It appears that small advances in blast furnace technology in the latter part 18th century lead to higher production and lower prices. From Bell's "Manufacture of Iron and Steel", during the 1840's, coal miners used wood rails to move their product when expensive iron was available. During the next 40 years, there were advances in iron smelting and processing that led to the use of iron as rails by the miners. I think that it would have also influenced barrel making because there would have been a greater source of a better basic product at a lower price. For example the average weekly make of the British blast furnace was:
1788 - 15 1/2 tons/week using ordinary clay ironstone
1796 - 20 tons/week "
1806 - 21 tons/week "
1827 - 35 tons/week "
From Dr. Thomas Tooke's "History of Prices":
(Tooke was an Economist born in St. Petersburg, Russia)
1782 - 6-7 Pounds/Ton for English pig iron
1790 - 3-7 "
1806 to 1818 - 7-9 Pounds/Ton
1822 - back to 6-7 Pounds/Ton
And in the next 40 years production went to a furnace's weekly average of 400 tons/week. So, England had to have good sources of iron from other countries during the mid 19th century. Dr. Thomas Tooke and William Newmarch collected empirical ecomomic data and within their works may reveal sources in other countries of iron & steel for rail.
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
