New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-14
THE ITTURE or JLININICM

From The London Spectator.
The elegant winged figure with which mr. sii VI, .
has adorned the summit OF the bronze founiah o.
signed and cast by him for the centre OF PiGcadny
Circus possesses an interest sepala'e rS anu s,apP,e
which was originally intended 10 be cast In bronze
;s made OF pure aluminium. and the brightness and
beauty of the material which has All the appear
OF frosted silver. together win SUGGESTION
of ligh,ness quite peculiar to this new and eX-
quisite metal. must be apparent TO the least OBJ
servant passerby. Its employment in such an
important piece OF outdoor decoration In London
cannot fail draw attention 10 what, among
those who are at all beforehand with the world N
the pursuit OF practical science Is among the most
eagerly discussed questions Of the day.the prob
able future OF aluminium. Even apart from lts
hs,orT of the metal itself 70 make it subject
than usually attractive to the ~ nossi
Its very existence IL an example OF the po %Na
bility OF the inconceyable. AS We know u does
not exist in Nature in any form perceptinl,r Dy
the senses. There Is no such thing AZ an aiu'',',
Mum nugget aluminium dust II cannot n nf
the earth except With the aid of the electric fur
mace at a temperature OF GOO degrees; fah1cnh"t;;
wherever else clay beds hc u eSlsts pO', ,h oi
quantities and over areas to which even the conf
extent. When Obtained from the clay. ~ Pc
culiar properties are more obvious ana sa,Hk
than those of any other material. III ~ D"hutiiul
TO the eye. whittier than silver. and indestructibie
BY contact with the air neither TpS,s , hS ihe
imagination almost refuses TO conceive IT as metal
the connection between heaviness and strength
being almost firmly established in most minis
that between heaviness and warmth ana reius.
afforded by an ederdown or sheepskin. the
Weight is little more Than one-third Of the corr,
spending bulk of iron. and OF course far less than
that In the proportionate amount OF SILVER goiu Oh
lead. 80. ., ,,
chains and trinkets commonly made some
years ago is merely an alloy OF copper containing
small percentage OF aluminium. which sh. CAV, 10
the copper brightness and hardness. with absolute
material Of which the Austrian !ield guns are con- N
structed, also contains only some 9 per cent OF
aluminium though tie material 50 produced IL OF eX
WHEN It is used iut the value OF pure aluminium
ful to the eye inoifensve to Of and
smell. and malleable that dixie gold it can be
beaten out into thin foil or drawn into fine wire
is such TO offer an inducement TO the discovery
of cheap and simple method Of extracting he
boundless in the clay beds OF the world hardly
by the desire to discover the PHILOSOPHER
stone itself Nowhere i9deed does the oid rd iahcy
apparent realization than in the change from
blocks Of sivery aluminium. Even now. with the
existing methods Of elaborate chemical treatment.
the intense heat OF the electrical furnace pure
aluminium can be bought for ~. per pound IN
and at 2 ,S 3D. r psT pound S in @
brass" for door knobs and curtain poles and other
household ittings-costs Cd. per pound. But az the
quantity Of aluminium represented by a bound 10
weight is three times that Of an equal weight OF
| per. Compared with the so-called brass it Is al
greater iightness and beauty
The present cost of aluminium, though still
it Within the range of everyday life and its present
uses. limited as they are. necessarily bear some
new metal. and the possibility OF realizing the
| hopes of the metal worker and the engineer. For
| ali personal equipment which must be carried by
the owner. aluminium Is rapidly King the place
| Of every other metal Its lightness Is its obvious
| recommendation In this case. In the German cav
| airy even the stirrup irons are made of
| aluminium The mems water bottles are also OF
the same light and strong material. In binoculars
for field use and all kinds of scientific instrument Is
| for distant and toisome expeditions. such as DR..
( mountains the same metal takes the place Of the
heavier brass when the saving in weight 80 secured
may often make the difference between scientific
success or failure. Nearly all the small articles
b of luxury and ornament usually made In silver or
IL brass are now produced in aluminium though
where weight is not a drawback the gain Is rather
one In appearance than in construction. But alumni
mum thimbles. penhoders. paperknves. TASKS or
Guns are so far superior to those made OF the
ordinary materials that no one who has once made
,se Of them In the new metal VIII readily return
~ the older form. A far more important and sig
+ niacant step is the recent construction Of large
,,i,rn,,nium launches the Lake of Geneva. and
Of the aluminium house at the Worlds Fair at
b. chicago