The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1889-11-21


The difficulty of prod cing it cheaply
alone prevents aluminium from becoming
the universal metal. That this ia no
fable may be easily realized If We stop to
consider the intrinsic value Of aluminium.
To begin with, it is present verywhere,
and were the process of extraction easy.
not only no country. but no district and
even no parish would have to rely upon
it's neie hbors for its supply OF the prime
necessary for industry and commerce.
Iron can only be produced where nature
has deposited lodes of . particular ore,
and the nation not possessed Of this nat
ural gift is forced to purchase it from
without. Aluminium lies every where
close at hand. 10 slate, in feldspar, in
many kinds of rock and in ordinary clay
it rests concealed, and hence, could only
a simpler process Of extraction than that
DOW in use be devised, it might conceiva.
bly, be as easy to manufacture the metal
as to make bricks and pottery. As in
many parts Of the country the earth that
lie dug out Of the foundations supplies q
great portion of the bricks required to
build the house, 30 aluminium might be
produced on the very spot where it was
required.
Bearing in mind these qualities, and
imagining aluminium to be used where
iron is now employed, it is obvious that
many of the great problems of mechanics,
when applied to industry. would be
solved. Take tae case of speed in ocean
navigation. At present one Of the great
difficulties is the weight of the vessels.
1t is practically impossible to get engine
power sufficient to obtain more than
twenty miles an hour. Suppose, how
ever, the weight of the material out of
| which ships are constructed is reduced by
one-half, and their sides coated with .
highly polished, non-corrosive substance.
Under such circumstances there can be
little doubt that the vantage in favor of
land transports as regards speed would
be done away with and we should think
nothing Of vessels crossing the Atlantic
in seventy-two hours. A swift passen-
ger ship. built Of material Offering % little
resistance to the waves as glass and light.
er and more buoyant. might easily ae-
com p'ish fifty miles an hour. Then, too,
ships drawing only the same amount of
water as at present might accommodate a
great deal more cargo, while large and
commodious vessels would require far
less depth of water TO float them than
at present. In inland navigation this
would be of the utmost importance. 1t
is calculated that ship which. if entire
ly constructed of iron, would draw
twenty-six feet of water, would. when
IN ade of aluminium, not draw more than
four or FIVE. Practically, then, the light
metal would treble or quadruple the mum.
Der of miles of navigable river in the
world.
| Whether those who are now endeavor-
ing to make aluminium the metallic staple
will in the end succeed, or whether the
search for the metal of the future will
prove as fruitless as that for the philoso'
piers stone, remains to be seen. Possibly
some accident may bring about the usur.
patton OF aluminium in q very few yea
but, equally possible, further research
may show that it must remain physically
impossible to produce except at a great
cost and labor. We are in the habit oil
saying that 10 the end science conquers
all difficulties. but this is by no means
really the case. We hear most of those
it overcomes; but, - . matter of fact,
there are a. many defeats as victories.
Still, there is some chances that the
secret may be discovered and the ideal
metal be yet ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Spectator.