The Paducah sun., 1906-04-04
The Discovery May be as
Valuable as Gold
Cobalt To BE Employed in Apparatus
for Storing Electricity i'm
Batteries.
WILL CHEAPEN THE AUTOS

billing and which, ii is likely, will
work revolution in the manufac-
ture of horseless vehicles and other
apparatus in which the storage or
electrical energy, is necessary.
incidentally it has practically re-
vealed the secret for which the al
chemists sought in vain-the art of
converting the baser metals-as it
has established for a metal hitherto
little used in commerce a market in
which it is likely to eventually be-
come almost as valuable as gold.
Another feature of the discover,
is the fact that 1t delivers a hard
blow at the smelter trust and GER
tain persons high in the Stanard Oil
trust, who have been seeking anoth-
er big monopoly in the products of
the earth and who almost had obtain
ed it. In addition to all that, it has
opened up a comparatively uninhab-
| tied portion of the great northwest
and has made in night million
aire of several poor miners.
The latest handiwork of Edison is
an electric storage battery in which
cobalt has been employed instead of
lead or nickel. Never before had any
one of great chemists or electrical
engineers dreamed of using cobalt
L. hsa Len fC nj
disclosed and the secret is not to be
revealed until the inventor returns
I to his laboratory in about two weeks
from Florida, where he is recuperat-
ing.
Before he left for the south, six
weeks ago, Edison intimated that he
had made discovery as to cobalt. In
consequence the chemical and cleo
trical world is aroused and has been
awaiting details.
1t was learned today that Edison
had been experimenting a long time
with cobalt and before he left Or
ange he had manufactured and en-
ployed in automobiles in his grounds
several batteries made with that met
al To what extent, however, those
batteries excel the present land bat
terry, or even Mr.. Edison's improved
nickel battery, could not be ascer-
tanned. All Mr.. Edison's assistants
has been sworn to secrecy.
The fact that Edison intended to
employ vast quantities of cobalt for
some mysterious purpose was learn
e1 a few days ago, when news that
his representative, Horace w. Will
son. had purchased a mine OF that
ore on the Montreal river near Hal
leyburg, Ont. and was Offering 30
cents a pound for the hitherto ne
elected ore, delivered in New York.
Thirty-five cents a pound means $40
a ton on a ten per cent. ore and slfo
a ton on a 20 per cent ore, class
not infrequently found.
Cobalt is similar to nickel. Htth-
erto it has been used only for pro-
ducing the beautiful tint seen in
porcelains and glass. The smelter
trust, whose experts alone know the
secret of its reproduction for that
purpose, has controlled the output
land has maintained the price by linn
iting the supply.
In connection with the discovery
of the latter mines there is strange
and interesting history which holds
a striking moral for monopolies. The
discovery was due directly TO the
peoples fight for municipal owner
ship.
The Ross government which then
was in power in Ontario and when
was owned by railroad interests, be-
came frightened by the growing SEN
liment for public control of utilities
and highways. 1t was decided TO
build a railroad with government
funds.
A route from North Bay, on the
Canadian Pacific main line, ieauins
into the wilderness was selected In
the hope that such a road would be a
heavy burden on the people. In con-
structing the line. however, was
struck what undoubtedly is the grea-
test cobalt mine, containing probably
the richest silver deposits in the
world. The road now is destined to
be one of the most profitable in the
country.
With Edison's discovery the rush
to that section of the northwest TINS
year is likely to surpass the early
rush to the Klondike.