The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-21

| VI producing iron in small quantities
couio not, commercially speaking, COM
pete with the blast furnace; but as a
source OF heat itgcoraains vast posi-
ollltles, and practical ways of using it
We're at once sought. IS
experiments Oh the Welding of rails
The clean cut ends D be welded are
ciamped together Sly a kind of portable
wise. Around theSjoint to be welded is
arranged the mold composed of highly
| refractory material "a plugged pipe of
the same material. communicating
from above with the bottom of the cru
ciole' is adjusted. M the crucible is
placed charge of thernite; on this
stildli quantity of the printing material
(nashllght powder). The operator,
wearing blue spectacles. drops a light
! ed match on the primer (thermite It
sell VIII not take fire from match)
ana retlfes to safe distance.
| ~, Inc Peiee IN miniature goes off.
ne operator returns, opens the plug,
ana the contents of the crucible flows
quickly into the mould and on the
t!gntly clamped rails. The liquid iron
SINKS TO the bottom and fuses the low
er mango, strengthening the joint. The
hot Stag strikes the upper part of the
rail- and heats it to such a degree that
the union is instant and perfect. Later
tne mould is opened. A blow or two
with hammer separates the. Stag
from the upper part of the now solid
RAIL- and the operation is complete.
Other Mysteries of Thermite.
1t is remarkable that, though the
contents of the crucible flows out at
a temperature little below 1904,
Fahrenheit. the outside of the crucible
may be held in the bare hand almost
Immediately, because the development
of the heat is too rapid to affect sur
rounding bodies unless kept in contact
with the molten mass longer than it
remains in the crucible.
$50 great is the, heat that the rail
would be still hot to the hand at the
end of eight or ten hours if the mould
were allowed to remain unopened so
long. The practical utility of the in
vention is shown by the fact that steel
rails are now welded by this process
In Berlin, Munich. Hamburg, Cassel
and other German cities.
1t is also a success in welding pipes
into continuous lengths, miles long, if
necessary. For pipes only the Stag
(not the molten metaD is allowed in
contact with the pipe joint. Many other
uses have been Suggested for ther-
mite, and it will work a revolution in
the great industries of iron steel and
other metals. 8
I'm conclusion@ it may be remark
ed" says the scientist, chat the ther-
mite mixture is safe to handle and
safe to store-as safe as = sawdust.
Only very high surrounding tempera-
ture or the Ignition of the printing
material will maize it burn. OF course
it is never added to the mixture until
demonstration is to be made. The
constituents of t1lern1ite may be trans
ported separately to- be mixed on the
spot. Until they are mixed they are
as harmless as sand"
Ideas That Make Men Free.
Such are the wonders of chemistry,
suggesting Enerson's claim, Thought
sets men free" By a simple process
flame applied to metal fflings-prison
bars melt and vaulted dungeons flow
like water.
What is the secret hidden in these
cold metals? Only the Creator knows.
Everybody has seen aluminium. 1t is
a cheap, silvery metal, as light as
cardboard, yet, in it's various FORMS it
composes about one-twelfth of the
earth's crust. Marvellous to relate,
many metals are of the aluminium
form. Mixed with copper every day,
aluminium becomes the cheap gold of
commerce, as used for cheap watch
cfal stones, now widely displayed in
show windows.
These stones, almost as hard as
those of nature, are of corundum, an
oxide of aluminium. This corundunl,
referred to above, is the famous sub
stance recently manufactured by cleo
tricity at high temperature. 1t is
kind of precious substance itself, near
ly as hard as the diamond, and among
the gems of it's various FERNS are sap
phires, amethysts rubies and topazes.
Another wondrous element is chro-
MUM. In its pure state it is of tin
white color, like aluminium. After
fusion 1T is even harder than corun-
DUN. 1t oxidizes slowly and in oxygen
burns wildly. 1t does not occur ma
tive" but is found in chrome iron
iron. One of it's forms is supposed to
be the green that gives Respondent
luster to the emerald. When artifi-
cially made this kind of chromium is
of a dull green color and is popular
with manufacturers for imparting
green tint to porcelain. The most i'm
portant use of pure chromium is to
harden steel. With 1t Krupp tempers
armor plates for battle ships.
By chemistry the pale faced mod
ern Faust working in his laboratory,
makes metals out of clay and many
marvellous combinations. What they
will do when skillfully proportional
and exposed to heat the story above
gives a Understanding as it were,
for the forces at work in space, Great
ing heat and electricity, making suns
burn with indeserihable fury, collid-
ing with peaceful planets, mixing their
metals in second of time-and new
worlds seem to leap into vision, balls
of molten fire sweeping through space;
vast cyclones of flame, making Pelee
cold storage vault by comparison.
All this seems simple enough as ex-
planned by modern chemistry, giving
men unlimited power, making them
GODS as it We're, tosfrst master them
selves and then the universe.