The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-01
USES OF ALUMINIUM.
1t Nay Prove a Substitute for
Iron and Wood.
LIGHT AND VERY STRONG
0ne-Tsnth Of tho Earfh's surfzes Its
Esa1ctioa stsiI an issoiyed
Problem

fey Years ago the Cincinnati ts@rasr-
.saF arnaarre1 the discovery ty = 1aaein-
natl snetalsnrgiat Of tiax for iriSinm. the
wonderfully hard and non-corrosfTe metal
first found ia tae TRIAL mountains, and
held by the Russian government a.
a MONOPOLY. Fortunately IL practical
use vas very limited. owing 10 th~
fars that iE IL only fOand Ia very
email. irregular giobules aboui the SIZE OF
spzrr0s shot. The largest sized gtoe'iiss
sold for <1o per ounce. and these EeFs
affixed By gold pen manufacturers Tor
diamond" points Owing Ia It's 81 p
treme hardness. its high polish under
the wheel and the fact that there
il no acid known In chemistry that ean
either corrosie or even attack II, hirh
value attached 10 IL for uses requiring ihose
very qualities. provided IL could be either
found or worked into bulk. tpon this
problem metaiurGists and chem lists every
where worked with patient assiduify. but
il -enained for John Holland. at this city,
TO discover . lux for iridium IN phos pho
rus He worked tae mental into at de
sired shapes for contact points for mathe-
rsIafieai instruments, and has achieved the
greatest success with 10 for electro. plating.
Mr. Holland IL constantly experimenting
with metals He has taken great interest
in the newspaper talks aboEt aluminium as
limb Der" for the ocean gTsyhouuds.
OWING TO its extreme strength and hghsness
and floating qualities combined. bot he has
something TO say on that part OF the sub
ieet that will serve 10 correct sonae OF the
popular errors about the nature and pos
sib.sities Of the new metal. His desk was
found well supplied with specimens OF the
wonderful metal in al the worked up
forms IL appeared in sheets rolled as
thin as paper, in solid slabs, which held up
by string rang sweet as silver struck by
the hammer. Mr., Holland was asked
for a talk on the subject for the commercidI
Darstte. aud. while willing enough to
comply, did not care 10 be quoted as an
authority" nor vet 10 be reported as cut
ting figure in print. lie remarked that
all his experiments in metals have praeii-
cal end ia view. and that none of his in
vestigations are pursued for sake OF nov
city. lie tersely observed that IL would
mot pay"
Said the reporter. "Sow tell me all you
know about the new metal--aiGminium. /
think my readers would like information,
especially II II has been limited at a. the
metal for the ocean greyhound
Mr.. Holland responded as follows:
Aluminium was first discovered by Woh-
Ter in 1877. He extracted IL with POTASH
um from kaolin or common clay. He
only produced small globules of IL and
il was only in lisa, when Deville succeeded
In making IL with sodium, that large pieces
of II were produced ard the future supply
of the metal assured. IL was then sold Tor
about s. 10 per ounce. Sodium then cost
g. per pound. Now IL Is sold for 10 cents
FER pound. Aluminium has grayish-
white color. IL about IS hard as sheet iron
and is equal 10 the best steel in tensile
strength. II Is only slightly affected by at
mospherie action, bat ls readily dissolved
In sulphnric and hydrochiorie acids. The
aikalies also attack it. Its specific gravity
Is IS. or about one 9th the weight of
silver"
Have you ever experimental with the
metal7" asked the reporter.
Yes" continued Mr. Holland, and |
may say that in 1865 | imported what
think was the FIRST specimen Of the metal
from Paris to this city. | have expert
mented considerably with it. and lately sue
ceeded IN making tubing of it. As il IS
made from alumina, or alum. the supply il
almost everywhere on the earth. 1t com
poses about one-tenth Of the earth's crust
The percentage Of the metal in clay is from
- 90 50 per cent When il is sold for
about = cents per pound IL viii replace
iron, wood, tin and lead. | think this re-
suit will surely be reached. and the metal
iurgists and chemists of the world are now
working energcticsliy to see who vail Ire
the FIRST to solve the problem"
Mr.. Holland next spoke of the practical
uses of aluminium. and that AS CON
duetor OF electricity It is seven tunes greater
than iron. With sugh qualities as IL pos-
seSses the uses uf aluminium sill be itu-
menSe, aud nc country or portion OF the
globe can ooutFcl It's production"
Well how about fss produCl.onF"
Tho best sni cheapest process vet dis
covered FOR the reduction ~ the metal is
ths. OF flevillc, viz the sodium process
Tae clay Is FIRST reduced 10 an oxide ~ the
natural oxides, like alum or cofandum. Is
used u Is then reduced With sodium at =
powerful heat. In less than thirty years
the price has been reduced ~ s. PER pound.
ansl il certainly seems reasonable to expect
Us rrosipetsoa N short time "a less thar
81 re- ponnd. oxinE 10 is high price, II Is
ouly usea As an alloy for copper and in
the manufacture az high priced glasses and
. fen articles cs icwelrv
tome dosn please 50 other uses. pa
yeu use - to- amy otiser paYpose e."
81 u,ed IS foT leas hs; 10 would rot sn-
sseE, owlas e. is vaDt of elast city. Il
has secn serrcNtfsl that it cnald be asset
i0g ships eat wa my Judgment Il VII not
answer tast r1rpoSr. except IN the portion
asovc the wates hue. TIE AZ water of the
rsceAn c0ata,ss over per cent 81 the ehlo-
fAs< ~ ss5.tfrrn ter s.rasfss.s-, ssfs a.,1 :, d,
tes men1hs thjs vii oafsalo size bah "a
tAe vessel Il nSis 81 aluminium. Salt ,fis
solves the sol.3 usetsl sfoNly hat surely.
lts lsatness sad strength woala make Il
desirable teE that roffsoa d. vessels above
the a.er ire. IL wlll also make ezi.-ssa. &
ears, ,4frsaSes. ssc-. Tanch n.aTe Garah.s
tsss Noo,} II tslis a. 1oa degrees Fah
fsshr''. sad can - est, rolled - hauf.
nserea Ia a9y 6es ri share o. SO
NeFs q