Show coke industry for 19 1919 19 the outstanding features of the coke industry in 1919 were the great slump in demand that followed the armistice and a remarkable increase in the proportion of byproduct by product coke as compared with beehive coke according to preliminary estimates made by F G tryon of the united states geological survey department of the inter of the total production of coke in 1919 including beehive and product byproduct by but excluding coke was net tons a decrease when compared with the production in 1918 of tons or 21 per cent the decrease was confined almost entirely to beehive coke the production of which fell off 36 per cent the output of product byproduct by coke decreased only 3 per cent the output of product byproduct by coke consequently exceeded that of beehive coke for the first time in 1918 about 46 per cent of the total coke made in the united states was produced in product byproduct by ovens and 54 per cent in beehive ovens in 1919 the proportions were ic ie versed 56 per cent coming from byproduct by product and only 44 per cent from beehive ovens the year 1919 thus marked a turning point in the history of coke manufacture in the united states these figures are preliminary only and will be revised when the annual statistical canvass is completed iron furnaces use most coke the iron furnaces are the great customers of the coke industry in 1918 they consumed net tons of coke or 81 per cent of the total output of beehive and byproduct by product coke combined in 1919 the production of pig iron fell off 22 per cent and the demand for coke declined in proportion the reaction was especially felt by the producers of beehive coke with the growth in the output of byproduct by product coke the beehive coke industry is likely to become more and more an auxiliary source of fuel carrying the peak load in times of extreme activity and correspondingly restricted in times of depression the postwar post war slump in the demand for beehive coke began to be seriously felt about march 15 and reached its s lowest point in ill may thereafter production slowly recovered only to be further interrupted by the steel workers strike and toe the coal strike As a result the production or of beehive coke fell off 30 per cent in 1919 all districts shared in the decrease the total nl output in 1919 is estimated at 0 O net tons the total output of coke made in byproduct ovens ir in 1919 was net a decrease as compared with 1918 of tons or 3 per cent the increase was ile general and affected all states except jersey ey ohio and pennsylvania the 1 production of tho th n do mand for byproduct by product coke was largely counteracted ter acted by the completion of new plants the rate of production was higher during january february and march than during the remainder of the year during the last quarter the output suffered as did that of beehive coke also from the combined effects of the steel strike which restricted demand of the coal strike which curtailed the supply of coal byproduct by product ovens increase during 1919 there we were re completed and put in blast last 1228 new product byproduct by ovens of which were at new plants and were extensions at existing plants one new state rhode island entered the ranks of product byproduct by coke producers in january when the providence gas companas comp anys plant was completed during the year ovens were either abandoned or were so rebuilt as to be classed as new ovens on january 1 1920 there were in course of construction ovens which were scheduled to come into operation by july 1 1920 the maximum capacity of the product byproduct by plants has been estimated at net tons of coke at the beginning of 1918 33 tons at the beginning of 1919 and tons at the beginning of 1920 these annual capacities are estimated on a basis of per cent operation in actual practice however an average operation above 90 per cent can not be assumed for the country as a whole and the safer flure fiure of 85 per cent would appear better justified by experience under an operation of 85 per cent the present capacity of the country would be about tons completion of the plants now under construction may raise the capacity to approximately tons or tons under an operation of 85 per cent estimated according to the quantity of product byproduct by coke produced in 1919 tons the quantities of products byproducts by recovered during the year amounted to pounds of ammonium sulphate or equivalent gallons of tar 84 gallons of crude light oil and cubic feet of gas the above statements are condensed from a six page review of the coke industry in 1919 published in mimeographed form which may be obtained free upon application to the director united states geological survey washington D C |