New-York tribune., 1891-05-15
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
SOME MISTAKES ABOUT ALUMINIUM.
1T CAN BE soLDERED-IT WILL STAND SALT
wATER-oyLY TIME ASKED FOR DEVELOP
MENT OF ITS USES.

wATER-oNLY TIME ASKED FOR DEVELOP
MENT OF ITS USES.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The author Of the communication headeo 0on-
tempt for Aluminium embraces Just enough vi uu..
In his broad statements to make that when Is ho'
truth all the more dangerous. For instance, In
hasty glance at the article would call your atenuoh
TO several statements which he makes wpicn arc
erroneous in my Judgment Pure alumintra can pe
soldered reliably. He says it cannot Pure aiunii,i m
Is one of the most ductile Of metals; ana "heh @ '
artisan knows how TO work 1t Is one OF the ea,
working metals, and work can be done WIN ~ ""io
Is impossible with almost any other KINDS Oh hio'a
and therefore in working II is not one oil the has"e
metals i'm existence Aluminium does not tarisn
readily as compared with other metals W VIM" "a
refers and from results which we have SO Iar oD'"
with aluminium In salt water the author Vi 'o
sent has no right to say that ship built Oh aiun
would be full of holes after trip around the
As IN tho statement that for shipbuilding and al
parts exposed to water. aluminium :" Is ii'll On
inferior to ironD In this he is entirely III erro''
this point I can speak confidently ana WIN aS'a a
Tests are now being made of aluminium 1or roohne'
and so far the tests do not show IL 10 % ini'i
10 galvanized iron. The point he makes IN 'i"S ~ ~
gard as TO soldering is not corre.'. a.
statement that for vessels employed In the A'oen -
coud only be employed where salt is kept away Is no'
tr,e have had culinary articles in my mouse iol
over year. and they have stood very wci'wni"sN
better than vessels Of copper lined wth 'i"' W" 70.
pect TO bring this out soon. In THIS matVe 0' '
to you that tests have been made carefuliS W o"o
the largest culinary concerns In the country anu
these utensils have stood splendidiy as comp" ,sa
other forms of cooking utensils. One vessel tna' ha
aluminium with nickel rvets showed the aluminium !"
ne as clean as ever while the nickel rivetS "eio do
black as your hat after considerable seiVice'
He saws that, weight for weight aluminium Is noV
as strong as iron Here he is entirely wrong inc
tensile strength Of aluminium sheet Is, say, -o,OVo
mounds per square inch it often runs 10 3ooOV p'"
per square inch. sheet Of iron weighs 90 ',"r. o.
much as aluminium Therefore, weight for "e'en'' 90
be spea,s Of aluminium would be 5s,Ooo pounus POI
souare inch as against average iron sneets eo''o "
80, 900 pounds per square inch. r.. ,..or
The Statement that iron can be bought for fourteen
cents per pound shows the impractcaoilty anu hioA
OF knowledge OF the author IN MAKING suoh s'o
ment. Had he put decimal point between tne anu
the q A. he would have been nearer rgnt, aitiouSn,
~ course Il would be something over thao' Ill9
statement that aluminium would be four times as DulAJ
as iron 10 give the same strength is an error as IL
only 20 times as bulky, and weight for Weish' ~ 10
stronger than iron. -. a,
The statement that aluminium, Tor the sa'io VI
ameter, Is twice as good conductor OF eiec'r0n' o.
iron is an error with iron at 49, aluminium stahus
over CO. in equivalent section, whereas copper "olu
he 100 For given weight length OF aluminium
has the least resistance Of all metals for electrey
The SCIENTIST also states that foc articles thau are
TO be handled aluminium is no better than tih anu
blaekens the hands like lead The uhtruthluileSe %
this statement clearly shown by the fact aI lol 'o
last twenty years the finest opera glasses thae We o
ANYTHING about have been made Of pure aluminium anu
to- day tho aluminium opera glasses the most desr
able Certainly nothing is handled moro than opera
glasses The chemist ends up with statement "no"
we can certainly agree withthat Is, that III Ills P0
tice as chemist he has not had single use ior
aluminium in fifteen years. II he had perhaps n0
would have known more about IL.
Give aluminium a chance. 1t has taken hundreds
Of wears to develop the rado in "copper" brass ana iron
which we have to-day. Aluminium was never produceu
commercially until forty years ago. and then at price
much higher than silver and 1t is only within the aSI
two wears that process has been discovered the ha
process1 whereby the metal can be produced az pcg
In com petition with ordinary metals such as TN Ghei
and conner and this competition can Ohly cohe %ne
the Upeess referred to Is being worked on large
scale instead OF small scale OF 500 POUNDS ouuPue
- today II will be seen, therefore that the advance
o{ made in The arts already in the of aluminium
Is remarkable in the light Of the history OF ts
Of other metals anG eo@pafsbe aS a" to that Of the
auction Of other metals 1t surely VIII be Win, snt
R the few the 1 song soS Pt much
inc yae hon Il is to-day The electric processes
for the manufacture of aluminium ars arc scale as tGe
npoducton of any other metals, and with no greater
expenditure of capital in plant 10 the fact that the
pittsburC Reduction Company have never 9een Eiity
~ making broad claims as TO tne audPt,iohCs VI
aluminium for various purposes nor have they ao9 nt
anv definite promises to lowering the price OF OF
oinminum to any parties whatever. The policy Oh
this company has been Conservative % hp upon viii ex
nnnd anv amount which will be found necessary 10
develop and PromIts Information to h the al pSSs Sn ts
Sueson of the adaptabty for every purpose 20 the
to ind out for himself "a, In N the the ReoTy OF
aluminium, The first you hear of process Is broad
statements as to the cheap price at which they can can
manufacture the metal. Such news bears on us & iac
process for the actual manufacture of the metal
wonld consider it advisable to keep all cost OF man
ufarture rs n business secret far the history OF
those who have made broad claims for cheap
aluminium has proved their aim to be Only 10 uece'o
the public and wOud-be investors.
NV h ALFRED f. hunt,
President the Pittsburg Reduction Company.
Pittsburg Penn, May Z, 1891.