IRON AND STEEL. 



403 



The total consumption of pig-iron in the 

 United States is estimated at 2,154,813 net tons 

 in 1871, 3,149,048 in 1872, 3,012,883 in 1873, 

 2,734,539 in 1874, 2,324,300 in 1875, and 

 2,172,503 in 1876. There were imported 245,- 

 535 tons in 1871, 295,967 in 1872, 154,708 in 

 1873, 61,165 in 1874, 66,457 in 1875, and 88.- 

 072 in 1876. 



The aggregate yield in gross tons of the 

 mines and furnaces of the Lake Superior dis- 

 trict, from 1856 to 1876, together with the 

 value of the same, has been as follows : 



Rolled Iron. The total production of all 

 kinds of rolled iron in the United States in 

 1876 was 1,921,730 net tons, against 1,890,379 

 tons in 1875, 1,839,560 tons in 1874, and 1,- 

 966,445 tons in 1873. As 1873 was the year 

 of greatest production of rolled iron in this 

 country, the steady maintenance in each of 

 the succeeding years of a production only 

 slightly less than that of 1878 shows that the 

 rolling mills must have been more actively 

 employed than is generally supposed ; almost 

 as much iron was rolled in 1876 as in 1873. 



The probable consumption in the United States 

 of all rolled iron, except rails, was 857,799 

 net tons in 1871, 1,054,253 in 1872, 1,157,- 

 502 in 1873, 1,140,312 in 1874, 1,116,655 in 



1875, and 1,067,111 in 1876. The produc- 

 tion, importation, and probable consumption 

 of rails in the United States, from 1867 to 



1876, were as follows : 



Bessemer Steel. In 1876 11 Bessemer steel 

 establishments were in operation in the United 

 States, of which 5 were in Pennsylvania, 3 

 in Illinois, and 1 each in New York, Ohio, 

 and Missouri. In the ten years during which 

 the Bessemer steel industry of this country 

 may properly be said to have had an existence, 

 there has been produced a total of 1,163,028 

 net tons of steel rails. It has had a slow 

 growth until within the last few years, but it 

 is now a leading branch of the iron industry 

 of the country. In 1876 it consumed one- 

 fourth of the total pig-iron product of that 

 year, and produced more tons of steel rails 

 than the country had produced of iron rails in 

 any year prior to 1866. The details of the 

 Bessemer steel industry in the United States 

 for three years have been as follows: 



The Bessemer steel produced, which is not 

 rolled into rails, is used in various forms as a 

 substitute for wrought-iron, or other kinds of 

 steel. 



Steel, other than Bessemer. In 1876 47 es- 

 tablishments made crucible, puddled, blister, 

 and open-hearth steel in the United States. 

 These establishments were situated in New 

 Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New 

 York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Mary- 

 land, and Tennessee. There are also steel 

 works in Rhode Island, Georgia, Kentucky, 

 and Illinois, but they were not in operation in 

 1876. The total production in 1876 was as 

 follows: 



