The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-15
separate metal from the impurities

o0Poi aeS Aetdl ITOm the impurities
And there has been the trouble in
the past. Clay comes from felspar.
Wnlch Is a constituent of granite In
the valley Of the Yadkin is granite
enough to make aluminium for the
world-if it can be separated. In
many rocks and minerals is alumni
MUM. But the metal is a peculiar
thing in its chemical affinfties. At the
present time the clay called bauxite
combination Of the oxides Of iron
and aluminium. is used because the
chemists know how to separate the
two metals and reduce the a. ,. >ium
from its oxide ~
About % years ago the Pitt,
Reduction Company began to man
| use Of an elettrolytic process for the
reduction Of alumina, a mixture of
clay and charcoal being subjected to
! the heat of an electric arc, by which
| means the mass was composed. The
company had built large factories near
| Pittsburg, and on the development Of
the water powers at Niagara a big mill
was erected there.
The Pittsburg concern has accom-
| plished most Of the preliminary ex-
pcrimental work. The production Of
aluminium today is as much Of a
staple industry as the manufacture
/
| aluminium is practically new
metal yet. meeting innumerable tests
and requirements. serving countless
purposes better than anything else,
possessing. perhaps more valuable
qualities than any other metal, un-
less iron alone is excepted. and pos
sibly time will show that iron has
met it's rival.
Aluminium is a remarkable metal
and the wonder is that it has moi
before this found greater favor. 1t is
lighter than other useful metals II
is strong, it can be hammered like
iron. drawn into wire. fused like
lead, but at temperature so much
higher that it can withstand con
siderable heat. 1t does not tarnisf
in the light. 1t casts readily il
mouids. 1t is seryicabie for boat
building. as water does not affect it
while it is light and strong. 1t il
valuable for machines requiring
, strength with Iightness and dura
bility.
It is safe to assume that alumni
mum in the future is to be a meta
with wide range Of usefulness, tn
. essential thing being to get the cos
of production lowered. and to have i
, more widely introduced.
} The Pittsburg Reduction Compan.
in this Country, and some fOreig1
manufad rers in the old world, hav
made the manufacture Of aluminium
a certain industry. The Southerl
aluminium Company, which is devel
+ oping the Yadkin property; whicl
Twill be the biggest manufactures Q
!, aluminium in the world. will star
, with a clean slate, with the mos
!, modern equipment, with all the ne,
: Imethods. and if it does not blaze tn
" trail toward some hew methods an
= discoveries in the production Of thi
= important metal all signs point tn
wrong way.
When Niagara Falls witnessed tn
: construc ctiOn of the plants that wer
8 to convert water energy into electr1
g cal energy, the industrial world be
: gan to turn to Niagara for informa
u ton concerning electrical develop
ment When the Southern coTo pan
completes its gigantic plant On tn
a Yadkin, the center of industrial, cleo
a trical activity will be uphere aboy
" Mt. Gilead This will be the bigge:
" thing of its kind on earth, and her
o will come the students OF moder
n industrial and scientific progress
q study methods The Yadkin vale
v will become famous like Essen
!. Germany. has become famo,
j. through the Krupp gun factcry. jik
l. the Clyde has become famous f
D ships, like South Africa has becon
J. famous for diamonds. like Fittsbui
b. has become famous for ron az
~ steel like East Liverpool has tecCn
is famous for pottery, etc.
n. But a more apparent and ;mfn
IN diate return will follow the r.
J. work When tre Pittsburg RedcctC
d Company bull. its yniH for the man
:, facture Of alurliniuTn outside of =
y city it chose some cheap Ian" Me-
l. Parnassus, a little point Up ,he XIV
10 q short Way When the factory Wt
ls built Parnassus was little place IL
to Mt. Gilead--was then OF fou- .: n
ie hundred people Farnassus and r e
N Kensiu9ton, the town that started