Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-08-18
THE IRON TRADE CT THE WORLD

The annual production CT crude iron
throughout the world is estimated at g.
600, coo tens. OF this Great Britain pro-
ducsss2. 600. 900, France $50 COG. Pms
sia 10000, Austria 100000 Belgium
200, poo. Russia 200. GOO. Sweden i50.-
600, the lesser German States 100, ,O0O,
the United States 750. .o0O, ana o,h,r
countries 100000.
Ii IS thus seen that one half of the iron
of the world issues from the iorgrs Of
Great Britain, and that the amount pre-
duced in the United States although
large as compared with other countries,
is aall when eonti asted with that Of
Great Britain. Is this likely to continue?
Those who are best informed upon this
subject are of the opinion. that the most
favorable locations are at present fully
occupied and that if the iron trade OF
Great Britain is destined to further in
crease, it must be BY bringing into use
the iron deposits of Ireland. which have
hith rto been, for the most part, entirely
neglected.
Ia the United States on the contrary,
the deposits are on so gigantic a scale,
and are SO universally difused, that a
production such as that at present enjoy
ed by England would scarcely make an
impression on them. Indeed there is no
subject which strikes The scientific OBJ
server in This country with greater won-
der than that OF the immense mineral
deposits heaped up in the ranges of noun.
tains which traverse the entire length of
the American continent, the most useful
Of which, as well as the most widely diff
fused. is iron.
Eagland, although the largest producer
of iron, is far from making the best. The
Russian and Swedish bears higher rep
uta;ion, and commands greater market
prize. While something is due to the
ores # special localities, yet much is re-
f-e Jle to slovenly system, which the
abundant materials Of England has led
them to adopt, and which we have but
too faithfully initiated
Mr.. ]. K. Blackwell. in a paper read
before the British Society of Arts. which
much notice, called attention to
this subject, and stated that at the In
dustrial exhibition held in Paris, the iron
of other countries was greatly superior to
that of England, and that the COMPARE
son was by no means calculated to in
crease the reputation of their manufac-
lures. The manufacture of iron is strict
y chemical process, and the energies
,f other countries have been directed to
he attainment of high degree of scien-
ific knowledge, in its fabrication, in
which they have been successful, and
lence the results spoken of by Mr.. Black
veil, as manifested at the Paris Indus
rial Exhibition.
Iron is fouBd in several combinations,
s the black oxide, red hemetite, brown
emitite, brown ocre, but by far the
most widely diffused and available COM
inat;ons are the carboniie, brown spar
nd ispathose ores and the black band of
scotland. All this widely dilIused class
J susceptible Of two divisions, viz, the
Crystalline, which occurs in beds in pri-
,ary rocks, and the liihoid which is an
lcident to coal measures and is remark
BILE for the facility with which it may
e reduced. 1t furnishes the basis for
early the whole Of the enormous yield
Great Britain, and is used extensively
| France and the United States.
All these are reduced to iron by pro-
ess called smelling, and upon the care
ith which this is conducted the value of
le non greatly depends. 1t is to this
,imary process that Mr.. Blackwell par
cularly refers when he gives the conti-
entail iron a superiority over the Eng
IA. He, however, finds that from one
,use or another, most of the European
.ates must rather diminish than increase
Ieir iron production, confidently turns !
England and America as the two
'eat iron producing countries of the }
orl1. II his views of the limited ca
,city of the other governments of the :
orld to produce iron are correct. it is
Isy TO see that with the vast increase in
e consumption of iron induced by Eu- B
pean and American railways, and in y
c domestic arts, the supply will soon a
Il far short of the demand, and the n
ice will soon be proportionably en- Il
need. The available capacity of Eng Il
nd is already taxed to its uttermost; s
that can be expected from it is that t.
e annual production shall not be dimin- f
led. In this dilemma, the eye natu- Il
lly turns to the United States, where "
ture has piled up, with more bounti- ii
hand than in any other part of the p
obe, all the materials necessary for the a
brication of iron. Art has already "
ade many of these available by means Il
railroads and canals, and is yearly Fl
ding to their development.-Baltimore I
msrieaa. K