New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-18
THE AGE OF COPPER,
Immense Production of This Metal
-M0ny Uses.

per IN TINS country last year was approximately
943,000,0O0 pounds, or ls3. 100000 pounds more
than in 1904: and it is predicted that this year
VIII Show an even larger increase. Yet at such
pace is the consumption OF the metal growing
that the output of ore does not meet our national
needs and we are importing larger and larger
quantities from across the Atlantic
First and foremost this is an electrical age
and the utilization Of electricity is largely de-
pendent upon copper. Transmission of electrical
energy for use in lighting streets and dwellings
operating power plants and railways, and max
ing possible communication by telegraph and
telephone. is a prime factor in twentieth century
living. Power transmission. for lighting and
manufacturing purposes. though its future pos
sibiliues are enormous, is largely undeveIoped;
so to some extent is the electric railway; so,
most Of ALL perhaps. is the telephone, though al
ready the Bell system alone has nearly two and
a half million telephones in use. All Of these
utilities use vast amounts of copper, not only
in the form Of wire but in the powerful and
mysterious machinery by which they are oper-
ated.
Undoubtedly the telephone system is the
largest single user OF copper in this country to-
day. and that means the largest user in the
world. OF the heavy copper wire on pole lines,
the lighter equipment of local service and the
tiny hlaments in the cables which constitute
are upward of 5000 900 miles. One of the great
reels OF cable you see the construction gangs
forcing through the subway manholes every day
contains enough, if ii were all in one continuous
piece, TO set up very respectable system by it
self The largest size cable incloses in its Ieaden
sheath 1000 separate wires and comes in 500
foot lengths. that altogether it is made up of
lao miles Of copper threads; the average length
of sections Of cables used for underground work
in the big cities is 500 feet which means 120
miles of wire
In addition TO the copper in the telephone
lines. there are millions of miles of wire in the
intricate apparatus of central Offices and the
connections on subscribers premises. One OF
the 10 000-line switchboards used in the big tele
phone centres includes 1000 miles Of wire
enough 10 reach from, say. St Louis to Liver
pool If II We're pieced together in a single line
The switchboards in the largest ten cities in
the country have about s. 900 miles of wire in
them not counting the tiny copper threads
no coarser, insulation and all. than the finest
thread of cotton which the American housewife
uses for sewing--which are found about the
magnets and relays of which there is a set for
every subscribers line that comes into the
board In a single relay is half a pound Of cop
per, spun out TO a length Of three-tenths Of a
mile There IS from half mile TO a mile Of
wire in each Of the relays connected with the
cords by which the operators at central join two
circuits together: and every operator who an
swers calls has seventeen Of these cords. while
the trunk operators who connect one central
Office with another but do not answer subscrib-
ers' calls directly, have twenty-five cords. AL
together there are 100000 miles Of fine wire in
the relays of the switchboards of the largest ten
telephone cities.
All the copper used in equipping a central
Office is not in the form Of wire however. Either
pure, or alleged the metal enters into the pro-
tective devices which guard the apparatus
against damage from lightning. and the like
the fuse mountings and arrester springs as
they are called. The plugs at the ends of the
operators connecting cords and the springs
inside the Jacks" or switch sockets in which
each circuit from outside terminates in the
switchboard the weights which pull the cords
back into place when they not in use, the
drops" or targets" that on one type Of board
signal the operator when the subscriber wants
TO attract her attention. all largely of cop
per, and so are the myriads of screws. rlvets
and minor fastenings 10 hold together the thou
sands Of parts Of the board
When you talk over the thousand miles from
Boston to Atlanta, from New York 10 Chi
cago the circuit you use requires 1000 miles OF
heavy copper Wire The total investment repre-
scented in wire and apparatus devoted TO your
exclusive use Mhle such a conversation Is going
on Is several hundred thousand dollars, and II
you consider the whole apparatus OF winch you
require but a corner here and there the money
value mounts into the millions. The telegraph
still iron for many Of its transmission lines.
as do many of the lesser telephone companies.
But while the lower cOnduCtiyity of iron does
not particularly affect transmission Of telegra ph
signals telephony demands for its perfection
the best materials modern science can find, even
though their costliness would have been practi-
cally prohibitive a generation ago, and to-day
calls for an enormous investment. enormous
even for this period Of colossal financial enter
prises.
Aside from the electrical industries, nearly
every form Of present day activity employs cop /
per and the compositions of which it is part
TO considerable extent. Engineering couIu
scarcely get along in any Of its branches with
out II. Every up TO date engine has brass oil
cups and bearings must be made of brass, gun
metal bronze or other compositions Of copper
if they are expected TO Withstand the terrific /
wear imposed on machinery. Brass and cop
per tubing Is used in many boilers especially
in those OF locomotives, for II VIII endure enor-
nous pressure and is an excellent conductor
of heat; and copper tubes are used almost ex-
clusiYely in marine condensers, while many YES
sells have their hulls sheathed with copper.
The Iandlubber architect a well his brother
of the sea utilities copper more than most Of us
realize The skyscraper has roofing and cor
nices made from the metal; churches ana pup
lie buildings are adorned with bronze gates and
doors and bronze grillwork; and from copper
and its compositions are wrought all manner OF
other decoratious-Vases, urns tablets busts
and statues The comfort of even the hum
blest American home owes almost as much 10
copper the beauty Of our most magnificent
buildings Knobs and locks Tor doors ana fur-
uifure RODS for pOrtiereS. curtains and stair
carpets, pipes and faucets, often plated with
nickel but nevertheless, copper underneath.
furniture lamps. chandeliers and a hundred
smaller but equally necessary things are made
from copper brass and bronze
In manufacturing processes, for utensils as
well as machinery copper has taken the place
~ other metals in many ways. Sugar factories /
and refneres depend upon 1t for their pans
pulp and paper mills ioT thelr raIs dlstllieIles