Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-01-30
IRON AND STEEL.
Facts and Figures From the Census
Report. -
AMagnifeent Sho~ing-curious information
Capacity Of Furnaces : Capital
Production West Virginia Exhibit
Labor and Wages.
VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION.
Specicl Dispdteh 10 he Register.
A Magnificent Report.

Specicl Dispdtch 10 the Register.
A Magnificent Report.
WASHINGTON, January 29.-Statistics OF
the iron and steel production of the United
States, for 1850, have just been issued by
the Census Bureau, the facts and figures
having been gathered by Mr.. James
NJ. Swank, the efficient Secretary OF the
American Iron and Steel Association, as a
a special agent OF the Census Department.
This report is perhaps the fullest and
most accurate showing of this important
branch of industry ever made in this or
any other country, and will be eagerly
sought after by the large number of per-
sons directly or indirectly interested in
Iron and Steel Manufacture
1t illustrates by a series of colored maps,
the character and location OF the blast fur
naces; iron railing mills, Bessemer and
open hearth steel works, crucible and mfs-'
cellaneous steel works, forges and blooma-
ries of the United States, and gives, both
by States and counties, the aggregate OF
their product. The tables annexed show
the number OF establishments, the capital
EMPLOYED in them, their production IN
total and detail, the raw material used, the
relative rank in production Of the several
States, the geographical distribution OF all
products the centres and values OF produc-
ton, the hours and the wages of labor, the
number of hands employed-in short ali
the information that could be desired by
operators, employers, employees or invest
ors in manufacture that is fast outstrip-
ping all other American industries.
Curious Information.
In addition TO this, there isa large collec-
ton in it Of curious information as to the
early history OF iron and steel manufac-
lures in this and other countries, together
with descriptions of new processes in the
manufacture of both, and record oi the
notable achievements by American IRON
and steel workers.
ont of the mass OF information thus col
lected and distributed, it is difficult to Sc
lect that best suited to the limit OF a news
paper publication, but running summary
qiying preference 10 matters OF local inter
est, will. know. be acceptable 10 the read
ers of the REGISTER, who may not hhIe az
ceS to the originals.
Capacity.
As the capacity of olast furnaces only
was given in 1870. no complete data are
available for :. comparison of all iron works
IN rat year and those existing in 1885,
/ The daily capacity of blast furnaces in
1870 was S,357 tons OF pig iron and in 1850,
| 19,24S tons, an increase of 1902 per cent.
The number of blast furnaces in 1870 was
574 and in lSs0 it had grown to 6sl, an in
crease of 1851 per cent. Other United
States census returns for 1880 are as fol-
lows: Rolling mill establishments 32i ).
pudding furnaces, 1919; rotary pud-
ding furnace, tSellers) /; Danks
pudding furnaces, 10; heating
furnaces. .. .lO5: nail machines, 3.7I5; steel
works, 49, BcsScmer steel converters, 81;
epen hearth steel furnaces, 37;pot holes for
crucible steel 2G9l; forges and bloomaries,
1ls. Slemen's rOtator. !: daily capacity OF
blast furnaces in tons. ~, 2iS; daily capaci-
tv of iron rolling mills in. tons, l6,i3O; dai-
ly capacity Bc~semer steel converters IN
tons, 4, ,467; daily capacity open hearth
steel furnaces in tons, s21 daily capacity
Bessemeo and open hearth steel rolling
mills in tons. !, j,223; daily capacity OF cru
chile steel works in tons, AS; daily capaci-
" of bloomarcs and fOrges IN tons, 5ZV.
Capital.
The whole amount OF capital invested
in these industries in 1850 was $3.50, OIL ISL;
in 1870 it was Sl2l,772O7i; an increase OF
slO9 100, So or s9.Gs per cent. OF the
amount now invested Pennsylvania has 40
per cent; Ohio II per cent; New York
per cent: MossOuri and New Jersey each !
per cent None oi the other States have IN
yestments OF this kind large enough TO con-
stitute more than thrce per cent. oi the
total.
Production.
As TO PRODUCTION. the iron and steer
turned out in 1880 was ,2G5, In tons; IN
1870, 3,e55, ,2l5 tons: increase 3,Go9,a.>' 'ohs'
or 81. 10 per cent. PRODUCTION in this catSe
means the products 81 all processes, al
though in getting such products raw ma
terial is sometimes duplicated, as in the
case OF rolled iron, which is mainly pro-
duced from pig iron. For purposes OF com
parison, however. the figures are all right,
the same method vi giving production OBJ
tanning in $50
To give this production in detail would
require the production OF Mr.. swanks
tables.
OF the pig iron produced in 1880 there
we're produced with charcoal and cold blast
20 6l3 tons: with charcoal and hot blast
355.4O5 tons with anthracite ,ll2I35
tons: with bituminous coal and coke ,5l5,-
lO7 tons, and with mixed anthracite a1d
coke 7l3, ,932 tons The total production wa
3.7s1 .02i tons. of which l2s75 tons were
speigel eisen. 49,
The following gives a comparative state.
ment of rolling mill products for 1870 and
1850.