clxxxviii GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



Whole number of stacks out of blast, January 1st, 1 874 252 



Whole number of stacks completed in the first 6 months of 1874. . 1 1 



Whole number of finished stacks, July 1 st, 1874 673 



Whole number of stacks building, July 1st, 1874 53 



Whole number of stacks projected, July 1st, 1874 6L 



Total production in 1872, in tons 2,854,558 



Total production in 1873, in tons 2,868,278 



Estimated annual capacity of all finished stacks tons. . . 4,500,000 



Number of states having furnaces 25 



Number of states making pig-iron in 1 872 21 



Number of states making pig-iron in 1 873 22 



The Secretary of the Association estimates the pig-iron 

 production for 1874 at 1,912,185 tons; showing a falling oft' 

 from the ascertained production for 1873 of 956,093 tons, or 

 about 33 per cent. 



The decrease in the American make of rails in 1873, owing 

 to the sudden restriction of railroad extension during the last 

 quarter, is given in our last Record at nearly 100,000 tons. 

 During the present year this enforced economy on the part 

 of the roads has amounted to a very general suspension of 

 building operations a fact which has reacted with telling 

 effect upon the rail-maker, involving a decrease of produc- 

 tion as compared with the figures of 1873 of nearly 450,000 

 tons, or about 50 per cent., as the following data, appended 

 for comparison, will indicate: 



Tons. 



Eails, 1872, including Bessemer, ascertained 941 ,992 



Rails, 1873, " " ascertained ._ 884,667 



Rails, 1874, " " estimated 442,337 



Bessemer rails for 1 872, ascertained 94,070 



Bessemer rails for 1873, ascertained 129,015 



Bessemer rails for 1 874, estimated 75,000 



Other rolled iron, 1872, bar, sheet, plate, etc., estimated 1 ,000,000 



Other rolled iron, 1873, " " estimated 980,000 



Other rolled iron, 1874, " " estimated 490,000 



Cast steel for 1872, ascertained 40,000 



Cast steel for 1873, ascertained 44,000 



Cast steel for 1 874, estimated 45,000 



[For the estimated values in the above we are indebted 

 to the courtesy of the Secretary of the American Iron and 

 Steel Association, Mr. James M. Swank.] 



The record of railroad construction for the year 1874 gives 

 the key-note of the continued depression of the iron indus- 

 tries. As far as ascertained, there have been 1923 miles of 



