The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-29
ONCE A FREAK,
NOW NECESSITY
Aluminium Has Become One of
the Most Important Of
Metals.
NATURE HAS STORED
EARTH GENEROUSLY
There Are Many Scientific
Points About Metal Yet to
Be Solved.

Perhaps no other metal has been used
in so great a variety OF ways during so
comparatively brief history as has
aluminium. II is question whether the
automobile Industry would have made
such remarkable progress during the last
decade without the accompanying ae-
velopment OF the metallic aluminium In
dustry, for very many OF the castings
used in the manufacture oI motor cars
are made from this light. rigid metal.
The use OF aluminium in the recently porn
art Of aviation is also great popular
Interest, and here again the same quail
ties of lGhtness and rigidity recon-
mend II.
the metals. 1t Is an essential con
stituent of all important rocks except
sandstones and limestores; 1t is found
chiefly in the silicatcs such as the field
spars, micas, clays. etc. and as the
hydroXide In the mineral bauNite, from
which il is now produced on com
tween Is and 16 per cent of the csrths
crust In spite of this great abund-
ance the metal itself was, up to 1850,
a chemical curiosity. and one OF the
early reports Of the United States geo
logical survey quotes II at sl.25 a Troy
ounce-s15 pound. The reason for It's
a commercial method of extracting. it
easily and cheaply from its chemical
comblna tion with oxygen, for which 1T
has a remarkable affinity. With the in
PRODUCTION of electrolytic processes the
metal has now taken a hiSh place among
the commercial metals, and from n pro-
duction OF So pounds in 1883 its con-
nous total of 34.210,000 pounds, valued
at approximately % cents pound for
lngot metal
Many Uses of Aluminium
The use of metallic aluminium. par
Is emSoydd d R espe making sqSns and Mfn in
chemical and other lines of marufac-
ture. is making a steady, growth. and
RTomses S hsinrs ags and b fu,Tpe
The manufacture of aluminium cooking
utensils is also on sound footing
favor by sheer force OF merit. despite
their rather high price:
Aluminium is extensively used in the
iron and steel industry for removing
oxygen from iron and other substances
and In welding. Metallic aluminium has
also tho power of combining chemically
with the gases imprisoned during the
osity It's use in castings. where II Is
alloyed with copper. zinc or nickel is
also growing. 1t is one OF the most
retains q. very high polish and is there
fore employed in the manufacture OF ar
ticles of everyday use almost without
limit. Some OF these newer uses are for
hammered trays, etc. as a substitute for
photographic stones and zinc plates. and
AS a powder 1t is used in the manu-
fscture OF non furnishing metallic paints
and varnishes, Aluminium paint Is val
liable in protecting iron and in render
ing woodwork partly hreprooi.
Great Possible Future
But although aluminium is now with
in reach OF the general public's purse.
really only the frs, stage has been ac-
complished in wrestling the metal from
it's various rock combinations. Alum
commercially recoverable
from bauXite. comparatively scarce
mineral The next step in order TO. place
trial metals and increase its usefulness
hundredfold is TO obtain it cheaply
from ordinary clay In an advance chap
United States" for 1909 w. c. Phalen OF
the United States geological survey
mentions group OF recent patents for
the production OF elementary silicon from
clay. with the formation of pure alumlna
as a by-product. The production of the
metal from clay. says Mr.. Phalen, is
a goal which has long been sought by
The present prices of metallic alumni
mum arc among the lowest yet recorded
and it is Mr.. Phalen's belief that these
sumption of the metal
Mr.. Phalen also presents figures show
ing that the 1909 production of baux
aluminium. was 129,10l long tons. valued
at S679.44T. growth of 80 per cent ir
quantity and OF more than 40 per cent
in value as compared with 1907. thu
latest previous normal year of business
Arkansas led in the production OF baux
ite. showing almost a phenomena
growth as compared with the preceding
years. Other states which produced
bauxite are Alabama. Georgia and Ten.
nessee. Exploration was carried on ir
the new Georgia bauxite field In Wilkin
son county.
The report. which contains list o
publications on bauxitc and aluminium
dressing the director. United States geo
logical survey, Washington. D. c,