INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS. 407 



at the close of 1875), as strong symptoms of an early increase 

 in the manufacture of American pig-iron. This judgment is 

 confirmed by the following statement, politely furnished by 

 the secretary to the writer, giving his estimate of the pro- 

 duction of pig-iron during the year 1877, to wit: " This year 

 [1877] we will make a little more pig-iron than last year 

 probably 2,200,000 net tons. The other items of production 

 will stand about the same in 1877 as in 1876." 



Of the total production of 1876, 794,578 tons w T ere smelted 

 with anthracite coal, 990,009 tons with bituminous coal and 

 coke, and 308,649 tons with charcoal. The whole number of 

 completed furnaces in the country at the close of 1876 was 

 714 (against 713 in the preceding year). Ten new furnaces 

 were built in 1876, and 9 old ones were abandoned. Of this 

 total of 714 furnaces at the close of 1876, 236 were in blast 

 and 478 out of blast. Of the product of 1876, Pennsylvania 

 made 48.2 per cent, and Ohio 19.2 per cent., both increas- 

 ing their percentage of production as compared with the 

 preceding year. The other iron-making states, with few ex- 

 ceptions, decreased their production as compared with 1875. 



CONDITION OF BLAST-FURNACES OCTOBER 1, 1877. 



For comparison with a similar statement given in last 

 year's Record^ Ave append herewith a summary of a detailed 

 statement published by the Iron Age of New York, showing 

 the condition of the blast-furnaces of the United States on 

 October 1, 1877: 



Number of charcoal-furnaces in blast (weekly capacity 7887 tons). . 89 

 Number of charcoal- furnaces out of blast (weekly capacity 12,957 



tons) 1 70 



Number of anthracite-furnaces in blast (weekly capacity 17,0G7 tons) 86 

 Number of anthracite-furnaces out of blast (weekly capacity 25,268 



tons) 140 



Number of bituminous or coke furnaces in blast (weekly capacity 19,- 



670 tons) 77 



Number of bituminous or coke furnaces out of blast (weekly capac- 

 ity 29,780 tons) 136 



Total furnaces in blast, October 1,1877 252 



Total furnaces out of blast, October 1 , 1877 452 



Weekly capacity of furnaces in blast (tons) 44.624 



Weekly capacity of furnaces out of blast (tons) 67,995 



A comparison of these figures with those of the preceding 



