Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-01-17
IN IRON AND STEEL OUR COUNTRY
now LEADS THE WORLD.
scientific American.

scientific American.
The United States may now be said to
be independent of other countries both in
tue mining Of its ores for steel and iron
and also in The manufacture uf the fin
ished product. Heretofore il has been
asserted and believed that this country
could not furnish the required ores for
steel, and resort hGs been had to imported
ores but The great demand for this i'm
portant mineral has stimulated new re-
searches and efforts which nave been
crowned with success.
The Lake Superior region, for example,
has been 50 greatly developed that the
larger proportion of the supply now comes
from that source.
TIE output of Superior ore for 1889
is stated TO have been seven millions of
tons, and the estimate for 1890 is nine mil
lions of tons, of which three millions
have already been sold at an advance of
IS cents to Sl.25 per ton above last years
rates. 1t is understood the entire pro-
duct will be taken by western iron men.
This may make almost an ore famine
here in the east it is not believed the
CubaL ores can be supplied in sufficient
quantity to meet the steel demand of this
region, There is hope of steel ores in the
Southern States. AS for Spain, its whole
product of seven and a half millions of
tons is required for England, France, Bel
gum, and Germany. All these countries
depend largely upon foreign importations
tor the best steel ores. This country
alone occupies the satisfactory position of
possessing its own steel ore beds, Many
Ct the southern mines now worked, al
though yielding excellent ores for iron,
contain too much phosphorus for making,
the best steel, 1t has, however, been as
certained that by the adoption of the basic
process, now extensively used in Eng
land, the irons from most of the southern
coke furnaces can be made to weld excel
lent steel The introduction of the basic
process is now in progress at The south
and prospects for large production of
good steel in the near future ARE cheering.
In addition 20 This there are other mines
more recently opened TINT are beginning
to furnish first-class steel ores.
The prices of iron aud steel have adj
vanced in Europe tn a greater extent than
ir llIi, country, and consequently, except
| in tiIrHg back orders. there Is at present
| Ii tie or 10 market hcir for lhe foreign
production. Americans now have almost
exclusive possession Of the American
market. fhl. state oi things is likely to
continue so long rs high prices are keptup
! in Europe; but when decline takes
place, and English iron makers are will
ing TO sell without profit, and their
steamers rctura to the old practice bring
ing over pig iIOn without charge as bal
last. and rails fora trifc above nothing, it
is possible the may work into the market
| again to u small extent.
The great progress which has been
made in this country in mine develop
ment and E the manufacture of steel and
iron will be evident when we consider
that it is but little more than twtn y ears
since the manufacture of steel rails was
begun in This country. In 1867 our pro-
duct of steel rails was only ,. $50 tons. In
1887 1t was 1855, 900. or double quantity
made in England. AS to rig irot, we are.
row producing in aggregate about eight
millions of tons II ycal. all cf which we
consume, and Englln produces about
the same, of which she exports much. In
steel production the United States is<.
ahtud of Great Britain, our production
being about three and half millions of
tons per annum against three and a quar-,
ter millions for England. AS for iron
our product is also much larger than that
of the royal kingdom, ours being about
two and half millions of tons against
one million eight hundred tt ousand tons,
English production.
The advanced prices of iron and steel
are haying a bad effect upon tie British
ship builders, ana unless lowering soon
comes, some of them will suffer loss on
existing contracts