INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1876. cxcvii 



these, the Edgar Thompson and the Lackawanna, were started in 

 that year, as noticed in our last year's Record. During the year 1876 

 one new establishment, the Vulcan, at St. Louis, which made its first 

 blow in the month of July, was added to the list, making the total 

 number of Bessemer works in the country eleven. The following 

 table of Bessemer rail production, drawn from the association's sta- 

 tistics, completes our annual resume of this important branch of the 

 iron industry up to January 1st, 1876 : 



Net Tous. 



1867 (ascertained) 3,550 



1868 " 7,225 



1869 " 9,650 



1870 " 34,000 



1871 " 38,250 



Net Tons. 



1872 (ascertained) 94,070 



1873 " 129,015 



1874 " 144,944 



1875 " 290,863 



As will be observed, by the inspection of our last year's comments, 

 the secretary's estimate for 1875 was somewhat below the mark. 

 The use of Bessemer steel for general purposes is rapidly increasing. 

 The total quantity of pig-iron (including spiegeleisen) converted by 

 the pneumatic process in 1875 was 395,956 net tons, as compared 

 with 204,352 tons in 1874, and 183,534 tons in 1873. Not less than 

 one sixth of our total production of pig-iron in 1875 was converted 

 into Bessemer steel; and so active is this industry that a notable in- 

 crease may be expected for the year 1876. Some 33,245 tons of 

 spiegeleisen were used in the Bessemer establishments of the country 

 in 1875, of which 7832 tons were produced in the United States. 

 No new spiegeleisen furnaces went into operation during the year 

 1876. 



The details of the domestic Bessemer industry appear in the fol- 



lowing tabular statement 



18T4. 



Tons of pig-iron and spiegel converted 204,352 



Tons of ingots produced 191,933 



Tons of rails produced 144,944 



1875. 

 395,956 

 375,517 

 290,863 



Great Britain's product of Bessemer steel ingots during the year 

 1875 was 592,000 tons, as compared with 540,000 tons in 1874. An 

 inspection of the table of domestic production given above will 

 show that the rate of increase in this country is far greater than in 

 Great Britain. 



The aggregate product of the fifty-four establishments in this coun- 

 try making steel other than Bessemer was for the year 1875 61,058 

 net tons, as compared w^ith 49,681 tons for 1874. Of this total, 39,401 

 tons w^ere crucible steel, and 21,657 tons were puddled, blister, and 

 open-hearth steel. The association publishes the following table, 

 showing the production of steel (other than Bessemer) by states 

 during the year 1875 in net tons : 



