The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-02-28
IT'S COMMON BUT COSTLY.
Rssssss why This Metal Il In Good ssd STEADY
Demand st SO Good Price - Twenty
Dollars an Ousoo and Even
nore-In Qualities.

y
expepsiye part OF those incandescent
electric lamps which we see burning In
that shop Window asked an electri-
clan OF Washington Post reporter.
You would naturally suppose II
would be the glass bulb. or perhaps
the brass fitting for screwing IL Into
the socket. but you would be wrong.
Those TWO little pieces OF platinum
wire. SO fine that you can hardly per-
ceive them. which pass through the
glass stem. up in the base OF the lamp.
to which the fine carbon flament Is at
tached. enter more greatly into the
cost than any other part OF these now
almost indispensable electric Tampa
why don't they use some other
metal than platinum for this wireg"
because platinum is the only metal
in which the expansion and contraction
are the same as in glass. and great
fortune awaits the man who can pro-
duce cheap motal or alloy in which
this valuable property OF platinum can
be preserved. You probably know
that vacuum must be- maintained In
these incandescent lamp bulbs, or the
carbon filament would burn out and
become destroyed tho instant the cleo
trio current Is turned on. Therefore
the reason for using the platinum wire
tor running through the glass Is be-
cause unequal expansion between the;
glass and wire would either crack tho
glass or create a space about the wire.
and, even though infinitely minute. the
mir would find It's way In and destroy
the carbon.
The cost OF platinum ut the present,
market price in London is $50 per
ounce, or about the same as gold, and
The amount used for this purpose
alone has grown to be enormous. This
demand. together with the increased
tost OF production, has caused the
price TO advance about 100 per cent
la eighteen months In each sixteen
candle power lamp there are from four
TO eight grains OF platinum. II six
grains are taken ms an average, ono
ounce will be used In eighty lamps
Based on the increased use OF mean
descent lights within the last two
years. II is safe TO state that the
demand for sixteen candle power
lamps. or their equivalent in the year
1891 will be 10000. 600. This means
u demand for l25.000 ounces OF platl-
mum. which. at the present price. will
amount to considerably over ~. 600, 900
for this item alone.
Tho history OF platinum" con-
tinued the electrician, lis quite as
interesting as It's qualities are remark
able. During the sixteenth century IL
was found with gold in tho Daricn
mines, but the Spanish government
which controlled tho mines did not
make known the discovery OF this new
white metal. as IL was found TO be-
good material with which TO adultcratc
gold. The deposits OF platinum Ia
the Ural mountains. whence the sup
ply Is mostly drawn. were discovered
about 1882. aud have been worked, In
connection with gold mines, by the
RUSSIAN government since 1923. Owing,
~ the large yield OF gold. tho platinum
,fas for n long time sold cheaply. but,
uith the growing scarcity OF gold. tho
ost OF producing tho other metal
increased.
IA well-known chemist says that
without platinum crucibles. which
share the infusibIlity OF porcelain with
tho chemical inertnoss OF those OF gold.
the composition of most metals could
not have been ascertainod. and chem
istry could not have come TO It's pres
emit level Very few people In this
country are probably aware that pure
platinum has ever been cosped. 1t
was coined by Russia. however. as late
as 1864. at which time IL had been put
into circulation to the value OF over
a., 900. 00On