The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-01

ANONNfN ANNMN |
4 the ,arth magnes'a Is now being "b'oigbt
Rom the laboratory into the workshop 1T the
lrissn." Three years ago, all the chemists who
had ever obtained magnesium atall had probably /
not obtained an ounce among hs'a and only
one year ago Ine selling prce OF toe metal !
WAS still " the rate Of ll2 gu'ne g per pound. |
Professor Roscoe, however, on Friday week. cX. |
hibi,cd some pounds Of magucsium (Ofyery much |
puter quality than bad ever been seen whle he |
n etal was produced only by the griiu) which
he had himself seen produced the dnv IN one
before. durng a bali hour's slt TO the ~ ~
pe,ipm wytks which Mr. SJns ait has rec 'nty
established M Stafford; and one Of the dvs car
dual facts m the history of magnesium, ~hicui
the better tu impress them on lie minds OF his
auoi nee he had eau Ell e. be state 90 painted
piHcard hung above the platform, is that Mr..
Sopstadt Is now selling magnesium wire nc three
pence tWt
Magnesium Il lighter metal than aluminium,
It's spt cfc gravity being about l'7i IL Is thuj
rtl or nore tben siN times, VII, rcas aluminium Is
only four times. lghter than silver. It's color
and lustre are 10 those uf aluminium rs those of
silver 90 those Of zinc; indeed, II either Of the
Two metas-mHguesium and Bilvcr-haS any
fui eriority over The other o. regards beauty and
TiChrcss OF color aud appearance, the advantage
Is probably on the side OF magnesium. In Que
important particular, magnesium has certainly
4he adyaf tape of silver; while IL does not Oxdze
IN moderately dry atmosphere any more
readi y than silver does, tis enlrely unaffected
by sulpburettcd hydrogen, by which silver is 20
speedily iarnishcd.
Though Magnesium does not exist quito 20
ahunohntly, prlups, a. either calcium or alu-
mtnium, there is very much more Of II IN this
word than Of any Of the commonly used me as,
not even excepting iron. Besides enter ng int
the composition Of an immense numpar anl
variety Of ltss abundant minerals it constitutes
thirteen or fourteen per cent. Of dOlumip', OF
aenesium limestone rock which II found IN
almost all parts of the world IN enurmJ Jus luNn-
tily. In England, for Example, "the magne,im
1tWf fsV.. G,VV, ND fFpV
TO Nottingham, a distance Of one hundred and
forty -seYen miles," and over 40 least part ot
that long line is fully six hundred feet thick.
hagnCsipn limestone insists partly OF car
bOnate Of magnesium and partly Of carbonate
of calcium; hut carbOnate Of magnesium by
itself exists in immense masses in some parts of
the world as, for instance, in Greece ana i'll ludia.
In the ocesn, moreover, magnesium exiss in such
| Qu5n ity that where sal is Optlined ny evapDrl
| ing down sea water, the "mother.iquors" left
after the separation of the sat might be used as
| perhaps the most eCOuum cal ore OF magnesium.
MIR Sonstadt has calculated that the oc, an Con-
tains one hundred and sixty THOUSAND curi1
| mites Of magnesium - u quantity which would
| form n CubiCal mountain measuring htty-tour
miles every way, and would cover the entire sur
face Of the globe, both sea and land, TO Thick
\ ness O. { more thrn eight feet.
What are the uses Of The metal of which the
| world thus contains such a marvellous store,
| and the obraiDment of which in any quantity
in such quantity, Tor example, AS that 10 which
|
| OF Mr.. SOnstndt, simply question OF wO king
| on a sufficiently large scle Considering that
| il ia little more than year since the metal was
| frs, produced by the ounce, II i not wonderful
| that we can as yet answer this question only
impeTfeCth - that with respect to The properties
OF the new metal very little is at present known.
No metal, except gold, is better adapted for
puI poses Of ornament; it Is believed to be
specially suited tor telegraphic purposes; and,
struck by the fact that IL is tut little heavier
than beaItOi.oaB while in cerfain conditions a.
