INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS. 6]1 



mens's regenerative gas-furnace, the following facts relative 

 to the number of Siemens's furnaces in the United States on 

 November 30, 1878, and a reliable estimate of their produc- 

 tive capacity, viz. : 



The total number of Siemens's furnaces in the United States to above date is 

 168, divided as follows : 



For heating, and puddling 101 



For open-hearth steel-melting 27 



For crucihle steel-melting 40 



168 

 The number of furnaces built and in course of building during the year 

 1878 is as follows : 



For heating and puddling , . . . 15 



For open-hearth steel-melting 6 



For crucible steel-melting , 6 



27 

 Total furnaces to date 195 



The annual productive capacity of the open-hearth furnaces 

 above named is 140,000 gross tons. 



The 40 crucible-furnaces have a capacity of 984 crucibles 



per heat, representing an annual production of 40,000 gross 



tons. 



THE AMERICAN IRON TRADE IN 1878. 



The despatch with which the returns of production now 

 reach the office of the Iron and Steel Association, thanks to 

 the effective system of obtaining facts and figures from iron- 

 masters lately introduced and put into operation by its able 

 secretary, Mr. Swank, enables us even thus early to give his 

 estimates for 1878, based upon such full and reliable returns 

 that he is able to affirm them to be very nearly correct. 



PIG-IRON. 



The production of 1878 is estimated to have been about 

 70,000 net tons greater than that of 1877, and is given as 

 2,382,000 tons, classified as follows: 



Kinds of fuel. 1S78. 



Anthracite 1,039,000 net tons. 



Bituminous 1 ,093,000 



Charcoal 250,000 



Total 2,382,000 



At the close of the year, the secretary estimates the number 

 of furnaces in the country to have been 700, of which 260 



a 



