INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS. 



607 



reports are available. These are compiled from the latest 

 published quarterly report of the Iron Age, and represent 

 the condition of things on October 1, 1878: 



Total number of stacks 



Number reported in blast 



Number reported out of blast 



Capacity per week of those in blast (tons) . . 

 Capacity per week of those out of blast (tons). 



Charcoal. Anthracite. 



209 



83 



186 



7,079 



13,790 



223 

 88 



135 

 17,660 

 21,360 



Bituminous 

 or coke. 



213 

 80 



133 

 19,360 

 29,360 



Total furnaces in blast, October 1, 1878. 251 



Total furnaces out of blast, October 1, 1 878 454 



Weekly capacity of furnaces in blast (tons) 44,099 



"Weekly capacity of furnaces out of blast (tons) 67,510 



Compared with the condition of things at or about the 

 same period of 1877, the above figures for the several classes 

 of furnaces in and out of blast have maintained about the 

 same relations, save that the percentage of charcoal-furnaces 

 in blast in 1878 has slightly diminished. 



PRODUCTION OF IRON RAILS (Bessemer Excluded). 

 The production of iron rails in the year 1877, from the As- 

 sociation's figures, was 332,540 net tons, a smaller production 

 than that of any year since 1864. This decline the secretary 

 ascribes chiefly to the popularity of Bessemer rails, and, in 

 part, to the continued depression of the general business of 

 the country, which still restricts the building of railroads. 

 The production of this class of rails has steadily dimin- 

 ished since 1872, the figures of the single year 1877, as com- 

 pared with those of 1876, showing a falling-olT of not less 

 than 134,628 tons (or about 30 per cent.). This steady fall- 

 ing-off will appear from the accompanying tabulation : 



RAIL PRODUCTION IN 1877 (Bessemer Included). 



The total rail production in 1877 was 764,709 net tons, as 



compared with 879,629 tons in 1876, 792,512 tons in 1875, 



and 729,413 tons in 1874. Of the total rail product of 1877, 



332,540 tons were iron, and 432,169 tons Bessemer steel; 



