The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-11-11
CHEAP ALUMINIUM PROMISED.

age-a cheap process for obtaining alum:-
num- the metal of the future and one OF
natures greatest gifts-has just been d.s-
covered by Ii. +. =. schwahH. Of St.
Louis. Mo, which ne calls the pyro-chem-
ical process. its distinctive points OF merit
being the production of aluminium f.on
common clay ard the lowering OF the
cost of production to minimum. which
places the metal now within the easy
reach OF every oae. Instead of. as here
tofofe consuming three months in. eX-
tract aluminium from clay, the new pro-
cess performs the work IN the suTpr:5
ingly sho.t time of three days ana re-
duces the cost OF material from 500 20
S1e0 q ton.
As is well known, aluminium in the past
has been obtained from certain kind OF
clay brought at great expense into this
country from Europe. and from remote
parts OF the United states. Mr..
Schwahn now obtains the metal of the
future from ordinary clay by the new
process. which is produced at consider
ably less cost than by former methods,
and viii now bring it into the markets
of the world
The large cities and manufacturing
points Of the United States and else
where ere at the present tine the prin
cipal markets fer aluminium. and il IS
-
and optical instruments and many small
articles of commerce kitchen utensils
and other containing vessels. galvanizi1g
Of sheet iron electric wiring. TO improve
steel and iron. for patterns in foundries.
letters on windows. paint, for making
alloys. for photographic plates in place #
stone, &c. Every day adds u the mani
fold uses of this exceptionally indestruct-
ible metal in the arts and manufactures,
wherever its present high price permits its
use, but now that the price Of the metal
is to be reduced the production will in
crease and it's use will soon become uni
versal
What this means in house. bridge and
ship building and the rolling stock IF
railroads and road beds. is simply eno--
nous. It will supplant with success other
metals, as we'll as wood, for good many
purposes without question, for it IS nearly
as light as hard wood and does not
weaken. tarnish, cOrrode. nor is it in any
way affected by atmospheric conditions,
provided it is free from sodium or potas~
SUM, which is always the case if the
aluminium is produced by the pyro-chem-
ical process, and therefore ii is especially
suitable for electric wiring and ship
building, armor plates or wherever pure
aluminium is desirable.
For many years the Investigations Of
chemists and metallurgists have been de
voted TO researches for a cheaper method
Of producing aluminium. OF all the metals
used in the arts and manufacture, this is
the one that is most abundant in nature,
and, at the same time, the one that is
the hardest TO acquire at cost that
will allow its general use. Aluminium is
a compound of the earth's crust all over
the world. 1t exists in the greatest abun-
dance in common clay, and, while this
fact has been we'll known for a century
or more it is only within the last few
years, comparatively speaking, that any
process has been found that would ex-
tract it at a cost that would allow of
its general use. 1t was first successfully
produced by Wohler, in 1921 For half a
century Wohlers was the only method
known for obtaining the mineral.
The honor for devising a process for the
manufacture of aluminium at a cost that
allowed its use as an araicle of general
commerce belongs to an American, Chas.
NJ. Han. Mr.. Hall was a student at
Oberlin College, Ohio. and during his
studies there was attracted by the diff
culties that scientists had heretofore
encountered, to a close study Of existing
processes of extraction, and a search for
new and better one. The result of his
Investigations was the process by which
all the aluminium in the world is OBJ
tanned today. This process is called the
-lytie-precess., and, as its name i'm
plies. uses electricity as its agent 1t
made ii possible 10 produce aluminium and
place it on the market as a regular arti-
Gle of commerce at about 81 per pound.
improvements that have since been
made in the method of extraction have
cheapened the cost of production so that
e. ha
metal has had market value of fifty
cents a pound. All the aluminium used IN
the world today is produced by this Han
process. but it is only able to extract the
mineral proftably from a certain kind Of
clay. and this is only found in certain
parts of Europe and in certain remote
parts of the United States. This clay IS
called bauxte, from Baux, in France
from which place the only visible supply
up 10 short time ago, was found
The electrolytic process in the United
States is controlled. and has been for
years by large corporation which has
its headquarters in Pittsburg. Pa. AS soon
as it got the price of the metal down to
fifty cents a pound the. most wonder
full demand sprdng up for it. and today
and for many years past il has been
far behind its orders. The lowest price
at which this corporation has ever been
able to produce aluminium is twenty-five
cents a pound. and because of the cost
of the bauxite which IL uses. this is the
lowest il viii ever be able to bring the
first cost to.
Its production is something more than
ten tons day but it's plant is costly
one. The process of extraction TAX s
three months from the time the raw ma
teriaI enters into operations. and divi-
h. F1ff fa1i - n
ton that runs into millions. Taking these
facts into consideration. there is not the
slightest possibility that this product
can ever be put on the market for less
than the existing price-ffty cents
pound But the monopoly that has been
held by the Pittsburg concern so long Is
about 10 he broken by the pyro chemic Il
process. which is vastly cheaper and
much more practical.
About twenty years ago H T. Z
SchwahH had his attention attracted to
the difficulties encountered IN the produc-
ton Of aluminium and its consequent high
price. For dfteen years he went plod-
ding along with the firm conviction ever
before him that at last he must and
would s1Icceed. He put all his time and
money into his pursuit and at last was
rewarded by the discovery Of 4 process
for the production of aluminium that is
destined to revoiutionize the Industry
-Ende- The electrolytic process it takes
three months after operations are heglia
before any aluminium is produced. Undo
3ir. schwahas process the metal Is pro-
duced in three days. Besides producing
sluminuun II also produces q number =
valuable intermediate produces Which
have great market value and constant
demand.
Aluminium is one or the most adaptable
metals that Is known. and possesses quai-