From Introduction: "Some results of the work already done are presented in this bulletin, which gives a historical review of the development of electric furnaces for making iron and steel, and discusses the problems that remain to be solved in the use of electric furnaces for the smelting of iron ores and the production of pig iron at a profit on a commercial scale."

From Introduction: "Because the limited time available would not permit a careful inspection, much less a detailed study of all the plants visited, the writer has not aimed in this bulletin to present a comprehensive review of producer-gas power-plant development in Europe, or even to give such conclusions as might be drawn from what he saw, but has simply described some interesting features of European practice that attract the attention of even a casual observer."