Connecticut western news., 1888-09-05
THE ALUMINIUM AGE.

Adaptability of This Abundant
 Silvery Metal.
 The Revolution It May Cause in
 the Worlds Progress.
 At the Essen Krupp Gun Works, near Cologne, Germany, the metal aluminium is being rapidly turned out in 100. pound ingots at cost of twenty-five cents per pound. Its full significance, however, is not realized by the public, for this silvery metal is the most abuu- dant in nature. Common clays every where contain from two to ten pounds of it in every 100 pounds. It is there- fore m orc common than iron or all the metals taken together. The cost of ex- tracting it has been tho great and only intolerance to its general use. In 1858 its value was $246 per pound, and the following year chemical discovery dropped its price to $44. A steady de- crease since then has taken place to about $5 per pound, at which price its uses arc enormous, but nothing to com pare with the Klupp twenty-five cent value.
 As iron weighs three times as much and is, therefore, one third as bulky as aluminium, when the latter can be ob- tained at three times the price of iron, that metal will be supplanted rapidly. Evcu at the Krupp price, it will pay to build railroad trains of aluminium, be- cause of tho greatly reduced weight a. forded. This dead weight of trains is prodigious expense to railways, nine- tenths of which could be saved by constructing freight and passenger cars of aluminium, weighing from half ton to ton each. The adaptabiIity for this purpose may be instantly seen in roughly stating aluminium to be far stronger than steel aud as light as chalk. Locomotives needing traction weight would still be made Of iron and steel, though they could be reduced in weight materially in proportion to the diminished dead weight, or the old en- gino un changed would be enabled to add ten aluminium cars for each ono of tho old style discarded. It would be equivalent to doubling the freighting capacity by counting the weight of present cars and their contents as equal in reducing the car weight to a practi- cal gro.
 Aluminium conducts electricity better than iron, tho comparison being one- third as we'll as copper, while iron is one-sevcnth, henco aluminium will be used for telegraph lines. The metal being so light and strong, inch rods of it will hold up tho wires as we'll as the largest telegraph poles uudor greatly reduced weight.
 Houses could be easily constructed by pouring the metal into ordinary sand or metal molds. It melts easier than silver. Every part of tho domicile could be cast on the spot in this way into solid mass of metal more rigid and durable than stone. Movable parts, such as doors, windows, tram sons, scuttics, could be mado of the samo bright metal, and just as heavy | or lioht as desired.
 Ships larger than the Great Eastern, with less draught, could be constructed nearly entirely of aluminium, including the machinery and boilers, which al present weigh down vessels seriously.
 Tho stone age held fast our ancestors in condition but little better than th .t of the apes; the bronze age was great step ahead, and tho iron age ushered in civilization and mado it possible. We arc now living in the latter part of that period and bcholding the dawn of the aluminium age, which will confer bless ings millions of times greater than can be understood under existing circum. stances. The possibilities of chear alumiaum arc limitless. Aerial navi- gation will be cffectually settled, aud monstrous aluminium airships will literally givo wings to com mercc. Cities of solid alumi mum will spring up everywhere, fire proof, indestructable, paved with the whitc metal, lighted with electricity passing over aluminium wires 10 tower of tho same substance. Railway beds slocpers, ties, bridges and all will b' cast solidly in their places, with airy aluminium palace cars dancing ovel them 100 milos an hour or more. Float ing b;idges can b, built upon the seas wide rivers can be spanned by cob webby but strong structures at small expense, and ia few days where year: were previously required. Sanitations will bccoms great practical possibility
 Transition stages such as this involve rapid and decided changes from pas modes of living, and, like all other civ ilizing influences, aluminium will prove to be great levelcr. Old-time manu featuring processes will be killed of and thousands be employed in new in dustrios or adaptations of the old to th' new. Carpcn tering, cabinet-makine will give way to fabricating furniture, wagons, carriages, etc., from the new metal, with tho result of cheapening al