POWER EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURES. 



BY EDWARD H. SANBORN. 



[Edward H. Sanborn, statistician; has had charge of important work in the United 

 States censuses of 1S90 and 1900, most of it being in connection with the manufac- 

 tures division of the bureau; he was and is an expert in the iron and steel industry, 

 and in the last census was in charge of the investigation into the use of power by 

 manufactories,] 



The aggregate motive power employed in manufacturing 

 establishments in the United States during the census year 

 was 11,300,081 horsepower, as compared with 5,954,655 horse- 

 power in 1890, 3,410,837 horsepower in 1880, and 2,346,142 

 horsepower in 1870. The increase from 1890 to 1900 was 

 5,345,426 horsepower, or 89.8 per cent; from 1880 to 1890, 

 2,543,818 horsepower, or 76.6 per cent; and from 1870 to 1880 

 1,064,695 horsepower, or 45.4 per cent. 



Of the total power used in manufactures during the census 

 year, steam engines furnished 8,742,416 horsepower, or 77.4 

 per cent of the aggregate; water wheels supplied 1,727,258 

 horsepower, or 15.3 per cent; electric motors, 311,016 horse- 

 power, or 2.7 per cent; gas and gasoline engines, 143,850 horse- 

 power, or 1.3 per cent; and other forms of mechanical power 

 54,490 horsepower, or five tenths of 1 per cent. In addition 

 to the above power, which was generated by the establish- 

 ments by which it was used, rented power was used to the 

 extent of 321,051 horsepower, or 2.8 per cent of the total. Of 

 this rented power 183,682 horsepower was electric, and 

 137,369 horsepower was other power. 



These figures do not by any means represent the total use 

 of power in the United States. In fact, the rapidly increasing 

 application of power to other industrial uses than manufac- 

 turing has steadily reduced the ratio of power used for driving 

 machinery in mills and factories to the total power applied 

 to all uses. This condition was even more marked at the 

 twelfth census than when the eleventh census was compiled; 

 and it is no longer safe to take the power employed in manu- 



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