Evening journal., 1900-03-02
LIKE TEMPERED COPPER
A NEW COMBINATION OF METALS
EXPECTED TO BE VERY USEFUL.

EXPECTED TO BE VERY USEFUL.
BY a new process of rolling a Massa-
chusetts genius has succeeded in at
tanning results that, so far as sheet
metal work is concerned. are almost
equal to what he would be able to ac-
complish If he had rediscovered the Sc
cret Of tempering copper. The Massa-
chusetts genius has succeeded in get
ting Frank Rockefeller, brother to the
president of the Standard Oil Com
pany, and himself very rich man, in
terested in the matter. Mr. Rockefel-
Ter says that if he finds on investiga-
ton that the process is all that the
inventor claims for it, and not expen-
sive, he will take it up. If he does, he
says, the establishment for making the
new material, which will revolutionize
some things, will be located in Cleve-
land.
The inventor has succeeded in max
ing sheets of seemingly pure copper of
wonderful thinness and with the
springiness, strength and capacity for
being tempered that steel has. Many
thousands of dollars have been spent
on the experiments, and the few sheets |
of the new material that have been made
weight in gold. The process consistsI
in rolling a hot steel plate and twol
heated copper plates at the same timel
in such way that the, copper formsl
a skin over the surfaces of the STEEL
and gives it all the weather resistance
that pure copper has, that it viii not
rust, and has at the same time the
strength of steel, is the claim made. It
can be stamped as well as tin and
crimped or otherwise worked in ways
and under circumstances that would be
impossible with sheets of copper.
On his desk in the Standard Oil Of
fees in this city Frank Rockefeller has
small sheet of the new
material, no name for which
has yet been selected. The sheets were
the size of letter paper, and so thin as
not to be much heavier. The steel it.
self was several times as thick as the
copper and yet on each surface of the
steel there was a perfect skin of cop
per, so thin that a strong magnifying
glass did not expose the edges. To all
appearances the sheet was all copper,
but its springiness showed that it was
not.
The inventor is an odd genius. Upon
his letter paper is printed: What God
Hath Wrought Numbers, xiii, 23." On
the letter heading there are dozen ref
erences to texts in the Bible. Although
he has had considerable correspondence
with the inventor. Mr. Rockefeller has
not yet met him. Last Summer the in
ventor sent some samples of his new
sheet metal to Mr.. Rockefeller, who
had an idea that such plates of greater
thickness would be valuable material
for making steel lake steamers. He
arranged with Captain McDougall to
tow a model made of the new material
behind one of his whalebacks for a trip
up and down the lakes TO see how ii
would stand the experience. When
the model came back the copper skin
over the steel plates was as shiny as
when it had been put into the water
Whether it is along this line OF in the
making of stamped articles of use and
ornament such as gas chandeliers, cor
nices and roofngs that the new mate
rail will be used will in a measure de-
pend on the cost Of production under
actual conditions.
Il think that the invention is one OF
the most remarkable that has come to
my notice, and people are all the time
trying to get me into something OF
that sort" said Mr.. Rockefeller. The
copper and steel are all rolled at the
same time. and in the finished plate
no matter whether it is thick or thin
the copper is united with the steel sc
that it is impossible to break or striI
it off It is practically a single thick
ness of metal with a copper surface on
either OF both sides, whichever way il
is made. and it can be made either
way. y."-Cleveland Leader.