Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-18
Especial Correspondence Of The Argu,

Especial Correspondence Of The Argus).
Washington. D. c.. Nov. 17-zinc Is the
cinderella Of the metallic world. By this It Is |
not meant that 1t has small feet, but that 1t
has many virtues and il being kept IN the back
ground, unadorned. while its holder sisters.
iron, "copper" lead. gold. platinum. are paraded
braxenly and with much acclaim OF their mer-
its. So it comes about that the man In the
street knows zinc only as name. 10 quite
hazy as to the qualities peculiar to It. Or the
usefulness it serves.
Now appears the American Zinc institute
as q foster father to this neglected Industrial
child. It proposes to dress her M and show
her to the world for what she is. 1t proposes
that her sisters and brothers shall no longer
borrow her charms without giving credit. II
proposes that, when zinc saves the lie OF IRON
by preventing It from rusting out, that the
product shall be called "zinced Iron" ana NOT
galvanized iron" 1t proposes that zinc, the
metal, shall no longer be called spelter, Dut
shall be known by its own true name.
In the mining industry there are five metals
closely related, both as to geologic occurrence
and the metallurgical treatment which they
require, They are gold, silver, lead, copper
and zinc. Wherever one is mined the others
are likely to appear a. by-products. Tnere
have been many interesting examples OF mines
which started out to be one thing and ended
by being another. There was the great Ana
conda mine, In Montana, for instance It
started out to be silver mine. Later 1t was
found that there was greater value OF copper
than silver in its ores. Time wore on and zinc
began to appear as . valuable by-product.
Today zinc As nearing dominance In 1mpor-
lance at Anaconda
Most Of the zinc, however, is recovered in
mining lead The big lead mines in Missouri
are major producers, while New Jersey has
zinc mines Of large yield unaccompanied by
other metals Az In many other raw materials
the United States IL the world dominating fig
ure in the production Of zinc. 1t yields 10
times "a much Of the metal as its nearest COM
petitor, Great Britain. Before the war Bel
sium was one Of the chief producers of zinc,
Importing the ores from abroad. refining them
and manufacturing the zinc into articles for
use and export
Just now in America there is more than a
passing interest in zinc. The general public is
not posted on the uses Of zinc as fully as 1t Is
on the utilities Of other metals In its uses
zinc is not called zinc. When 1t IL used to coat
steel sheets and wire to preserve them from
weather corrosion 1t is called galvanized"
steel; as a principal compound in making brass
its name Is lost in the mixture and thereafter
it is called "brass." In view Of the fact that
fully 30 per cent Of tho annual zinc output is
used in coating steel and in compounding
brass, q superficial public is justified in losing
sight of the metal.
It is only when zinc IL rolled into sheets
that the public comes into contact with the
metal and then only in limited way. The
public does not probe into ammunition boxes
to see If they are lined with zinc sheets, the
Innings Of tea caddies and the inside of humi-
doris are not objects Of frequent inspection.
The tips on shoe laces and corset stays, the
surface of the washboard or the top of the glass
fruit jar are little details that the public might
overlook
zinc is one Of the three major non-ferrous
metals. This means that It Is not Of the rust
ing from group. It ranks with copper and lead
n tonnage and utility TO man. In 1918 there
was smelted Id the Dnited StHfsk e00Doe stons
| OF zinc, one-half Of which amount was used
to weather proof steel sheets and wire. about
/ 40 per cent in ,compoupding brass, and less
than 10 per cent rolled into sheets.
Ones likeliest chance Of familiarity with
zinc is in the form of kitchen utensils. These
are not zinc, however, but iron coated with
zinc. II one has q mailing list which Is cut
on metal strips and run through an adresso-
graph, the stencils are made OF zinc. If the
housewife has stencil by means Of which she
paints an orange on the back Of the dining
room chairs. 1t II likely to be made Of zinc.
The barbed wire on all the ranches Of the west
is preserved endlessly. though exposed to
weather, because 1t IL coated with zinc. Zinc
will not rust. It is soft metal the corners
of which will not scratch. It Is good-tempered
and yielding. It therefore has peculiar uses.
| Zinc ore. sometimes called tack or "sul-
phide." is found in paying quantities in 13 or
more states, and the 50 or more smelteries are
located either in the ore-bearing states or at
points where cheap fuel is accessible. The
pig zinc or the finished product Of the smelter
was called spelter, and 1t is in this form that
the bulk Of the metal Is sold
| But because zinc was not called zinc and
has been fast losing its identity in yielding its
strength and substance to other materials
without the good name accompanying, the
American Zinc institute, an organization COM
posed of those interested in the metals vel
fare, adopted resolution at its annual meet
ing at st. Louis, asking the world to call zinc
by its proper name; urging the miner to call
his ores zinc" and not Jack" the smelteries
to refer to their product as slab zinc and not
"spelter" as heretofore, and to ask the public
to realize that the sheet steel is zinc coated
instead of being galvanized" or "sherodizedl
and that brass Is firm and hard and sharp be-
cause Of the zinc that It contains.