarly held on Dec. 31, 1897. The total production of rolled iron and steel in the last 6 years is given (in gross tons) in the following table :
Years Iron and Steel Kails Bars, Hoops, Skelp, and Shapes Wire Rods Plates and Sheets, except Nail Plate Cut Nails Gross Tons Total Gross Tons 1892 . 1N93 . 1894 . 1895 . 1896 . 1897 . 1,551,844 1,136,458 1,021,772 1,306,135 1,122,010 1,(>47,892 3,033,439 2,491,497 2,155,875 3,005,765 2,731,932 3,081,760 627.829 537,272 673,402 791,130 623,986 970,736 751,460 674,345 6S2.900 991,459 905,776 1,207,286 201,242 136,113 10^,262 95,()s5 72,137 94,053 6,165,814 4,975,685 4,642.211 6,189,574 5,515,841 7,001,728
The iron and steel industries flourish chiefly in the States of Pennsyl- vania, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, and New York. The manufacture of tin plates in the United States was undertaken in 1873 at Wellsville, ()., and at Leechburg, Pa. In 1875 it was also under- taken at Demmler, near Pittsburg.
