Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-27

tN<x yesh Timesl
tn ns<sl world III New York and the
: eetipe ecuHtsy hss beep CRAFTY cvsiscd
o$e5 tbe anpcuse<n,euS Of psecees Tor I've
4ro6u<iien % metallic asuniniuya which
vaold pmsH liz Introduction into general
NE. Il mas been patcpf that With ;hts
tllseovefy Old methods In all metal
woyk would be rcvolntIoHixod, and new
era in tl.e n<c Of So<ts.s IN the arts, sciences,
end tosDcssic purposes follow. The philos.
ochsY's stone has not been sough; with
xrcsscf eassrncss than this cheap process.
6 In nlsss and practical mstal-workrrs the
worlSl ever have esperinsnsri 10 this end
tor hall n century, bgt, although producing
thu metal. the eos, has been 100 great Tor Us
general Introduction into co,nmercc, the
pslsc ., present be.ng relatively The same
a. that for silver.
u has been reserved for a German meri-
can chemist IN Philaaeiphia b produce
aluminium n@tal ~ The average quality aud
parity usually oean In and az present ordi-
natily u~sd ~ commerce I'm sufficiently
large quantities TO make the Rew process Of
general commercial value and al q probable
ssst Of not over $I.25 per pound, one
twelfth Il tia, now ruling. The dis
eoverer of tbe new process Is William
Ftislmuih,a chemist Of philadelphia. and
pupil Of Woller. who discovered the metal.
lie has been working for twcnty-e,ght
years TO solve the problem ci making cheap
aluminium In commercial quantities. lie
has succeeded, and has scared basic pr
tents throughout most OF the civilized
world for his process. which. when worked
In q large plant with suitable technical and
practical management and perfected me-
ebanical and chemica! means, will turn out
practieaity Unlimited quantities of the
metal At the price above stated.
Aluminium Il made only from It's OXIDE,
aiumina. This is found everywhere, there
bfing more in The ground than there is OF
iron. The French clay. bauyite. and the
English and Irish alum ciavs, MI existing
In inexbaus.ible quantities, contain very
high percentages OF alumina, whic0 can be
extracted at very low cost. Bauxite con-
talns 90 per cent. Of aIumino, and can be
laid down in New York at eight dollars per
ton. The Greenland cryo!ite Is, however,
more suitable than these cIays, being al.
most entirely free from iron, and
II natural combination OF cbelul-
Gals best suited TO make the metal.
Aumina made from crvolitc costs
10 cents per pound, but this can be ma
ferialiy eheapencd when treated in large
quantities. Pure ar-by drous alumina can
be made from bauxite at a cost Of not over
D cents per pound. This contains about
30 ger cent. Of metallic aluminium. The
process heretofore employed 20 obtain the
aluminium from the oxide has been by
treating its chloride with metallic sodium
as reducing agent The great difficulties
experienced, however, T., handling this
dangerous material and lis very great COST
about So per pound-have made the process
too difficult and expensive.
IN The process employed by Frishmuth.
instead OF usIDg metallic sodium he uses a
yspor produced or generated IN suitable
Tetcrts from n mixture Of carbonate OF
sodium or ether suitable compounds Of
sodium and carbon or some other reducing
agent. The sodium vapor Is made TO reject
upon the aiuninolls materials, the product
being The metal aluminium. In the old
process, known az the De Vile, 10 pro.
tluce twenty pounds Of aluminium. fifty
pounds Of metallic sodium. costing not less
fhnn 500. are required. BY that OF Frish-
muih, III pounds OF carbonate Of sodium,
costing one cent per pound. are used. Both
processes employ the double chloride OF
aluminium and sodium. and Frishmuth has
taken out patent for the use Of the double
fuoride Of aluminium and sodium in maxi
Ing The former metal. He has also made
in making the double chic
ride Of aluminium and sodium, reducing its
fOst 10 a few cents per pound, and conse-
guently reducing the cost Of producing the
metal; the saving, i'm fact. being almost as
much as tire substitution OF the sodium |
mixture for the metallic sodium. lie |
has also devised methods where |
by the wear and tear on the |
retorts, eruciblcs, and other apparatus |
IRE lessered. This has hitherto been a
notable item in the cost Of manufacture.
fhe metal now manufactured is superior
N quality To that made in the sole factory
N France. being puTer and whittier. H.
specific gravity is 2..3. as compared TO 10
or silver. lis quality has been tested IN
Sew York, London, AID Paris. and l.
tadiiy sold It the market price. The /
at Philadelphia thu, far has 4
been in the experimental and developing /
way. but the product has been many thou 4
ands Of ounces.
The uses Of the metal are almos, lliml-
able. Being only about one quarter the
weight Of other metals. il will be Substi-
utsd for these in countless ways. For light
ling-rods, telegraph. and eicctric-light
wires IL will come INTO use, as, with the
Exception Of silver. l. il the best conductor
Il electricity known. Already, notwith-
.taudipg It's excessive cost in Europe, IL is
being substituted for the mctal-butlOns.
buckles. and in fact all the acc0utremcntS (
Il the uniform Of the soldier. the weight 0f
hese being lcssened so greatly that he Is
,nabled 10 carry from thirty 10 forty add
ional cartridges without increasing the load
hitherto borne. IL non-corrosiye and Will
not tainish and Is expected TO eventually
'upplant the other metals for domestic
uses, aud 1t i Also anticipated that, owing
70 these qualities, 1t will supersode the Use
u brass. II VIII also hc used for subsidiary
roins. Specimens of these have been made
aud after handling for months ShoN' no
signs Of wear. and are as bright as the day /
they were struck. As an alloy. however.
II will prove of The greatest value, cspe-
cially when combined with silver aud cop /
per. giving 20 these metals It, nOn-c0rro- 4
siye and non-tarnishing qualities, aud /
greatly increasing their tensile strength. /
Aluminium bronze. which j. made from !
ninety LaIis Of copper and ten parts /
Vi aluminium. has tensile strength 1
" three tons per square inch more !
than Besscmer steel. This has led TO /
\ careful investigation Of the possible +
itics of the composition for use IN ordnance,
aud already the Russian engineers and .
chief Of the army are experimenting with IL !
for field pieces. These have thus far re- I
suited successfully, the weigh, being 80 |
mpch reduced that where Il has been 1
hitherto difficult for horses TO draw guns !
Of C-pound calibre the use OF ia.pounders I
and even larger guns j. now practic ,ble. /.
Aluminium bronze ordnance will thus |
probably soon become portion OF the !
equipment, not only Of The Russian service, /
bu, OF all The armies OF Europe. Fnshmu,h
has also invented solder for aluminium
which YIELDS the meta with itscf oi With
copper, tin. leId, or iron. The color Is the
same ~ that Of the meta.
The control Of the patents Tor The new
process has been secured by foreign cspi-
talists, who will thus have the whole world
Tor their market. Their intentions are
understood to be similar 20 the policy pur-
sued by The Rothscl.ilds, Who control the
quicksilver mines OF the world, viz. 10
iced the world With the product At 4 real
scnahlc price. and rvOla,e the supply
by the demaud. The English capitalists
conirollidg the patents some time ago
ssnt over Major Ricardo Seaver. +.
n. 5. r., late Government inspcctor.Gen en-
eras OF Mines, OF london, who made
thorough examination oi the process. He
returned home few weeks ago 70 make
hts report. lie is said TO have been
thoroughly satisfied with the practicability
OF the process and It's successful application
10 the commercial needs OF The world ~
showing wba, has been done at the Phila-
delphia works. handsome collection Of
the metal In bulk aud articles manufactured
from u aud itsal0ys has been prepared aud