The Detroit times., 1910-11-21
AMERICAN INVENTIONS
By FREDERIC ! lHASKIN
ELECTRICITY


of the energy In the coal II uses in IL
Elimination for Its patrons.
IL Is In the field OF electro-chemisI
try and electro-metallurgy that some
ol the most wonderful properties oil
electricity are tn be found. The
subtle nuid never has attained the al
innate aim of the hlchemist who
sought To transmute base iron into
precious gold, but in the chemical and
metallurgical world II has accomI
plished wonders little removed from
that OF transmutatlon. With the cleo
trio furnace the chemist and the me;
allurgist have been able TO produce 4
heat as much more intense than the
hottest coal fire, AS such fire is hot
ter than an icicle. They have becI
able To produce temperature of more
than 1000 degrees, rivaling the hea
OF the sun. Under these conditions
many remarkable transformations
have taken place. Even common carl
bon has been transformed into dia
monds, and all other kinds OF precious
stones have been-not initiated, bd
reproduced Up 10 the present time
the chemist has not been able to pro,
duce them I'm such size or at such
cost as will make the manufacture q
precious stones commercially feasiblc
but IL is quite probable that in the
years 10 come some method OF dta
mond manufacture will be evolved
which will he profitable.
IL was while perimeuting Will
the properties of carbon in the hope
cf manufacturing diamonds that f. C
Atchison. OF Chicago. discovered thf
art of making carborundum. This
substance harder than emery, and
Is widely used in lieu of the emer.
wheel and the sandpaper. In electro
metallurgy electricity is much used il
the reduction of aluminium II WI
not many years ago that aluminium
was almost as much OF curiosity n
radium Is today. Mlneralogists knew
Z existed in vast quantities. but the
had no methods by which To extrac
it, Now there are many methods
among them being that Of placing
alumina in watts and by charging
with a low voltage Of electricity in
ducing the aluminium to settle at tn
bottom.
Gold and silver frequently are free
Of their impurities by the use OF Ia
electric current. and In many othe
ways it has lent itself admirably I
the needs OF those who work in me&
production In some cases huge elet
tro-magncts are SO placed that as III
ground ore falls through the air. tn
metallic particles are drawn ava
from the impurities and made to pas
through one chute while the impur
ties pass through another. This sapi
principal Of the electro-magnet is 40
widely used in manufacturing estal
iishments Instead of fastening
piece OF machinery by chains an
ropes and graphing hooks, 10 be lif
cd by crane, huge electromagne
is attached 10 the end OF the liftin
chain. ana as child lifts a need
with a toy magnet so the big crau
magnet will lift machine weighin
dozens OF tons.
Some years ago an electric weidin
machine was invented by an Anne,
can, Elihu Thompson. With such
machine o continuous rail from WasI
ington To Baltimore Is made possihl
in the transportation world There
nothing more damaging TO rolliu
stock and road-bods than loose ra
joints. and II is probable that IN
traveller Of a decade hence will nj
be annoyed by the continuous clio
OF the wheels as they pass over ra
joints.
Electricity now is being used
,roduce artificial sleep and il is I'D
lieved that as an anae5thcsia IL wi
prove superior 10 any now In use. IL
application results in no adverS
symptoms in the patient. II also
being widely used in the therapeh
cal world and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
becoming an important part of tn
world OF medical science. Yet vii
all these diverse uses, the possiblitie
OF electricity have not been exhausted
and sucn authorities as Edison col
fdently believe that the next decah
will bring about tho most startlin
results in it's application in medicine
chemistry. and in every other fel
where it has been applied 1t is ais
thought probable that entirely ne
uses Will be found for IL. and that
Will prove more wonderful than
even dreamed OF in this enlighteue
day.
Tomcrrow-V.-Man
--------------