The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-21
Wonderful Gain by Aluminium
Curtis Recalls First Use Made by Lghest of Metals

The first practical use ever made Of
aluminium was in fitting a cap ON the
peak OF the Washington Monument in
1884 says William f. Curtis in Chicago
Record Herald. Although aluminium
was discovered in 1927 by Prof. Wohier,
Of Gottingen university. Germany. at
that time it was practically an un-
known metal, the cost and difficulty OF
its production having prevented its de-
velopment until the general use Of cleo
tricity made II easy and economical.
The cap on the top Of the monument
is a square pyramid in shape, weighing
! 100 ounces and is SO inches i'm height
and 5.6 inches in width at the base.
! General George ". Davis, now on the
retired list and residing IN Washington.
/ was in immediate charge Of the COM
| pletjon Of the manument under General
/ Casey. and has the distinction of being
the first man 10 handle aluminium in
| practical way. Until that time il had
| been used only for toys, for freak"
purposes. and small samples had been
utilized in making models for the pat
ent office. In 1905. however. the pro-
/ duCtiOn OF aluminium was II .347. 900
pounds, valued at $3.246, 800: In 1904 the
production was S.600.000 pounds. valued
at So Az, 600. The total for 1906 will be
very much larger The development
OF the industry is rapid. J. II. Mckee
of the General Electric company told
me the other day that they We're now
engaged i'm filling orders for $1,000 horse
power machinery for the manufacture
of aluminium. The Pittsburg Produc-
tidn company. which now holds a mo-
nOpoly Of the manufacture OF alumni
mum, has recently changed its name 10
the Aluminium Company OF America,
and is controlled by the Mellins OF
! PittSburg, who operate pipe lines for
oil to New York and Philadelphia.
General Davis says that when the
monument was finished in December,
1884, the upper eXtremities of the four
hollow wrought-irOn columns, which
form the well i'm the shaft support the
elevator machinery and guide the car,
We're covered IN by the marble apex or
pryamidion. -Four copper rods. three
quarters of an inch in diameter, were
run, one from each column, to the top
stone. and there united in a copper
rod one and One-half inches in diam
eteT. which passes vertically through
the stone Ii then became necessary TO
find a metallic cap for the apex which
would be a perfect conductor OF cleo
tricity. which would be the same color
or stain or drip. They talked OF nickel,
silver copper zinc and various plated
metals but there seemed to be Objec-
lions 10 all Of them until General
Casey heard Of a new metal called
aluminium Since that time the 'f'
in the last syllable has been dropped
out. Ordnance officers at The navy
yard were experimenting with ii for
gun sights. IT was believed 10 be spe-
.sa liz do taI far :. o.
cause il was so light that the sight Of
a gun would not be dislocated by the
recOil after il had been fired. The
navy people got their material from a
German chemist named Freschmuth,
who had a little laboratory at Frank
ford one Of the suburbs 0f Philadel-
phia. He had learned to make il in
Germany and was furnishing little
for experimental purposes to scientific
men and nodel-mailers in Philadelphia.
General Davis says that General
Casey sent him over to Frankfort to
make inquiries about the new metal
and find out il it would answer their
purpose He had great difficulty in
finding Freschmuth. who was living
In very humble way and IN great
DoyertV. General Davis found IL neces-
sarv 10 advance him the money 10 pay
for getting aluminium out of the clay.
and If was a long time before he got
enough to answer the purpose FL
nalIy a cast was made. and the little
aluminium pyramid about nine inches
kigh and five and q half inches square
az the base was placed on the Zip or
the monument, where II still remains.
1t has answered the purpose perfectly.
II is the exact color OF the marble; II
viii not tarnish or oxidize or rust. and
water dripping from II leaves no stain.
General Davis says he does not know
what became of the old German chem
list. but he is probably dead long ago.
He was undoubtedly the first man to
manufacture aluminium in this country,
although he did il in a very small way
and never made any money out Of it.
He probably died as he liYed-in pow
erty.
A few years later immense sums Of
money were being derived from its
manufacture under patents obtained by
n man named Bradley. These patents
were the subject Of very lively huga-
ton between a Cleveland company
controlled by the family OF EDWIN
Covles and a Pittsburg syndicate. The
Cowles company had their factory at
Iockport. y. Y The Pittsburg COM
many went to Niagara Falls. In 1893 the
Two interests compromised the litiga-
ton that had been going on for eleven
wears. the Pittsburg Reduction COM
nany paying the Cowles company So
600 600. approximately, for the exclusive
use of the Bradley patents. until they
expire in February, 1909. The attorneys
OF the company are now getting ready
TO apply for q renewal, but 1t viii be
little trouble for them 10 retain the
monopoly, because they have patented
various improvements upon the original
Bradley process which cannot be used
by its rivals.
Aluminium. as you know, is metal
lic element found in clay, and is the
same material OF which rubies, sap
nhires. emery and alum are made. 1t
enters into the composition OF large
rumber Of other materials, and II is
estimated that i'm its various compounds
aluminium forms about one-twelfth of
the crust of the earth. Every brick
I'm every building is said to be 30 per
cent aluminium. Ii is produced by the
decomposition of clay, which mineral
oeists will tell you is salt composed
OF silicic acid combined with aluminium.
The aluminium is separated from the
silica by the application OF electricity
senaration has never been successfully
done i'm any other way, 1t is produced