Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1909-11-10
The MOST Preclous Metal.

The MOST Preclous Aletal.
The advent and development Of
the electrical industry has made
copper one Of the most indispensi-
BILE Of all the metals. Fortunately
the New World is rich in copper or
the numerous demand for it would
make it even more pre-, ious than
gold. Last year. according to the
geological survey, the production
of copper in the United States ex-
ceeded that of any other year in
the history of the metal, totaling
942,570,721 pounds. In this pro-
duction Arizona led with 28O, $685.
267 pounds; Michigan had 252,-
5O3.651 pounds and Montana 222,-
SOB .651 pounds.
Previous to the wonderful de-
velopment of electrical apparatus,
which began less than twenty-five
wears ago, there was little demand
for copper. The tempering of cop
per has long been recognized as q
lost art and years ago copper could
only be used for kettles and other
kitchen utensils. for ship bottoms
and ornamental work. Consequent
~ there was little demand for the
metal. The early experiments with
electricity proved that silver was
the very best conductor for the cleo
trio currents and that copper
ranked very close second. Silver
being out of the question, on ac-
count of its scarcity and consequent
high price, the manufacturers
seized upon copper for the making of
conductors in electrical apparatus.
Every conductor of electricity in
electrical machines and apparatus
is made out of copper, except
where resistance is required, such
as in electric heating devices, or
where the weight of copper in long
distance transmissions makes it
more economical to use aluminium
wire. About twenty per cent of
the total weight of every electric
generator or motor is copper. All
the windings of electric machinery,
wire cables, switches, sockets, parts
of lamps and hundred other things
in the industry are made of copper
or brass which is mostly copper.
Electricity will flow through cop
per with very little resistance, trav-
cling at the rate of nearly 1856, 900
miles a second. 1t does not travel
through soft iron so easily and
some metals, or alloys, offer great
amount of resistance to the flow of
the current. This resistance re-
suits in serious loss of electricity
through heat-the electrical energy
being converted into heat energy in
forcing its way through the OBJ
structed path. in the same way that
the friction of car axle caused a
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
the worlds gold mines would be
deserted tomorrow. We can get
along without gold but it would be
almost impossible to get along
without our millions of pounds of
copper annually.
Copper is one of the most ancient
of. the metals utilized by man.
When the first skin-clad savage Of
ancient Europe had heated a lump
of copper ore in his fire and melted
out the first bit of copper then the
stone age passed and another step
towards modern civilization began.
These first little globules of copper
were hammered fiat with the stone
axes and pierced with sharp bits of
flint for ornamental use.
This first copper was too soft to
be used for the making of sharp
edged weapons and it was not until
some native genius mixed it with
tin and produced an alloy called
bronze that the new metal could be
formed into weapons, coins, utensils
and other things which would be
strong and durable. The bronze
age lasted until the discovery of
iron and tempered steel. then van
ished 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 scien-
tific searcher discloses the copper
ornaments of the Actec and the In
cas-. The Mound Builders had their
~