The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-02-17
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Pennsylvania Iron Interest.

lHe lUJU.-1 nc uepIebslOn unQeI winch the |
iron interest Of the whole country is suffering-a
depression which has ruinously affected other man
ufacturng interests also has become serious as
to threaten the prospective destruction of that i'm.
portant branch of industry. The statistics of the |
iron business in Pennsylvania show progressive |
decline, for which the tariff system now in force |
offers remedy and in referring to Pennsylvania
do not intend to intimate that the iron interest
is sectional or local one in which this State alone
has concern. For if there be any branch Of indus
try connected with manufacturing art which is
particularly NATIONAL that of the iron manufacture
may be called truly SO. There is scarcely State
in the Union, probably not one, in which there are
not deposits Of iron ore, with the capabilities Of its
being converted into metal, under proper system
of protection to domestic industry.
But Pennsylvania is especially rich in mines of
iron ore, and In mines OF coal to furnish fuel for
furnaces and forges. OF the sixty two counties in
that State, there are forty-fve which contain
iron works and Of the seventeen counties in which
there are no on-woks, nine contain abundance
of iron and coal but having facilities Of get
ting to MARKET these resources of natural wealth
remain untouched
There are-accordng to authentic statistics
| ferred to by Mr.. Hampton, member of the House
of Representatives from the Pittsburgh district, in
| speech in the House some days ago-three hun
dred blast furnaces in Pennsylvania with an aggre-
gate capital invested Of S12, 1921 576. Fifteen of
these establishments were sold by the Sheriff
during the first four months OF last year, and other
| sales under execution will reduce the number in
blast still more. The quantity of iron made in
ls47 by the Pennsylvania furnaces amounted to
| 3S9S50 tons in 1850 the quantity produced was
| l9S,sl3 tons-showing decrease of 100, ,537 tons,
| or forty y-nine per cent. in three years.
1t is to be noted that the disastrous effect of the
| ad Ualorem system OF duties, adopted in 1886 did
not affect our home manufacture OF iron during the
year 1s47, by reason of the high prices that iron
commanded in Engla under the influence Of the
railway mania then raging at its height. With the
fall Of prices abroad, the home duties iron fell
and then. when protection most needed
our ports were thronged with cargoes of the sur
plus iron of England and Wales. The depression
of our domestic iron interest then began and still
| continues.
The number of forges and rolling mills in Penn.
| sylvania is about two hundred, with aggregate
capital invested of seven millions and half oil
dollars. The iron produced by them in 1S47
amounted to 203, 1877 tons /; in lS49 the production
was S53 TONS Here is falling off within two
years of 66s74 tons, or thirty-three per cent.
| The total number Of iron-works OF all kinds in
| Pennsylvania is five hundred and four, with an
invested capital OF 500, ,502,076. Some thirty thou
sand men, and more, are employed in them when
they all in operation they also employ up
| wards of thirteen thousand horses.
In the estimate OF capital invested in these works
the value OF farms, grist and saw mills and slinia
property, wagons, TOOLS and the dwellings OF work
men large cities, are excluded, because
| although belonging to the works, and though thei
value is greatly affected by them, yet they have tt
| some extent an independent value. The value o
the coal lands supplying the works with coal i
also excluded from the account also the capital AM
| men, and horses employed in mining, and trans
porting the coal to the works. and carrying the ro
to market; also the value Of the ore-banks belong
ing to farmers in the vicinity of the works, and tn
l labor employed in them.
From estimates deemed accurate in the main
| is believed that there are from eleven to twelv
thousand men, not in the pay of the manufacturer.
but dependent on the furnaces and forges OF Penn
I; sylvania for employment and subslstence-thu
y making aggregate Of over forty thousand me
i dependent the iron business in that State. A
lowing five persons as the family of each lahore
more than two hundred thousand persons-nearl
one tenth of the population of the State-are thu
connected with that great branch Of industry.
TO the capital of $50 5020 076 invested in land
re buildings and machinery alone, an equal amour
IT | may be added necessarily employed in carryn
,r on and keeping in order the iron-works of Penn
n | sylvania-maklng actual Investment OF son
forty millions OF dollars in that business.
a The iron imported into the United States for Il
I'd fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1S49, amounted
Ill | 3l9,375 tons; costing $l5, ,96l Now it
IN fairly estimated that nnetenths of the value of irt
in ready for market consists of the labor bsstow'
upon it, In importing iron, then, to the amount
more than fifteen millions of dollars, pay mi,
| tesths of tina. amount to British or foreign labt
nj while to a corresponding extent our own labor
a unemployed.
IS This foreign labor, moreover, employed in mak
the above named quantity of imported iron requir
ne to be sustained by food, which we who buy the r
&c are not permitted to supply beyond the limit
III extent to which the British crop may be defcie
nc If the iron were made at home, our own farme
Us would have the exclusive privilege Of supplying
its manufacturers with the means Of subsistence.
VI During the last fiscal year the imports Of II
We and manufactures Of iron and steel into the Unit
is States have amounted to upwards Of eighteen n
ne lions and half of dollars In connection with I
as e large importation, to which may be added laI
" importatons of other articles, we are called upon
'.e remember that payments have been made to la
" extent in stocks and bonds which, exactng inter
at present, will have to be themselves redeemed
10 and by. In other words are running in deb
m Europe, and have already standing against us acr
0'. the water some hundred and fifty millions Of {
H Hi' lars OF one kind of scrip another, and yet we
'e still importing more largely than
ng EuLoGIuM OF Mr.. KAuFMAN.-The death
,ue o this promising statesman called forth speecl
III from Gen. Rusk of the Senate, and Mes
and Morse, Howard, and McLanahan. That OF
the Morse will interest many OF our readers on
the River Mr. Morse rose and said
vel, In ssconding the resolutions that have just
read, hope that | shall be pardoned if l add
ove word to the eloquent notice which has been ia
the Of his decease by his colleague. There reas
bly, why the portion Of Louisiana which have
,me honor to represent upon this floor, should mir
city her voice with that of the Representative Of
ling | sister State.
this Mr.. Kaufman was for some time an inhabita
con- the town of Natchitoches, in the district re
e Al H.