The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-12
THE QUERY COLUMN
How the Metal Aluminium
Is Manufactured.
HE OLD CHRYSOPOLIS.
Has a Deer a Gall Bladder ?-Cdba
and the Hawaiian IsIes-Use
of the Colon.

ALUMINIUM, Ruminator. City. Aluminium
does not rank with the precious metals.
The process to which you refer is probably
that discovered by James Webster of Hol-
lywood, near Birmingham, England. In 1882.
The process is said TO be as follows: Given
quantities OF alum and pitch are ground.
mixed and calcined. The residue consists
of sulphur, potash. aumina and oxide of
iron. The calcined mixture is put into YER
tical retOrts and steam Is forced through,
after which a residue of potash and alumina
only Is left. This is placed In vat Of
warm water, heated by steam, and the
potash is leached out. The precipitate of
alumiua is collected in sacks and dried. 1t
Is then converted into chloride of aluminium
by union with pure chlorine and reduced by
sodium. The lowest price at which il is
claimed aluminium can be produced is 10
cents pound. 1t was at one time worth
So an ounce.
THE HAWAIIAN IsLANDs-Subscriber
City, Certainly no intelligent American
laborer would go to the Hawaiian Isles ex-
pecting to better his condition. He would
find himself in competition with the lowest
class of contract labor all the time. 2)
There is little chance of a self-educated
man making an easy way to fame and COM
petence in the islands nowadays, The
leaders of events on the islands would be
leaders anywhere. The pamy days of the
Hawaiian group were from 1874 TO 1884. 81
The climate is delightful. but a trltle warm
for jewellers in temperate ATTITUDES. The
range of the thermometer is between 90 and
67 Fahr (4) There is no likelihood of any
rush 10 The Islands, even under an Ameri-
can protectorate. They are only fertile
rocks after all, and are producing all that
can be got out OF them.
THE OLD CHRYsoPoLIs Subscriber,
City. % The steamer Chrysopolis origin
ally ran on the Sacramento River. and was
built in 1860. She was originally fiat
bottomed with the bows rounded. In recent
years she has been almost entirely recon-
structed and is now the ferry-Doat Oak
land. CD Tho steamer New World came
around the Horn in 1852 She was piloted
around by Captain Ned Wakeman. There
was Deputy Sheriff on board at the time
she left New York and he had an in
voluntary sea trip. The matter was
amicably arranged out OF conrt. 90 Column
bus did not land on the main land OF the
American contineHton his first voyage; the
iden tca island OF the Bahama group which
he first sighted is still in doubt.
CUBA--Subscrioer, City. The subject OF
the annexation of Cuba to the United States
cropped up when the French republic was
proclaimed in 1s4S. In that year President
Polk authorized the American Minister at
Madrid to offer Spain 500, 0O0 600 for the
island. The offer was rejected. The sub
ject was again brought up in 1854, and vet
again in 1859. when Mr. Slidell of Louisiana
proposed to pay $30.000,o00 for the island.
The trade OF Cuba has been steadily de-
creaslng under the mismanagement of
Spain, and the discussion as to the acquisi-
ton OF the island has been active ever since
General Grants visit.
THE CoLoN-Reader, City. 1t is not an
invariabie practice by any means to use a
colon between hours and minutes thus
6:45 A. NJ. The period is quite as frequently
used. The objection TO the period and COM
ma would probably be that the comma Is
generally used to separate thousands and
the period to represent decimal point. la
general way the colon and semicolon are
used when there Is break in q sentence
and partial or complete change OF phrase.
When the break IS complete colon is pre-
ferred.
MAIL c., City. The first
thing they do is to make application for a
blank, which. being properly filled up. Is
sent to the examination board. After pass
ing the examination an application Is filed
with the Postmaster. % The appliean
takes position in accordance TO the creult
he has obtained at the examination. ~
There Is an examination once year. (4
Persons appointed to positions as mall
carriers have to give a bond OF $1,000 Tor the
faithful performance OF their duties.
PROPERTY CLAIMS-lf you have bills
against parties claiming to own property in
the city the best way to find out if the
property is unincnmbered is TO search the
records at the Recorders Office.
SrLvER-R. s., City. Your question
| does not state whether you mean silver bull
| lion or minor coins in the Government