Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-05-23

The increase in 1877 over 1876 was
221 $40 tons; and in 1879 over 1S77it
was 262,775 tons. If similar rate of
increase be maintained in 1879, as we
have no doubt it will be, the production
this year will equal that of either
Of the exceptionally productive years
1872 and 1873; while much less rate
of increase will carry our production in
1880 above 100000 tons. Joined to
the reduction in stocks of pig-iron
which took place in 1875 and 1873, the
fact is fully established that the con-
sumption of pig-iron in this country has
greatly increased since 1876.
The production of rails of all kinds
in the United States in 1879 was $50, $50
net tons. This product has been but
twice exceeded in the history of the
country, in 1872 and 1878. The increas-
ed production in 1873 over 1877 was
1885 tons. The product of 1873 was
composed of 550,S9S tons of Bessemer
steel rails, 321, 5000 tons Of iron rails,
and 1897 tons OF open hearth steel
rails. The production of Bessemer
steel rails was 1929 tons greater in
1878 than 1877; while that of iron rails
was $3.50 tons less. Open-hearth steel
rails appear in the statistics of last
years rail production for the first time.
In 1879 we will probably produce as
many rails as in 1872, when we made
100000 tons.
The first importation Of Bessemer
steel rails here was in 1868. when a few
tons were imported from England, and
$3.50 u ton were paid for them in gold.
In 1867, when this country first began
to make Bessemer steel rails to fill or
ders, the price of English steel rails fell
in our markets to Sis in gold. AS Il
result of the domestic competition in
and manufacture of steel rails which
was established in that year, the price
of these rates has since declined with
great regularity, until in 1877, American
Bessemer rails were sold as low as $40
ton, with an average for the year of
$3.50; while in 1878 the average fell
to $40 %, which is about the price rul-
ing at the works at the date of this re-
port The price of steel rails is now
less than half the price Of iron rails at
SO recent a period as 1872.
The production of crucible steel i'll
the United States in 1878 was AZ 500 net
tons, against 40 ,430 tons in 1877. The
production of blister and puddled steel,
and of steel made by various minor
patented" processes, was 1856 tons in
177S against IL ,924 tons in 1877. The
production Of open-hearth steel in 1873
was sc, jig tons, against 25031 tons in
1877.
The quantity Of pig iron, spiegleisen
and ferromlnganese converted into
steel by the Bessemer process in the
United States in 1878 was 1876 net
tons, against So, 227 tons in 1877. The
number of net tons of Bessemer steel
ingots produced in 1878 was 732, 226,
against 5605S7 tons in 1877. The NUM-
Der of net tons of Bessemer steel rails
produced in 1873 was 550,3S9, against
432, l69 tons in 1877. In addition to the
rails produced there were sold or work
ed up by the Besscmer works into other
forms 1880 net tons of ingots. There
were ten Bessemer steel works in ope-
ration in 1878, the only remaing works,
the Vulcan, at st. Louis, being idle. The
works which were i'll operation used
only twenty converters. Down to the
close of 1873 this country has produced
a total Of 2,145,895 net tons Of Besse-
mer steel rails. Of the ten Bessemer
steel establishments which made steel
in 1878, one is in New York, five are in
Pennsylvania, one is in Ohio and three
are in Illinois.