The Washington herald., 1912-01-21

Sans employ. His name is Frank L
Hess. and he Is a smeller-out OF new and
wonderful metals. For many years past
he has spent most Of his time grubblng
for these strange substances In various
parts OF the United States-a form Of
enterprise Of great usefulness, inasmuch
as valuable employments are constantly
being found for them in the arts and In
dustries.
"How odd It seems to reflect that thirty
years ago aluminium was a novelty-a
mere laboratory curiosityT' said Mr.. Hess
the other day. yet, at the present time
It is so cheap and common as 10 be
used on an extensive scale az material
for stew-pots. kettles, and other kitchen
ware.
But within the last few years ever
so many other metals entirely new TO
the nonscientihc public have become
widely known. 1t might. indeed, be said
that we have entered upon a new epoch
an age OF metals hitherto unrecognized
by mankind at large.
Some of these metals are still hardly
more than curiosities Nof the laboratory,
but sooner or later important uses for
them are certain TO be discovered Con-
slider, for example. the new gas-lt buoys
which light. themselves at nightfall and
put themselves out at daybreak. Their
power TO act IN this seemingly Intelligent
manner Is attributable to a bit OF sele-
MUM wire which for an unknown rea-
son Is a conductor OF electricity In the
light and a nonconductor in the dark.
"Of the new metal. tungsten, only
HIS, SO worth was produced in this
country last year, but according to the
figures OF the Geological Survey It Is
l.. ~ -
electricity for Hght-a tungsten mean
descent lamp giving the same hlumina-
ton as a carbon lamp with one-third OF
the electric energy. But the lamps OF
this kind now in use are far more bril-
liant than carbon lamps-so much 50,
indeed. as to make frosted globes or
green shades desirable The light they
give is white instead OF yellow, because
It is possible to raise tungsten wire TO
carbon hlament
This, however. is only a small part Of
what the wonderful metal (which looks
somewhat like iron) Is accomplishing.
Added in the proportion Of one-sixth or
one-ifth TO the material Of steel tools.
II enables the latter to hold their temper
when raised almost 70 red heat, and
thus makes It possible for them TO cut
five times as fast-signifying that one
man can do as much work as five can
accomplish with ordinary carbon steel
The president of great automobile
| company recently said that he would
have to add 500 to the price Of every
car he sold II he were compelled to give
up tungsten and go back to carbon steel
represents hundreds OF millions OF dol.
lars In a year.
Almost anybody, II asked to name the
, Iightest OF the metals, will answer;
Aluminium But this IS a mistake
| Magnesium obtained chiefly from mines
at Stassfurt. IN Germany is nearly one
| third lighter. II is already utilized on
a considerable scale for Industrial pur-
poses, being mixed with aluminium "a
4 form a silver-white alloy known as
! 'magnalium.'
''Magnalium has made aluminium avail
/ able for an immense number OF uses,
while actually lessening its veight-foT
instance, IN the manufacture Of automo-
biles, typewriters, telescopes, bicycles
piano frames. kitchen utensils. and table
dishes Aluminium hitherto has been ex.
cluded from employment in most Of the
i arts by reason of fits softness; but com.
bined with magnesium. II Is compare.
lively hard, and remarkable for the east
with which It can be turned. planed. ol
drilled With a tensile strength equal &c
| brass, the alloy Is extremely malleable
It makes wonderful wire, is so ductile
that il can be beaten like silver, and It's
machined surfaces are Of mirror-like
smoothness. At material for flying ma.
chimes, 1t is beginning to be freely en-
ployed-
BeryIIIum' Canother newly discovered
metal, derived from the mineral 'beryFl
is likewise much lighter than aluminium
being only slightly heavier than magne-
sium. Its oxide, which occurs in nature
as a rare earth, is used with 'yttria' and
4 thoria' 1.-TWO other rare metalliferous
earths) in the manufacture OF incandes-
cent gas mantIes.
From what I have said you must by
no means suppose that MAGNESIUM IS the
lightest Of all the metals. Indeed, this
Is very far from being the fact. for
magnesium Is nearly three times a
heavy as 1ithium.' which is so light that
II readily floats on water But not for
long. II heated, t0wIn burn in water,
| end IL merely exposed to the air, It soon
disappears. Transforming itself into va
por. Llthium at present Is a mere lab
oratory curiosity. but uses will doubtless
be found for It some day.
'Now, weights being In question, what
is the heaviest OF the metals? One thinks
immediately OF lead. But gold Is nearly
| twice as heavy as lead. Heavier yet.
and the weightiest OF all the metals in
proportion to bulk Is 'osmium.'
"Osmlum is one-sixth heavier than gold
One of its properties Is resistance to ex-
traordinarily high temperatures its melt
Ing point being L5s2 degrees Fahrenheit
But In this respect II is far surpassed by
tungsten, which melts at 65Ts degrees.
For this reason II Is that tungsten does
not appear on the market in bars. but
in the form OF q fine powder-the melting
Of II being impossible except by the aid
Of the electric furnace.
Heaviest OF all the metals except
osmium is the lustrous, steel-Ike 1rid-
ium,' which Is used for tipping every gold
pen sold II Is employed to some ex-
tent for making instruments Of precision
| that will not corrode, and particularly for
the knife edges Of delicate balances.
"Osnium, iridium, palladium rho
diun.' and ruthenium' are commonly re-
ferred to as the platinum group Of met
ais, because they are obtained mainly as
by-products OF platinum refining. The
beach sands OF Oregon contain q good
deal of platinum. with which are asso-
ciated these other metals, all Of which
are lustrous white IN color.
''Ruthenlum Is q mere laboratory curl
osity. Palladium. which Is nearly a.
hard as steel, Is used for the exactly
as we'll as In the manufacture OF
watches and ehronometers. A remark
able property Il has Is that OF swallow
ing hydrogen. Of which Il will absorb So
times it's own bulk.
'sRhodium Is used to make crucibles
for chemical laboratories. II Pesists
many chemicals against which even
platinum II not proof. Furthermore, one
can boil lead in a vessel made OF it,