The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-09-10
GENERAL NEWS
OF INDUSTRIES

The annual report OF General Man
ager James M. Swank, of the Ameri-
can Iron and Steel association, which
has Just been completed and will be
presented to the members of the ssso-
citation during the next few days. is
especially interesting from the fact
that it deals with period Of the lowest
prices for iron and steel products ever
before known in the history of the
trade. While prices showed declin.
ing tendency during the whole Of 1S93a
production also grew less from month
TO month. The course Of trade during
the year is well shown by the statistics
of actual production, as taken from
the report, The production of iron ore
in the United States in 1898 was II, :.
6S7 620 gross tons. against 16, 296 6G6
tons in 1892 a decrease Of A. 700 OBJ
tons, The shipments Of iron ore from
the Lake Superior mines in 1898
amounted to G,060, 492 tons. against
9069. 556 tons in 1892, decrease OF
3,009, 064 tons Our imports of iron ore
in 1893 amounted to 526. 951 gross tons,
against SOC. 5S5 tons in 1892. The inn
ports in 1893 were the smallest since
1885
The production of coal Of all kinds
in the United States in 1898 was 1872
814. 977 gross tons, against 16O, 115,242
tons in 1892 The shipments of snthra-
cite coal from the Pennsylvania mines
in 1893 amounted to 43,0S9, 537 gross
tons, against A. S93. 321 tons in 1892, an
increase Of /, 1876, 216 tons, The produc.
tion of coke in the United States in
1898 was 9,477, $50 net tons OF 1000
pounds, against Il, O10. S29 tons in 1899.
a decrease of 2, 533, ,249 tons. The ship.
msnts of Connellsville coke in 1898
amounted to 5.054 797 net tons, against
300 691 tons in 1892 deere, Is of l.
10 S94 tons The shipments of Poca-
hOMtas Flat Top coke in 1898 amounted
to 514s s723 net tons. against 400 m tons
in 1892, and 466, 016 tons in 1891. The
production OF pig iron in the United
States in 1893 was 7,124, 5O2 gross tons,
against 9,157,00 tons in 1862, decrese
OF 2,032, 49S tons. This decrease was
almost entirely in the second half of
1898, the production Of the first half
being 4,552. 9lS tons, and in the second
half only 2. 561, ,5S4 tons As compared
with the first half of 1893 the produc-
tionin the second half shows decrease
OF nearly A per cent, the largest semi.
annual decrease in production Of which
there is any statistical record. The
output in the first half of 1894 was g..
III, 1888 tons, a quantity but slightly in
excess of that in the second half of
1898.
The production Of Bsssemer steel in
gots in 1893 was 3.215,0S6 gross tons,
against 4, ,16S 435 tons in 1892, and
3,247. AIT tons in 1891. There was de-
crease of 952, TAO tons, or over % per
cent, in 1893 as compared with 1899
The production in 1898 was the small
est annual production since 1880 The
production of open-hearth steel ingots
in 1893 was 1877. 800 gross tons, against
$3.50, SS9 tons in 1892, an increase of 69,-
0O1 tons. or over 10 per cent. Ths pro.
duction OF all kinds of rails, including
light and heavy and street and mine
rails in 1893 was /, 1876, 457 gross tons,
against 1851. S44 tons in 1892, de-
crease of 4l5, 1868 tons. or 26 per cent.
In the following table is given a COM
parison of the production of the lead
ing articles in 1898, compared with
1892. The quantities are in gross tons.
except for nails, which are given in
kegs Of 100 pounds.
Articles. 1892. 1898.
Pig iron, .9l51,000 7124.502