The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-23
PRODUCTION OF PIG IRON
A HEAVY FALLING OFF DURING
TIE PAST SIX MONTHS.

It Amounts to 20 Per Csnt.-The Pro-
ducing States Very Unequally At
fected by the Falling Off Figures
Which Show How Zach State Came
Out.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa, July 22-The bull
Ietin Of the American Iron and Steel Asso-
citation, published to-day, contains exact
figures of the production Of pig iron in the
United States in the first half Of 1891. The
amount was $3.50, 925 gross tons. against
1850 ,513 gross tons in the first half of 1890,
& decrease of l, 1SS ,5SS gross tons, or % per
cent. "Our production of pig iron in the
two halves of 1890 did not greatly vary, so
that it is not necessary to make a compare
son with the last half of the year.
UNEQUALLY DISTRIBUTED.
1.-THE decline in our production Of pig iron
in the first six months of 1891 affected the
mig iron producing states very unequaliy.
Some states actually increased their pro-
duction in the first half Of 1891 as compared
with the first half of 1890. The states
which increased their production were
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, Texas.
Michigan and Colorado. Four of these
states produce only charcoal pig iron.
WHERE THE FALLING OFF OCCURRED.
.'The production OF Pennsylvania was re-
duced $50 204 net tons; Ohio, 237, 568 tons;
Illinois. $40 $40 tons: Alabama, 81, $50 tons
Missouri 1864 tons; New York, 44,6l1
tons. West Virginia, A., 662 tons; Wisconsin.
81 1856 tons; Virginia, %, l44 tons; Mary
land. %, $40 tons; New Jersey, 90, 504 tons
Kentucky, g. 67 tons; Indiana. 3.9SS tons:
Oregon, 652 tons, and North Carolina, 35S
tons.
TENNESSEE'S RECORD.
Tennessee came very near maintaining
her record for the first half of last year,
producing in the first half of 1891 within
.4S3 net tons of her production in the first
half of 1890. The reduction in anthracite
aud mixed anthracite and coke pig iron in
the first half of 1891 was 172 per cent in
uumixed coke and raw bituminous pig iron,
so. 8 per cent, and in charcoal pig iron, G
per cent. The reduction III Bessemer pig
iron was 328 per cent.
IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.
1.-THE production of pig iron In nine
sou thern states in the first half of 1891 as
com pared with the first half of 1890 shows q
falling off amounting to 175 per cent. The
figures are as follows: Alabama, net tons
1890. 463, 45l against 379, III in 1891; Ten
nessee 143, 493 against 1900 Virginia.
1902 against 14l,9OS; West Virginia,
$3.50 against 20,977; Kentucky, 25, SAC
against 1S,n9; Georgia. 1O,599 against
24,4O1; Maryland. 1862 against 1892;
Texas, 5,1S7 against s, 465: North Carolina,
l,4Ol against 1.OO3. Total, 953,630 against
7S6, 656.
UNSoLD PIG IRON.
1.-THE total quantity of unsold pig.iron
stocks. which were in the hands of the
makers or their agents Oh June 80 last, and
which were not intended for tue c0nsump-
ton of manufacturers, was 495, 102 ne5 tons,
against 6Sl 1872 net tons on Dec 81 last, a
decline of $500 net tons. These
figures cover the increased production
OF June in the Shenango and Ma
hcning valleys. In addition to the above
stocks OF uusold pig iron the American Pig
Iron Storage Warrant Company held in its
yards on June 30, 1891, 494, 500 gross tons, of
which 8, 449 tons are included in the above
figures as being still controlled by the maxi
ers, leaving 1851 gross tons, or 45, 1913 net
tons OF pig iron on the market in other
hands against SO, $50 tons so held on Dec. 81.
''On June 30, 1891. there were 295 fur
naces 10 blast in she whole country, against
81 in blast on Dec. 81, 1890 On June 80,
1890, there were 339 furnaces in blast, or
torty~four more than on June SO last.
WORSE THAN IN 1873.
The figures showing our production Of
IAS iIO Al SuS n6lI OF 1881 indicate q
far greater reaction in this leading branch
Of our iron and steel industries than has
ever before occurred. Even the reaction
following the paUlc of 1873 WAS relatively
not anywhere near so severe as that which
has just taken place. In the same year in
which the panic occurred our production of
pig iron reached its maximum of 1850, 963
gross tons From that year until the close
Of 1876 there was a gradual decline in pro-
duction to 1865, 1861 gross tons in the last
year named, or u per cent for the whole
period from 1878. Now we reduce our pro-
duction 20 per cent. in six months.
OTHER SHRINKAGES.
"The shrinkage of Bessemer steel in the
first half of 1881 as compared with the til st
half of 1890 was over II per cent, while the
shrlnkage in the production of Bessemer
steel rolls in the same period was nearly A
per cent. These are very great shrinkages
The wide gap between them, however, again
illustrates the growing popularity of Bes-
semer steel in the production of articles
OTHER than rails. Our production
OF Bessemer steel rails in the first half OF
1871 was the smallest half-yearly production
that has taken place since the first half of
1873. IL was even smaller than 10 the second
half of that particularly dull year. The
reduction in the ingot production in the first
half OF 1891, as compared with the first halt
OF $780, was wholly due TO the decreased
demand for rails :"