The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-18
ALUMINIUM.
1t May in the Future Be Used to a
Great Extent in the ARMY.


Washington special to the New York sun
says; The statement that our field pieces of
the future may be made OF Aluminium bronze
suggests that some military authorities still
nave hopes OF securing a wide substitution of
aluminium for other metals in ordnance
materials. In Europe il has been recommended
1or various articles which the soldier needs 10
carry. In France experiments have been made
with II In the manufacture of c4rtrIdee eases
ana fuse stocks. In our country while can
4 teens, cups, meat cans, b-lt plates bits picket
p,ns ana othef small articles have been made
Ol II, IL must be admitted that they have not
usually proved as desirable as the articles
they were intended 10 displace, while the cost
q nas Deen greater. AT one time 1t was partly
expected TO use il for The bayenet shank IN the
new hrag-Jorgensen gun, but II proved 10 give
no advantage at all.
Nevertheless. The impression grows that
atumlnum may md hereafter an extensive
neio OF use In The army. or course the manu-
Iacture OF field pieces of the alloy of aluminium
bronze would be departurt of Importance
he experiments for this purpose have now
been going on some time, and are said TO have
shown not only that the metal is very durable
but also that an aumnus. bronze gun would
give satisfactory results IN firing. Naturally
the question Of cost is serious and thus far IL Is
decidedly against the substitution of this ma
1erlal Tor what is now in use; but the steady
decrease IN the expense OF producing aluminium
nav remove that objection.
One of the most persistent efforts in the use
OF aluminium has been in the case of horse
shoes, Tor which also it has been quite promis-
Ing. But the experiments, as a whole have not
yet warranted lis general Introduction. New
eftheleSs, General Schoheld VINO is Il strong
believer IN the metal for various uses has
ordered that The mounts of several regiments
OF cavalry be Shod With aluminium shoes, hav-
Ing projecting steel points TO protect the alumni
num- colonel Heyl, In his last years report,
thus reteTr' 10 other employments OF this
metal:
one of The latest uses of aluminium is for cook
Ing utensils An expert of the metaIIurRieal lab
oratory OF Lehigh University says: After TWO
years OF actual experience, that point OF light
hesS, Cleanliness uuraollty and all-roHnd adapta-
oilty, vessels OF aluminium are the perfection of
cooking utensils" He instances two boilers which
nave oeen IN daily use for cooking all sorts of
food. for pr serving and srewlng fruits. for two
Years yea ana a tnoy are as good as new, not having
IoSt traction OF weight. Cooking utensils OF
particularly when they are carried on packs the
saddle, or by the men.
In the navy it has been hoped TO use alumni
mum as material Tor Sims boats. Various
experiments have been made at Norfolk for
this purpose, but IL was found that the metal
when pure, very quickly fouled In salt water,
and that when alleged with nickel and steel il
also fouled and corroded. Nevertheless. an
aluminium torpedo-boat, with hull consisting
OF all hut ner cent OF that metal has been
bullt Tor France by he MesSrs. Yarrow Ii is
said that before undertaking tuis boat I'm order
TO est the question OF corrOsion, "two plates OF
aluminium after being weighed were attached
TO the keel of vessel setting cut on voyage
around the world, and on her return were re-
moved and weighed again, and found TO
nave SUFFERED 10 an extent but Just
appTeclable." However, the torpedo
boat was OF course painted, ana it
Is admitted that any alk5li is most destructive
- 10 aluminium. The gain In ightness was very
great for, although the scanLling was Thick
ened about one-fourth, the total weight of the
null, as compared with steel torpedo boat of
the same dimensions. was reduced bout one
half The result was, according TO the English
accounts, an increase of more than three Knots
10 the speed OF he vessel over what would have
been obtained from a steel craft. In addition,
The buoyaney OF The boat and her absence OF
meeting when turned sharply al high speed
were very noticeabs.
LII Is suehitacts as ihese that lead to The hope
OF great naval usefulness for this metal pro-
Vlded all objections on the score of eorrosiOn
can be removed. The additional cost is natur-
ally a great drawback TO il now. the Narrow
Doat Just spoken Of costing about One-thiTd
more lhan an ordinary torpedo boat. Yet the
constant tendency Is toward decreasing this
Objection.