The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-06

ing and to improvements in charging devices and in ore handling machines for stocking and charging. The re- duction in the labor factor through the improvements in equipment, as might be expected, is balanced by a corre- spending increase in the capital in- vested. The investment in buildings. machinery, tools. and implements in 1905 in active establishments averaged $s.24 per ton of pig iron produced. as compared with $5.4s per ton in 1900. an increase of 50. 4 per cent.
 Considerably more pig iron was made with mixed coke and bituminous coal as fuel in 1905 than In 1900 and less with anthracite coal and with mixed anthracite coal and coke. The quan- tity of charcoal pig iron. althoguh greater than in 1900, was relatively small. Bessemer and low phosphorus. of which there were S,894,sS4 tons and 192.795 tons, respectively, together formed '54.7 per cent of all pig iron produced in 1905. Basic pig iron to the amount of 2,653,940 tons. 172. 4 per cent more than in 1900, formed 15.4 per cent of the total and foundry pig. 3,679,243 tons. formed 22 i per cent of the total None of the remaining grades reported-malleabl Bessemer, forge, white and mottled, and miscel- laneous grades, ferrosilicon, spiegel- eisen, ferromanganese. and direct cast ings-formed as much as 1 per cent of the total.
 Bessemer, Iow-phosphorus, basic, fer rosilicon, spiegeleisen, and ferroman- ganese-aggregated 11,s21,57s tons. an increase of 23.4 per cent over the |. production of like grades in 1900. The major part of the pig iron product e,926,545 tons, or 59.7 per cent-was made by establishments controlling steel works and rolling mills for con- | sumption therein. After deducttns this and the quantity purchased from independent establishments by steel works and rolling mills--a,2S4,sS3 tons -there remains out of the total piG iron production 16,62s,2s4 tons-4.437. 066 available for foundries, other in- dustries, etc.
 With the development of the Bes- semer and open-hearth steel processes there has resulted the practice of re- taining the blast furnace metal in mol ten condition. Casting machines have also been extensively introduced and to small extent the practice of chill casting or casting on an iron floor Of all pig iron made, 6.0S3,513 tons were sandcast, 5,s9S,744 tons were de- l livered in molten condition to Besse- mer converters, open-hearth furnaces | etc. 4,307,10S tons were machine cast l 329,460 chill cas-; -nd 9,46S were al rect castings.
 The most important improvement oi | late years in the blast furnace indus try Is the Gayley dry-air blast, which by eliminating the effect of the mois | ture of the air and it's tendency to consume heat energy, results in the following economies: A reduction oi some 20 per cent in fuel consumed pei unit of pig iron, increase in the ca pacity of the furnace. reduction in iror ore waste (dust), and control over sill con range There Is also. incidentally a saving in power
 States Prominent in the Industry. | In 1905 there were active blast fur naces in twenty States. Pennsylvania Is still far in advance of the othel illinois and Alabama follow, in the or der named. All but three of the States which had more than two blast fur mace establishments in 1905 reported increases in pig iron production. Penn sylvania produced one-half of the bes semer pig Iron. nearly three-fourths O the phosphorus, nearly three l fourths of the basic, over one~f1fth O l the foundry, more than one-half of th' l forge. over three-fifths of the spiegel | eisen, all of the ferromangese, nearl. one-third of the direct castings, ant relatively small amounts of the remain ing grades-malleable Bessemer, whit and mottled, and miscellaneous grades and ferrosilicon. Steel Works and Rolling Mills.
 The number of active steel work and rolling mills for which separat
 reports were received was 415. de crease of twenty-three from the mum Der in 1900. The capital invested Il
 these establishments was $709,1SO,6A6