Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-02-10
ONCE RARE METAL NOW CHEAP
Aluminium Was Valued at $50
a Pound in 1856.
EiectrOlizing Method Has Reduced Its
Cost to is Cents--PrOccss Worked
out by Young American in
Oberiin College Laboratory.

Aluinmum, unknown a little over Il hun.
dred years ago, Is now one of the most
valuable metals 1t is being used more
and more each year because it is one OF
the lightest metals. Aluminium is the most
abundant of all our metals. comprising -
of the earth's crust, but it never appears
alone. in metal formation. but always in
combination with other minerals Its spe-
chc gravity is only % and a cubic foot
Of the metal weighs but i59 pounds or
nearly -four times lighter than copper
Sir humphrey Dayy one OF the pio-
Heers of electricity, while experimenting
with the intense heat oc the electric arc.
discovered that a certain metallic SUBJ
stance was to ne found in many rocks and
claNs lie named this substance alumi e
mum, but he never succeeded ir isolating
f.. Twenty years later Frcdcr:ci. Wohlei,
IN Germany. Isolated this metal through
tho use of potassium. In 1915 he obtained
it in snail maleable glooues. IN 1873
DeNilic, ii French chemist patronized ny
Louis Napoleon. improved Wohler's pro-
cess and isolated aluminium in state al
most pure. At this time the metal was
valued al 800 . pound. T.: was produced
in chemical laboratories and used largely
Through the development OF other chem
zeal processes for obtaining the pure
metal the price fell slowly until in 1870 it
WAS 81 pound, many OF its character
istics Were known and it was evident that
wide industrial application could he
made if the cost of production could be
reduced. However, the chemical process
was the only method of getting the pure
Hamilton Y. Castncr, an English Chemis,.
who used sodium Sodium cost g cents
Il pound and three pounds were required
for each pound Of pure metal secured
Labor and other expenses made the price
of the metal under this process 81 a
round.
Al this time. however. a new factor had
entered tho industrial world. Electricity
was being used for street and house light
ing and for power purposes in factories
Improved generating machinery made the
source of supply dcpcndabl under all cir
cumstanccs. Taking advantage of this
new element, a young American named
Hall set to work in the college laboratory
at Oberlin Immediately after his gradua-
ton in 1885
Without detailing the setbacks which
preceded his achievement, it is sufficient
to say that in February. 1886. Hall had
worked ont a process whereby he dissolved
alumna tthc oxide OF aluminium in a
molten bath Of cryolite and by means
of clcctrolysis separated the metal. alu
mnum, out Of this bath. The electric cur
rent served the doubl' purpose of keep
ing the bath molten and eectrolizing tho
metal from the solution.
From s. a pound in 1859 aluminium drop
ped rapidly in price until in 1904 it was
only % cents, In 1911 it averaged % cents
a pound, and the price in 1914 fell to 1S
cents. The production increased propor-
tionatcly. In 1856 only ton and "A half
was produced; in 1891. 70 tons; in 1895. $50
tons in 1901 3.5I6 tons and in 1911. 2S,O62
tons. In 1913 the production in the Uni
ted States was -, $50 tons, which was aug
umcnted by $3.50 tons of metal import ed
from abroad.
Aluminium ieWelry is no longer fashion
able. For industrial, commercial and do
nestle purposes however, where a dur
able and light metal is required. alumni
mum has assumed commanding impo".
tance. Ey no means the least important
of its applications is the manufacture OF
cooking utensils. 1t is being extensively
used in the electrical industry. At th.
same time ii is used for ship construc-
ton, aeroplane building, automobile parts,
camera boxes. musical instruments. ad.
vertising novelties, while the soldiers of
the kaiser's army have aluminium pegs n
their boots and aluminium buttons on their
coats. 1t is used for purifying steel and
freeing metals from carbon, while alumni
mum cable is used in the longest electrical
transmission lines i'm the world