New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-25
NICKEL FOR ARMOR PLATES
TIE CANADIAN SOURCE OF SUPPLY FOR
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES HAS AWAh-
ENED BRITISH EXPERTS TO MAKE AN IN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR THE WASH

VESTIG FOR THE WASH
INGTON NAVAL DEPARTMENT.
Sudbury, Ont, Dec 1S.-Ths Is the place where ,hs
United States Navy Department obtains It's nickel
for the manufacture Of nickcseA armorplatcS Inv
town is merely clearing in the woods but II STANDS
on the Canadian Pacific main lne Is the luncuoh rom
which a branch to the Saut connecting VITA '"'
Minneapolis and Duluth lines, and Is the C'hue Vi '"'
richest mining district IN Canada.
Copper discovered here during the cohN'ruoH'.
OF the Canadian Pacific. \ number OF Cleveland ana
Akron capitalists became interested, ana on seh""7
lampes OF the for analysis to the oIl"N '"n''
panv OF NewYork It was found that nickel existed IN
large quantities.. This I" hnd' was confirmed b| "e
ANALYSIS Of the Vivian Refining Works, at swansea III
Wales and before long Secretary Tracy and Commodore
Folcer were put In possession of specimens OF mckci
steel Up 10 this the worlds supply Of nickel us'u
principally in making nickel silver spoons, forks CONS
and plated ware, had come from the Lancaster zap
mine In Pennsylvania owned 10y Joseph wharton anu
from the mines In the French penal colony Oh -N'"
Caledonia The New Caledonia nickel IS iound III "cuS
Of scrpentlne, but the veins are shallow anu II"
miners parlance not persistent. Inc ore = i''u -
primitive methods, convict labor being empoyeu 10
well as native and Chinese labor ana carried "h'"S
miles 70 the blast furnaces. which are i'd WIN aus
tralan coke and coal. The cost OF transportation
alone IS n heavy item and the fuel Is Gear Ihe
object in smelling the ore Is TO produce "a,'c
Nickel matte bears the same relation to rehheu ioN'
that pg-iron bears to refined iron ana s'el. /"
1850 the average price OF nickel in the United hiat's
,ros about 81 n pound The American production
was under 100000 pounds. The price IN Ehe"H"
was somewhat less the English supply coming from
New Caledonia the mines Of which We're opened !"
1916. The development OF the sudbury deposits HIS
reduced the price to so cents, ana wheh npp""i''S
for treating the matte have been established on Il
large scale refined mcKcl can proDa"iS Nv '0o' ~
po cents or less.
Specimens OF wrought and forged MCKEE were ex
hbited by Mr. Wharton at the Philadelphia EXHIBITION
in 1876. The metal discovered In l'ol, but ''a
seldom been In its pure state until Mr. wharton
took hold OF 1t. The use OF nickel as an alloy OF
steel gave IT great economic importance. Inc COM
pound is tougher and much more ductlc ana CHS
than steel itself and does not rust under water
English metanurgiss employed 1t in the maln"o'u'r
of gun barrels but the real credit OF "bfllehS o''
nickel steel belongs TO the Navy Dep'r"c" ut
Washington The experiments with armor Plates in
stituted by Mr.. Tracy soon attracted auehuoH !"
England. At first the Eng iNh ordnance expert, were
disposed to pooh pooh the extraordinary r'sWS %
tanned at the Indian Head proving grounds. D"' a''
Year the Admiralty virtually admitted mat MI Irac'
had taught It something confession not often mac
sy that body. In memorandum prepared by Lorl
George Hamilton for the guidance OF faiIah'h /
,ot,np the approprations for the Navy was stated
that the armor plates OF nickel steel "comDh-l ~
distance to lperforati0n With freedom from Se''o"'
cracking" and that extensive order, had D'eH sN
FOR nickel armor the secondary ueIcHce Oh ~"
bauleshIps Lord George adfci that, while hc"cl
stool was superior TO ordinary STEEL when u'-u III
tbcknesses OF three or four inches 'A' experiments
with or alter tMchnc~scs do not at present pace 1t
in so good relative pstion": but II Is uhae''' Oh
that his successor has found 10 Il inca ph'e s"c
az that used by MIR. Tracy, superior to Il I--Hc
,lote NJ ordinary armor stcd Admiralty agents have
recently visited sudbury to consult with Inc VIVIAN
oorIo who have a mine ana SMILING works
Tine Mckinley tariff admits nickel or AMI mattc
free repeating the old duty Of IL cents per Po''u'
Nearly the whole product Of the sudbury mines mas
Tins far gone TO the United states iOr ar!o' p"''7
,rrrosos seven mine, have been opened and Others
worked to Il limited extent NicAcl bearing ore i"'
also been found near Ottawa ihe experts say '.''
