The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-11-11
eooD-ss. 1neS AND wooD.



The Price OF Afumlnuns Reduced Sixty
Fer Cent-s 20 Loo = Ronnd.
Engineering ScEA
The Price OF aluminu a was reduced last
week, BY the Pitssbnrg Reduction Co. Is
follows: In the form Of ingots. Loo
pound lots 1t 81 per pound: 800 pound lots
$ = =. l90-pourid lois 81 s.. 50: fifty pound
lots a. S., and small quantities ut "a per
pound, and within the yesr it w&s s.. This
offer plainly indicates that If the demand
win warrant. IS il surely must in a short
time. the lowest price above quoted would
rule. and thateyen this price can be again
reduced Is the process of REDUCTION are
perfected and the market wfdenea.
The public notice of the Piftsburg Reduc-
ton Company, reducing the price Of alum
mum to sa.6o per pound in l.Iso0-pound
lots. marks one Of the Eaost significant
metallurgical advances which wa have re-
c0rdedsior many = day Two or three
years ago the price OF aluminium was SO
per poudd. At the present moment
the metal Is Quoted in the London
market al 81 sterling ts4.s6l par pound,
or was . week ago, and until this
notice the quota ion here was about the
same. The metal IS now placed In the
market n nearly 60 per cent reduction
from that price in 900 pound lots, and il
must be expected that this win ere long
be further and heavily reduced, for how
ever cheaply the metal may be produced.
there can be no object in so heavy resiuc-
ton except TO stimulate consumption and
demand: - 600 Is NOT 80 heavy an invest
ment but that any firm using aluminium At
all. IN however small quantities, would at
once enlarge their stock if they thought
the cut was for any other motive, and
likely TO be only temporary. That one
should be able to purchase in the open
market 1000 pounds of aluminium at any
price is really an evidence oil nota-
BILE metallnrgical revolution In 1888.
only six years ago. but sixty-nine
pounds of aluminium were manufact-
ured in the United States, at q cost
of sl2. 20 per pound. In 1884 the quantity
rose to i2a lbs. and in 1856 to 2Sa lbs. at q
cost al $40 30 per pound and then began
the recent increase, due largely to the par
lection OF the sodium process, which Is now
in its turn being left far behind. The guam
titles are not reported after 1855, but the
value OF the product increased from $3.50
in 1885 to $1,000 in 1856 and S7s,905
IN 1587. The figures for isss We
have not at hand. but the total product
this year by the three different reducing
processes which are now in practical 0psf-
alton is likely 10 be several hundred thous-
and pounds. il we are correctly advised.
Thus rapidly has come to the front new
commercial metal plainly destined to ex-
ercfse great influence upon the arts of the
future, and having combination of more
valuable qualities than any other
metal whatsoever. From various sources
of Information we gather that the price is
quite certain to 60 still lower in the near
future as demand increases, and that be-
fore the end Of this century 1t is likely to
be below 81 per pound.
Ii is unfortunate that q metal which
seems likely to play so great part in the
arts in future as aluminium should have
been cursed at birth double name. caus-
Ing everyone to hesitate as to whether he
ought TO write or say aluminium or
aluminium. So far SIS weight OF au-
thority and usage goes, each form
Is about equally honored, the balance of
early authority rather favoring the simpler
form, and present usage the more COM
pick. Sir Humphrey Dayy, who dis
covered and named the metals potassium,
sodium, and sfrontium. and who named
and suggested the existence OF harinm and
calcium, which were discovered almost Inn
mediately thereafter, also suggested that
alumina. silica and xirconia might prob
ably vet yield metallic base.
for which he suggested the names
Of alnm-ium or slater) aluminium,
silicon and xircon. BY analogy with
the names OF his other metals, however
when Wohier finally discovered this metal
In ISIS, Il Il wsss given by him. or some one.
the name aluminium, with Eve syilabIes
instead OF four, and this form has now, as
we have stated. . rather wider use
than the earlier and simpler form,
which it tends somewhat to
crowd out. The usage Of the next i've or
sir years will probebly settle the matter.
When ii is so settled we too shall accede to
ii; but as we may have occasion TO write
and speak the world frequently in future,
it would seem desireabIe that the
form favored should be the simpler
one, at least while choice Is
is open. We suggest. therefore, that all
engineers, chemists. writer's or speakers
who have occasion TO use the word throw
The weight OF their authority n favor OF
the simpler form, aluminium, which viii
hereafter be the form used in this journal
The general pubic, when IL begins TO use
60 use the word, viii certainly take most
kindly to aluminium, and its potent ex-
ample Is likely TO be decisive in the end.