TO purity, &C. il Is bell we'd to be a. strong and
tenacious as steel, some one has suggeS ed tn IT,
when il shall be cheap enough, we shall build
car ships-Uf-war of IL hut the ouly applica ion
OF il which has as ye actually been nude l. Que
dependent on the extreme richness in actin c
rays of the light given forth by the flame with
| viii il burns in atmospheric air. The light is
| richer in actnc power than any other artificial
| light known-is 80 Ich, indeed, in chemical
| nay that the sun itself, when unob-cured BY
fog or clouds, exc eeds ony by thirty -four times
| the chemical power of a magnesium flame
having the same appar, lat damCt as that which
the sun presents The result is, that by the lisni
| lroGuc, by the combustion of magnesium wire
! such as is now being sold AZ three pence 10 t,
we are able 10 obtain, in anv weather, and at any
| hour of the day or night, much better phOlO.
! graphs than can ever I've Obiained in tins country
| hy sunlight, except on such clear and sunny days
| ss occur in this climate but very rarely indeed
! Magnesium will thus render us hencetorth indie
| pCIdInt OF the sun for Photographic purposes
| and will. more over, enable us 10 oOtlin photo.
graphic pictures OF places-such a. the Interior O
! caves and mines, the passages in the Interior o
the EgN ptIan pJ ramids, and the like-into whicl
| sunlight never enters, nor can enter.
! But IL is not in aCtinic power alone that th(
| magnesium light exceeds all other artificial
! lights yet produced. FOrthe purpose Of artiiCia
| illumination generally it is without rival.
| very thin magnesium whe will give off in burn
| ing as much light us q very powerful electro
| lamp; but the magnesium light, unltke tn
electric light, is SOFT and difusiye, and does No
In the least dazzle or pain the eyes. IL Il more
over of the pufest white, so that oil c0lJrs, ev y
10 the most de icnte tints, arc seen in II AS per
fectly as in sunlight, while q magnesium lam
has over both the electric lamp anu IN
ordinary gas light the adv ntAge hat Il can y
carried about as readily as candle. a stli
greater Advantageous, indeed OF great import
taBce-which the magnesium light has alike owe
gas and over any kind either Of oillamps or .
candles, consists In the circumstance that mag
nesium, in undergoing combustion, gives oil u
| dCleiei ious vapOrs OF any kind. lus,eld Of il
bui nirg as pa, candles, and oil do, into lueou
yapuT and carbonic aid, with greater or les
acmixtBre of sulphuretted hydrogen, and oth.
furniture-destroy ing plate-.a nShinS, aud he ltt
ipjuTing CumpOunds, tue only product Of tn
combu tion of magnesium is harmless so!ld IN
oxide OF magnesium or naSnesia.
All this points TO the IN tgnesium light BEN
likely to come extensively into 40 onestls u5
! | while its great hriliancy would seem 10 render
eminentiy adapted for use in ligh, houses. In a
| probability, its price will not long he an ebstlC
10 eilhtr OF these two applications or II tJr eve
. | now, while the manufacture Of magnesium
! ! not yet three months old the light from IA gul
sium Is bui little more co tly que nifty for qua.
9 | thy, than that from composite" candles, soen
a that two and a helf ounces Of magnesium VI
\ | give forth, during combustion, as much liSnt
a | I,renty pOU,ids OF the best 81 arne.
t Such is rspid outline OF what has as yet bee
g done towards bringing into common use two
f The three most abundant metals Ia nature
{ metals which will probably one day exceed d
8 Others in the variety aud importance of the
g appiiC atiOnS. With calcium, tue Other OF II
5 three metals in question, we are almost un
:, CuAiLted in the metallic form COmhiNei wi
n oxy gen and carbon, il exists in nature ce tain
.t in greater qu4ntty that magnesium, and PROC
9 biy in greater quantity than aluminium; buJ
Il ha, ntVcr yet leep eliminated by more than
8 few grains at time.
n The largest pieces OF Il ever seen are son
il recently UblainGd by Mr.. SOnstadt, nOne Of the
J. weighing more than twenty grains, and IL h
Il | probably never been seen pure at all. Much I
l. same mis- BIT be ST Of ,th barium aud sIrO Oltiu
10 which two metals, though they cannot be CO..
Il pared for abundance with either calcium, aiuu
4 mum, or magnesium, yet exist in quite rs gre
!, | quantity a. some Of the metals now in comm
Il use, and III quic quantity enough TO permit
l. their being Of much Importance in the arts
IS future.
II The extraction Of these "metas Of the earth
,r from the compounds of them with oxygen u
ID other bodies which exist everywhere In such "
ri profusion, is the object of new branch of
,r art of meiallurgy, which may be said to hf
4 had its origin entirely within the last deca
4 III. L. NNasY