Tho snDply In the Sudbury country l. practlcdN In
exhau,tlble, they speak of elk or seven hui"-c1
million tons being in sight, and predict that III It."
wears 90 COO tons of nickel will be produced "hhniN
Nucb donends on the Domin on Government. Wh>n
the more bellicose Tories harmed that secretary Tracy
ytas purchasing Canadian nickel they began 10 c!an'r
for the imposition Cf export duty and II i q'h''
possible that the Government may yield to them
against it, better sense
The ore is both roasted and smcltci. IL bnildinS
o. roasting heap a layer Of fine i, placed on " bed
OF clay ard gravel and covered with elsht;eh lhcHea
Ct dry pine Anohef layer Of ore put on, and ihcl
more pine. There ar opening, ioi cruiS!s ~, W. ,:
The heap serve a, fucs. Each heap i KEPT burning
Tor "A mOatl sometimes for two, those containing tnc
Longest ard ferccs combustion. The furnace are OF
the Herr eshon patent Ihey are made OF r'ea oGt:
I Protected l BY hrd-JricE They eiptca in form
10 six feet and IA hail. ana ar nine leet IN heleht 20
the eharsing door a squarc os on UIg S IA ,
furnace through which the molten mass hows into a
ch"rrc consists oi 800 pounds Of ore aui cole
e!rht parts of ore t. one OF coke The matte bubble,
Ga' The pols ana shipped 10 iar refining works from
five 10 eight tons OF ore 20 to the making OF Il ION
OF nickel the other compliments being copper, IRON
sulphur cobalt and Sag kHrTHff,S ARE D , aqe
ness OF the matte, - as 10 save eNP!se IN lidii'-
poriaon. The contract between the Imtrd r saic'
Government and the Carnegir ana BnthI'h'm E"Ih',
where the arm0r plates are made calls lor - per
IONS Of nickel steel suiccn, to plates Of NE
regulation size, contains about mo ions Of nickel
sham Win hydraulic presses, cut with saws and
PLANES to lit the place designed for them on tnc war
NH Likelihood Cleveland will be the seat Of the Industry
The matte will be carried by rail 10, 10 LAKE H.,
Huron which is not very far away, ana shipped OH
All The untakcn mineral lands in this region belong
Of the Province Of ontario. Ui,il lately the ginde IN
Guiding everything on tie surface am cveryihng De-
I1C was sold and ont al - per acre. without any
conditions as working being Impose! on thc pur,
chaser This led 70 the & groes a, % i
wording conditions T. al conveyances ron the crown
from that date ana eA 5odt TSi fake eject until
seven wears after the issue of the pncnt: Leases can
he had at a low figure and god deal OF land Is penn
taken mn bv lease Pro>pccOrs have found foM' 81,
YER and platinum but nickel and copper are am W.
continue TO be the chief sources Oh mhrra N.'i, WA,
The average ASSAY value OF the l. about per cc'
~ nickel but Il certain amount Is lost III sncluns
Labor is cheap and there IS abundance OF water ail
fbs fnrnaces II /, brought In by the Canadian lacle
and tbc cost Is heavy. There IS no coal III any part
u The nickel -nickeferois pyrrhoilte IS We
technical nameis found in the miast OF rochS %
gerent Characters belonging 10 different hofIl0Ia
Tut oreenStone seems IA be the parent rOch ne
nick tract + seventy mile RON souTrS. ~ HUI IN
aaS, nv fifty from southeast to n0rth"e.l Nj
through nickel and copper are mixed iog t,"T i arr u,
I, f. supposed that the deposits are cqlEii ~ mn Oh
rontb % their horizontal extension. Eut us l. only
c, .w,rs Til. re appears 10 be no reason why
,o,icknI should be iScl IN inc hlahiht VI
NllnrS and OtLrI nrllc s