The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-09-14
STEEL IN THE LEAD
AND RAPIDLY suPERsEpNe IRON
In Metal Working Of Every Character The
Record of the Year just Closed by the
American Iron and steel Association.
The Age of Steel Is Upon US.

Bulletin 0fNe AMERICAN Iron and Ststl association,
The eighth edition Of the Directory Of
the American Iron and Steel Association
to the Iron and Steel Works Of the United
States Is now printed and will be mailed
in q few days to all our members. It
embodles 10 most thorough and pains
taking revision Of the preceding edition,
Issued in 1884, and to this havs been
added many new and valuable features,
In the present revision only 57S blast
furnaces are described as active or likely
to become active, whereas in the edition
OF two years ago 675 we're described, or OF
more than now, The explanation OF this
great shrlnkage In the number OF active
or probably only temporarily inactive
blast furnaces ia simply this, that we have
now applied heroic treatment to o large
number Of furnaces which ought TO have
bsen placed in the list OF abandoned or
likely to be permanently inactive furnaces
years ago,
FURNACES INCREASING IN SIZE.
The furnaces which constitute the &C.
tive list In the present edition possess
very much higher average capacity, and
are consequently oil very much higher
average type, than those which were EN-.
bTaced In the same list In previous edi.
tons. Thus, in the edition OF two years
ago, to go no further back, G75 furnaces
were credited with q total annual capacity
OF 8 100000 net tons, or an average OF
1877 tons each, In the present edition
57S furnaces ara credited with a total an.
nual capacity OF 00B0,700 net tons, or
1888 tons each. The furnaces which
have been built in recent years are chiefly
OF large sizs aud modern equipment
while those which we now transfer to the
abandoned list are chiefly Of small Size
and Anticipated equipment.
The annual capacity OF the rolling mills
in finished iron and steel is virtually the
same now as in 1854, being 100000 net
tons in 1854 and 100000 TONS in 1886
One explanation ia that the increased roll.
ing capacity OF the steel works has sup
planted the rolling capacity OF iron roll,
Ing mills, Another explanation is that
many OF the iron mills which have mol
yielded TO tho aggressions Of steel have
had no Involvement in the prices obtained
for their products 10 increase their rolling
capacity.
NAIL MACHINES, &c.
In the Directory for 1884 the fact was
mentioned that in the preceding two
years there had been great Increase in
the number OF establishments devoted to
the manufacture OF cut nails and spikes
Only a slight increase from 1884 to 1856 is
now noted in the number OF such works,
from 'Sl to 'S3, but there has been in the
same time large increase in the number
OF nail machines. From 1882 to 1884
these machines increased from 1890 to
h696, and in 1855 there was an increase to
1856. Many OF the new machines erected
sinCe 1884 were built TO make steel nails
DESIGNER STEEL.
In September, 1854, the country con.
tanned 20 Bessemer steel works, with 40
converterR, and one new plant in course Of
erection, In August, 1884, when the
present edition Of the directory YVES