Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-08-26
CHEAP ALUMINIUM.
A Discovery That Will Accom-
plish Great Things.
The Most Abundant aud Most Elusive oil
Metals Finally Captured-An Inven-
tion That Will Make Iron and
Steel Antiquated.

tained the announcement that a metal
lurgist of this vicinity had, after years
of study and experiment succeeded in
inventing a process for obtaining
aluminum-the metal which is the
base of all clays-in metallic form,
and probably SO cheaply that 1t could
at once compete with iron and steel
for all uses. The article created in
tense interest in scientific and metal
lurgical circles. 1t was widely copied
in periodicals devoted to the many in
dustries which would be revolutionized
by such discovery, and numbers OF
letters of inquiry were received from
gentlemen and firms anxious to know
more of this wonderful discovery
The Blade is now able to declare the
entire success of the experiments,
which have been made on an actual
commercial scale, and to make the as
founding announcement to the world
that the entire range of metal in
dustries will be entirely and completely
revolutionized. The days of iron and
steel are numbered, and aluminium will
be the king of metals in the future.
This statement appears incredible; but
it is nevertheless strictly and entirely
true. The facts in the case are here
with given.
The invention is that of a metal
lurgist named Seymour. now at Find
lay, o., where the experimental works
are located. 1t will he called the
"Seyn. our process. 1t is process Of
obtaining. the pure metal in furnace,
but at a much lower heat than that
needed for iron. Mr.. Seymour is an
American; so the honor of the creates,
discovery of modern times is reserved
to our own country. He is thorough
metallurgist, who has spent his life in
researches. which have led up to this
invention as the result of twenty-five
years of study.
Aluminium is now sold at $40 pei
pound, and this is the lowest price i
has ever reached. The process uset
required six days. The Seymour pro
cess will turn out pure aluminium from
the crude clay in six hours, at a cost O
less than dollar a pound! Nor,
than this; alloys can be made from
clay and the ores of other metals in tn,
same time; for instance, in six hours
from crude clay and copper ore, alum
inum bronze, which contains five +,
ten per cent of aluminium, and is tn
best material in the world for cannon
journal bearings and variety O
other important uses, can be obtained
direct.
II may be of interest to recapitnlat
the properties and uses of aluminium
IL is the most abundant constituent Q
the earth's crust. Every bod of clay
every ledge of slate, is veritable orc
bed of aluminium; for the basis of a.
clay is alumina, which is an oxide @
the metal. Aluminium is a whit
metal. next in luster to silver. 1t
only one-third the weight of iron, be
ing lighter than glass; in fact it
about as heavy, bulk for bulk, as chal
or pine wood. Hence a pound o
aluminium is much larger in bulk tina
pound of iron. 1t is as malleable a
gold. more tenacious than iron, an
harder than steel, being next to tn
diamond in hardness. 1t melts at l, 80
degrees, at least 600 degrees belo,
the melting point of iron. 1t does nc
rust in the open air, nor tarnish b
contact with gasses, as does silver
The enumeration of its propertis
sounds like fairy tale.
When one is asked to euumerate tn
uses to which. it can be put, the min
is bewildered at the vast posslbilitie
1t is the ideal metal for railroad us'
An aluminium steamship will weig
only one-third as much as an iron on
of the same size; hence she will hav
only one-third the draft, and can carr
at least double the weight of cargo I
an iron vessel. The ocean steamer
built of this metal, can increase the
speed on account of their lightnes
They will be made of thinner an
lighter plates of metal; have stronge
but much lighter engines; alarger an
stronger propeller; in fact wit
aluminium vessels, and engines of Ii
same material, travel by water wi
rival the speed attained on land. II
ocean will be the highway of nations
indeed. Ii can be cast, or worked III
der the hammer, rolled into sheet
drawn into rods or wire, or depositt
by galvanism. :,
Its tensile strength is marvellous. In Il
form of wire it equals 12S, 900 poun
to the square inch, and under 9th,
conditions reaches 100000 pound
Bridges made of it will be lighter tha
wooden ones and stronger than if
the finest wrought steel They viii
indestructible, for they viii mos rus
The Brooklyn bridge will be trivial
those it is possible to build of alumni
an. The best wrought steel guns