The morning call., 1892-08-23
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THE PRODUCE OF IRON.

AS might have been expected the returns
| from the iron trade show a diminishing
| product In July the weekly production
was about 10000 tons, now it is only about
155, GOO tons. The falling off is partly due
| to tie reduction in railroad buildlng-the
| new track laid during the first six months
of this year being 1866 miles, as against IT'S
during the first six months of ashland
| rarity to the oVer-pT oduction OF iron and
! steel The railroads are the chief eonsum-
| ers of these metals. From 1884 TO 1882 in
| elusive the new mileage ranged from 5000
| to 1900 miles. In 1890 and 1891 the
new mileage was only about 1000 miles.
| and this year it will probably fall below 5000
miles.
There is nothing either in the reduced
! production of iron, or in the diminished
new railroad mileage, which need create I'M
easness. In the census year the total pro-
ducton of pigir0n in all the States of the
Union was S,279, SS1 long tons. This was al
most exactly twice the production of The year
1881 which was reported as Ala, 254 tons.
An industry which was going ahead so very
fast was certainly liable to a check. This
is a large country, and it consumes great
deal of iron, but there is limit even TO its
capacity TO consume. The United States
is now producing more tons Of pigiron an
nually than Great Britain, which has to sup
ply the world.
popular notion prevails that the iron
production OF Alabama has reduced the
| demand for the pgiron of Pennsylvania
and Ohio 1t is undoubtedly the case that
pigron can be produced more cheaply at
Birmingham than anywhere in the North
ern iron belt except, perhaps. in the
MenomOnee Range. But the greater cost of
transportation from Alabama to a distrib-
uting market more than equaliZes the con-
ditiOns. In the year 1881 Alabama produced
1892 long tons of pigir0n, and in the
census year 1891 1861 tons. Thus Ala
bama may be said to be producing nearly
one-tenth of the total product of the United
States, while Ohio is producing one-eigh tn
and Pennsylvania nearly one-half Ohio
and Pennsylvania each doubled her pro-
duction in the last decade. Alabama
nearly Occupied hers. II all three States
should continue to swell their production
at the same ratio during the present decade
their relative rank in the list of iron-pro-
ducers would be altered at the close of the
century, but there are indications that the
development of the industry in Alabama is
likely to proceed more slowly hereafter.
Michigan has unequaled facilities for the
production OF good aud cheap iron. and
they have been known for years; but her
total product in 1891 was only 2I3. IA tons.
Hopes are frequently EXPIRE ssed by loyal
CaliforBians that this State will some day
become a producer of iron, aid Will cease to
be dependent on importations OK scrap
iron for its supply. 1t is known that there
are large veins Of iron ore in some of the
foothill counties, and an enormous deposit
Of similar ore in Shasta and Siskiyou, but
the iron industry has been brought down to
such fine point that veins can rarely be
exploited at profit unless they are in close
juxtaposition with bodies Of coal and lime.
That seems not to be the case with our iron
veins. 1t would cost more to haul a suit
able coal TO the furnace than the iron would
be worth. When steel billets are selling in
the East at S23 there is no money in ex-
plotting iron mines which depend for their
fuel on distant source Of supply. There
are some very fine iron mines IN Utah; the
| ore runs high in metallic iron, bat they are
| only worked at rare intervals.