Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-12-27
EL DORADO FOR CLARK.
New Copper Process discovered
by Montana Capitalist.


SAVING OF 500 PER TON GAINED.
Western CrHsus Expects His Process
to Make Him King Of the Market.
El%ectrolytlc Method Found Much
Present System.
The New York Herald's European
edition recently published the. follow.
ing from its London correspondent:
Senator Clark's visit to Europe il
likely to confirm his claim to the title
Of copper king" in a way that he
did not anticipate when he set out to
round up the Rio Tinto mine into the
new amalgamation. When he returns
to America, not only will he he in a
position to disregard the opposition Of
the Calumet and Hecla mine, but he
will be able to dictate terms to every
copper foundry IN The United States
II a deal which I heard Of the other
day goes through.
This deal means the acquisition by
the Montana senator of u newly dis
covered process by which bars, sheets
and tubes can be manufactured from
the crude material almost at the pits
mouth. This will mean n saving of
something like 500 per ton on the fin
ished material.
The process is electrolytic and is
closely analogous to the electrolytic
refining method by which 100000 tons
of copper We're refined in the United
States last year. The new process
uses the same amount of electrical
energy per ton of metal as the old,
but is worked ut u rate ten times great
err, and in melting IL rate 20 times
greater is said to have been success
fully used.
The manufacture of copper articles
direct from the crude metal has long
engaged the attention of inventors, in
view of the enormous profits accruing.
Many attempts have been made, but
hitherto all alike have been unsuccess-
full or only partially successful. The
new process is said not only to over
come the known difficulties, but by an
Ingenious continuance. automatic in its
action, to have effected a marvellous
Improvement over all methods hereto
fore known.
Mr. David Cook, an electrical engi-
neer, who carried out the lighting of
the city of London. gave me some i'm.
portant data regarding the process,
which, he says. will revolutionize the
copper industry. II had some tubs
made by this process" he said, (which
stood a test up to 5000 pounds per
square inch without showing n sign of
weakness, the ordinary test being COO
pounds. To show how it would work,
say in the Anaconda mine. where 100
tons of copper are electrolytically re-
fined daily in 1.4OO watts, covering
something like G5 acres of ground, only
100 watts would be required by the new
process. Where under present condi-
tions h product requires to go subse-
quently through the processes of smelt-
ing. drawing. forging and rolling be-
fore the finished article is produced, the
new process will produce the finished
article direct from the vat. This means
the saving of from 500 to $500 per ton
compared with the present method. In
fact. the new process practically abol-
isles copper manufacturing as ut pres.
ent understood."
MessrS. Stranger and Rlount. govern.
ment analysts. have been making tests
of the new process in their laboratory
at Westminster. The results of their
test show that copper can be deposited
as Il coherent Sheet at n current density
ten times greater than that employed
in ordinary electro deposition. The
copper so deposited is almost chemical
ly pure. and in consequence of this pu-
rity its electrical ~conductivity approach
es the theoretical limit. The metal is
also free from Elimination.
Stripped of scientific verbiage, the
new process amounts simply to this:
Where formerly or, rather. at present it
requires many days to cc1Na:... he raw
material into Sheet ssFpes. which has
to be subsequently Eui sa1r,1ugh iii ex-
pensive process to produce the finished
article, the new process will turn out
the finished article by Il single opera
tion. British and Canadian rights have
already been secured by syndicates.
and l understand that Senator Clark
has the option on the American rights.
the purchase price running into six fig
ureS.
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