The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-01-31
AIuminium-A Great Discovery.

1t has long been deSlderatum among
chemists and practical metal workers to
discover some process by which metallic
aluminium might be produced cheaply.
Its chief production, it was felt, would
permit its introduction into general use,
so much so, indeed, that old methods
in all metal work would be revolution
lied, and a new era in the use of metals
in the arts, sciences and domestic pur-
poses follow A German-American
chemist in Philadelphia, William Frish-
muth by name, and pupil of Wohler,
who discovered the metal, now claims
that he can produce aluminium metal
of the average quality and purity usually
dealt in and at present ordinarily used
in commerce in sufficiently large guam
titles to make the new process of
general commercial value and at
probable cost of not over $I.25 per
pound. This is one-twelfth of the price
now ruling. Frishmuth has been work
ing for twenty-eight years to solve the
problem, and has secured patents
throughout most OF the civilized world
for his process. This, when worked in
a large plant with suitable technical
management and perfected mechanical
and chemical means, it is claimed, will
turn out practically unlimited quanti-
ties of the metal at the price above
stated.
Aluminium is made only from its OK
ide, alumina. This is found every
where, there being more in the ground
than there is of iron. The French clay,
bauxite, and the English and Irish
clays, all existing in inexhaustible guam
titles, contain very high percentages of
alumina, which can be extracted at very
low cost. Bauxite contains 90 per cent.
of alumina, and can be laid down in
New York at So per ton. The Green
land cryolite is, however, more suitable
than these clays, being almost entirely
free from iron, and is a natural combin-
alton of chemicals best suited to make
the metal. Alumina made from cryo-
lite costs 10 cents per pound, but this
can be materially cheapened when
treated in large quantities. Pure an
hydrous alumina can be made from
bauxite at cost of not over 5 cents per
pound. This contains about s. per
cent. of metallic aluminium. The pro-
cess heretofore employed to obtain the
the aluminium from the oxide has been
by treating its chloride with metallic
sodium as reducing agent. The great
difficulties experienced, however, in
handling this dangerous material and
its very great cost-about So per pound
have made the process too difficult
and expensive.
The uses of the metal are almost IL
limitable. Being only about one quar-
ter the weight of other metals, it will
be substituted for these in countless
ways. For lightning rods, telegraph
and electric light wires it will come
into use, as with the exception of silver,
it is the best conductor of electricity
known. Already. Notwithstanding its
excessive cost in Europe, it is being
substituted for the metal buttons, buc-
kles, and in fact all the accoutfements
of the uniform of the soldier, the
weight of these being lessoned so great
ly that he is enabled to carry from
thirty to forty additional cartridges
without increasing the load hitherto
borne. 1t is corrosive and will
not tarniSh and is expected to eventual
ly supplant the other metals for domes-
tic uses, and it is also anticipated that,
owing to these qualities, it will super
cede the use of brass. 1t will also be
used for subsidiary coins. Specimens
of these have been made, and after
handling for months show no signs of
wear and are as bright as the day they
were struck. AS an alloy, however, it
will prove of the greatest value, eSpe-
cially when combined with silver and
copper, giving to these metals its non
corrosive and non-tarnishing qualities
and greatly increasing their tensile
strength.
Aluminium bronze, which Is made
from 90 parts of copper and 10 parts OF
aluminium, has a tensile strength OF
three tons per square inch more than
Bessemer steel. This has led to care
full investigation of the possibilities of
the composition for use in ordnance,
and already the Russian engineers and
chiefs of the army are experimenting
with it for field pieces These have
thus far resulted successfully, the weight
being so much reduced that where it
has been hitherto difficult for horses to
draw guns of pound calibre, the use
of 12-pounders and even larger guns is
now practicable. Aluminium bronze
ordnance will thus probably soon be-
come a portion of the equipment, not
only of the Russian service but of all
the armies of Europe. Frishmuth has
also invented a solder for aluminium
which YIELDS the metal with itself or
with copper, tin, lead or iron. The
color is the same as that of the metal.