The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-12-05

per could only be used for kettles and
other kitchen utensils, for ship bot
toms and ornamental work. Conse-
quently there was little demand for the
metal. The early experiments with
electricity proved that silver was the
very best conductor for the electric
currents. and that copper ranked a
very close second Silver being out of
the question on account of its scarcity
and consequent high price, the manu-
facturers seized upon copper for the
making of conductors in electrical ap-
paratus.
Every conductor of electricity in
electrical machines and apparatus is
made out of copper. except where
resistance is required. such as in cleo
tric heating devices or where the
weight OF copper in long distance
transmission makes ii more economical
to use aluminium wire. AbSut 20 per
cent OF the total wejkht of every cleo
stric generator or motor is copper All
the .SYindings of electric machinery.
wire. babies. switches. sockets. parts of
lamps and a hundred other things in
the industry. are made of copper or
brass which is mostly copper.
Electricity viii flow through copper
with very little resistance. travelling
at the rate of nearly $4,000 miles a
second. 1t does not travel through
soft iron so easily. and some metals or
alloys offer great amount of resist
ance to the flow of the current. This
resistance results in n serious loss of
electricity. through heat-the electrical
energy being converted into heat en-
ergy in forcing it's way through the
obstructed path. in the same way that
the friction of car axle caused hot
box.
This Is almost universal age of
electricity. and If civilization today was
confronted with the choice of giving
up its copper or it's gold the worlds
god mines would be deserted tomor-
row. We can get along without gold.
but il would be almost impossible to
get along without orr millions of
pounds of copper annually.
Copper is one of the. most ancient of
the metals utilized by man, When the
first skin-ciad savage of ancient Eu-
rope heated a lump of copper ore in his
fire and melted out the first bit OF
copper then the stone age was passed
ilization began. These first little
globules of copper were hammered
flat with the stone axes and pierced
with sharp bits of flint for ornamental
use. This first copper was too soft TO
he used for the making of sharp edged
weapons. and il was not until some
native genius mixed It with tin and
produced an alloy called bronze that
the new metal could be formed into
weapon. coins. utensils and other
things which would be strong and
durable. The bronze age lasted until
the discovery of iron and tempered
steel. then vanished in the past with
the age of flint and stone. Today the
tombs of the Nile. of ancient India.
of Greece and Italy yield up their
bronze statues. ornaments. weapons
and utensils to testify to the craft and
skill of those ancients of the bronze
age.
In America the pick of the scientific.
searcher eiscloses the copper orna-
ments of the Astec and the lncas.
The Mound Builders had their copper
ornaments and history related that
even the Indians who greeted Coro-
rado. Ponce de Leon. Columbus and
Hudson wore copper ornaments on
their person. although they made no
use of it for weapons or utensils. as
did the Mound Builders and the Cliff
Dweliers and the mi-ciyilized tribes
of Mexico and Peru.
Down through all these centuries
copper has been of greatest value to
man. but it did not compare favorably
with iron and steel until electricity
came into its own SO few years ago.
Today the General Electric company.
the largest manufacturer of electrical
machinery in the world. uses thousands
of tons of copper annually.