, 1869-11-21

obtained.
THE COST OF IRON.
Tho St. Louis Democrat, in an article
appealing to the proprietors Of the Caron-
cc]et iron furnaces to halp to build up the
trade and commerce aud the production Of
that city, furnishes tho public with soma
interesting facts concerning the cost Of pro-
ducing pig iron. It appears that some per
sons, feeling satisfied that the production Of
ci,, iron vsml.l s,A x-~ateaae, u.1e 3v.. nEa,o
subscribed an amount Of capital and erected
furnaces at Oarondelet Tho purpose wa4
to experiment, and to follow it up If it
should Ia profitable. Tbs ore VIA to be
obt.ined in Missouri, and il wns to DO
h1nclted with coa1 from 1tlinoa. This fur
naco vas put iEto condition at the smallest
possible cost ,-one important point to have
tasted being the pracricability Of making
good qmolRy of iron with the illinois coal.
Both in the Euatter Of cost mud in the
quality Of iron tho experiment hos been
success, an3 has been followed by the es-
tabllshmcnt Of other nnd more extensive
works. Oeing to the temporary character
OF the CaronasIct works, the expenses have
been greatly increased By reason Of the fire.
9uant stoppages, The uuusual amount Of
repairs. and the waste Of wages, interest,
and coal, By running reduced anount Of
iron at time. The cost Of Labor il CON-
pa1nti1ely Me same whether 100 tons OF
I50 tons are produced week Nut9ith-
standing ali these extra drawbacks and out
lays, adding at lcast 10 per cent to the coat
Of production, the experiment has been pc-
cuniatily sucoesa. The figures given By
tha Democrat may be thus condensed: In
tho weeks when the furnaces ran uninter-
1uptedly. lGs3 toms Of iron were produced
week, at cost Of $22.3S
per ton; the lowest amount produced
in a week ~as lls1 TOES, and tho cost soG.oe
per ton. To produce tho 1864 tons Of iron
per week required l63 tons Of coal, wh.le
in producing tbs 1ls3 tons the consump-
ton Of coal was 15G tons, or nearly the
>ame. The cost Of lAbor for producing the
1864 tons was S73S, and for repairs and
interest on capital $500; Wills the expense
ii the week when 1lsi tons were produced
sns-laboz, $3.50; interest and repairs,
500. When the furnace wss worked to its
full capacity the iron cost but S23.38 por
ton 10 produce it, including full interest On
the capital invested. Tae company, how
ever, insist that such statements do not
fairly exhibit the workings They reject
the theory Of Whit the furnace can do, and
insist upon what it has done. They show
the exhibit of work for seven months. Ac-
cording 10 this, the cost Of producing WAS
500 Is per ton, Of which there was paid-for
coal, $i2.62i orc, SO. 10; labor, So inter
est on capital and repairs, 33.25. During this
| seven months the furnaces were closed
seventy days, and on othcrs only run to
twu-thirds their capacity. The cost Of labor
and of coal, End the interest On capSthl, COR
tinued almost the same AZ il the furnace
had been continuously at work to its full
capacity
Rejecsing all these e1traozdinazy items,-
which do not properly enter into an eAi-
1r,ate % to the cost Of producing pig iron,
and which ars not items Of expense in the
other establshments,-the st. Louis Dtmo-
efas p1aeea the cost Of producing pig iron
at St. Louis, Of No. quality, such as is
sold IN Pittsburgh and Cincinnati for $3.50
an .or ton at S2t ner Inn. This iron il
eo,d ~ &. 1cn;s a. II, sare ct;eo at xh;ch
II nm bo obtained In pittabureh, freight, Of
oou1se, added The st. Louis ;1on-maksrs
arc protected BY the freight On 600 miles Of
transportation, and they, Of course. true
10 The mi. Of protected elasses. include tho
nrotac.jon in tba;r Drioe. The result is that
Tittsbn1nb iron completes in St. Louis With
the san,e quality Of iron produced there.
! It must be borne in mind that pig iron is
| tho raw uatcria for almost eyery dcsclr-
ton Of manufactures, lit can be-aad Is
there Is no longer anv doubt thas it is-pro-
duced at st, Louis for 60: per ton, currency,
tho Public may firm theis own Judgment
as to tho Gust Of producing it In Pennsyl-
tn the ea,no oo1nnanv. and Lie contiguous
to the furnace, Ile coal used at Caron-
3elct hoa to be carried from the Big Muddy
delda, In Illinois, acroaa tho Mississippi
River.
Pig iron cannot be imported from Eng
land and landed In New York, freight paid,
for less than se6 per ton In gold. The
duty ia 50 Per ton In gold. The result u
thst bnt rerT few tons Of EnRllsh pig r"n
are imported. When to the cost II E..sslanu
il added Tho freight, saa Exporters. profits,
and the premium On gold, and tho cost oi
transportation from New York to St. Louis,
it could not be sold, tres Of duty, in st.
honla for leea than e8 per ton moro than
1t costs to purchase ike iron ut oarondelet.
1a not that protection enouahs Il to pro-
ducs ton Of pig iron At St. Iouis costa
ga, and it i sold At 800, the profit is e5
per cont, in addition to interest on capita,
invested. Il the capital invested be
S2oo, 900, and The weekly product lco
tons, tho iron. Il holi At $50 per ton,
would yield m annual profit a. follows: