The gas men had no use for the coal tar, and its rapid accumulation soon became a nuisance and a burden to them. The city would not permit the company to run the tar into the river, so the gas men put down a drain, which ostensibly was to empty into a big underground reservoir, but which really discharged into the river beneath the surface of the water. Coal-tar is too thick a substance to mix with water. It congeals just like molasses candy when, in making it, you drop it into a glass to see if it has boiled to the proper consistency. That is just what the coal-tar discharged from this Philadelphia gas-works did. When it flowed from the pipes of the gas-works into the river it sank into a pocket in the river-bottom, and formed a hard, solid deposit, gradually accumulating in size as the years rolled on. Then the new process of making gas came into vogue, and the old works on the Schuylkill were abandoned. Several years after the value of the despised coal-tar became known a sharp-witted chemist, in nosing around the old gas-works on the Schuylkill, discovered the drain-pipe, and, following it up, found that the output of coal-tar for years had been emptied into the river. It did not take long to engage a diver and set him to work, with the result that the rich deposit was located, finally brought to the surface, and utilized to a considerable profit. — H. J. C., in New York Evening Post.
Galalith or Milkstone. — Consul Brunot of St. Etienne, under the title of “a new milk industry, ” sends home a detailed account of a business based on the extraction of casein — the cheese-making part of skimmilk. After the cream has been used for butter-making, the casein is extracted from the milk, and, following a special treatment, used for the making of expensive paper, playing-cards, stiffening textiles, as a highly nutritious powder of easy digestion, and finally for the manufacture of a hard, stony substance called “galalith, ” which closely resembles celluloid. The casein is hardened by means of formaldehyde. Galalith, or milkstone, is slightly heavier than celluloid, but has two important advantages over the latter. In the first place, it is not inflammable, and, secondly, it is cheap. Combs, penholders, piano-keys, buttons, cigar-holders, knife-handles, and many similar articles are
now manufactured from galalith. It is said to be a good insulating material, and is hence useful in certain kinds of electrical work.
A New Use for the Rocking-chair. — “By the way, ” says Mr. Franklin K. Lane, City and County Attorney of San Francisco, “no one has spoken of the figure the American rocking-chair cut in the fire. Rockingchairs were in great demand as drays for household goods. Nearly every family dragged one or more after them in the flight to the western hills. ”
Demand for Aluminium — Reports from Great Britain show that the consumption of aluminium has increased so rapidly that the world’s supply at present falls far short of the trade demand. Many users of the metal, particularly those engaged in the motor-car industry, are suffering great inconvenience without any immediate prospect of substantial relief.
The world is dependent for its supply of aluminium on four sources of production. The chief of these is represented by the Pittsburg Reduction Company at Niagara Falls. In Great Britain there is the British Aluminum Company, whose plant is at the Falls of Foyers, and on the Continent of Europe there are the Neuhausen works in Switzerland, and works in Germany. In the United States shortage was aggravated by a strike of workmen. Americans sought to cover their requirements in this emergency by importing from Great Britain, but there was no aluminium there to be had. The British production amounts to about 2, 250 tons per annum, which does not meet the needs of that country, and additional plants are being laid down in Scotland and Wales. There was a great demand on the Continent of Europe for this metal, and the result has been that aluminium ingots were quoted the 1st of April at $850 a ton, or $200 above the market price ruling last July, but the quotation is purely nominal, inasmuch as there is no material to be had in England.
The London Times says that aluminium has come very prominently into use for castings, such as are necessary in electrical work, and an immense impetus has been given to the industry by the adoption of the metal for crank-cases and gear-boxes in
automobiles. Aluminium is also very largely displacing copper for the manufacture of pans, such as are used in wax refining, jam boiling, etc. It is claimed that where brass can be used aluminium is, with rare exceptions, equally applicable, is equally economical, and has the great advantage of being about one-third of the weight. It will naturally be asked why the great expansion of demand for the metal has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase of production. The answer is that the producers have miscalculated the rate of progress, the present consumptive demand being very greatly in excess of that at the same period of last year. The rapid development of the motor-car industry is, no doubt, chiefly responsible. The supply of aluminium can not be increased at will, as is the case with many commodities.
In America aluminium is being adopted for electric wires. For example, the current from Niagara is being carried from the rapids to New York by aluminium cables. The metal has not, however, been applied to this use in England.
Tin Deposit in Texas. — The increasing price of tin makes the development of new mines a matter of considerable importance. The Iron Age reports on the discovery some years ago of tin in Franklin Mountains, in Texas, and says:
“The ore in the principal development of this property was discovered in 1899, and at the time of Weed’s report in 1901 the three veins then known had been exposed for several hundred feet along their length and a few pits had been sunk, the deepest being 50 feet. Little work appears to have been done on these veins since then, although they have been much visited. In 1904 two small occurrences of tin ore associated with quartz were found about one-half mile apart, the farthest being between 1½ and 2 miles north of the old workings. These new occurrences are similar, but smaller than those first found. Present developments do not warrant a prediction of the future of this field; it may or may not prove to be of considerable value. Some of the ore is of excellent quality, and the chief question concerns its abundance. This can be determined only by further development and prospecting. ”
A Thermit Repair. — An interesting thermit repair was recently accomplished by L. Heynemann, consulting engineer, at San Francisco, Cal., upon a large forged-steel dredge-bucket arm measuring two inches thick by twelve and one-half inches wide at the break. The. fracture was complete. To facilitate the flow of thermit steel through and between the broken parts a number of holes were drilled in the crack. A sheetiron mould-box was first closely fitted to the arm and carefully lined with sand and flour core mixture and thoroughly baked. After the mould was placed in position the parts were heated by a blow-torch to expel moisture and avoid chilling the thermit steel.
MINERAL WOOL
FIRE, SOUND and VERMIN PROOF
SAMPLES AND CIRCULARS FREE
INSULATOR
U. S. MINERAL WOOL CO.,
143 Liberty St. NEW YORK
We Design and Build all Types of
Greenhouses
LORD & BURNHAM CO.
Broadway and 26th Street, NEW YORK
Galalith or Milkstone. — Consul Brunot of St. Etienne, under the title of “a new milk industry, ” sends home a detailed account of a business based on the extraction of casein — the cheese-making part of skimmilk. After the cream has been used for butter-making, the casein is extracted from the milk, and, following a special treatment, used for the making of expensive paper, playing-cards, stiffening textiles, as a highly nutritious powder of easy digestion, and finally for the manufacture of a hard, stony substance called “galalith, ” which closely resembles celluloid. The casein is hardened by means of formaldehyde. Galalith, or milkstone, is slightly heavier than celluloid, but has two important advantages over the latter. In the first place, it is not inflammable, and, secondly, it is cheap. Combs, penholders, piano-keys, buttons, cigar-holders, knife-handles, and many similar articles are
now manufactured from galalith. It is said to be a good insulating material, and is hence useful in certain kinds of electrical work.
A New Use for the Rocking-chair. — “By the way, ” says Mr. Franklin K. Lane, City and County Attorney of San Francisco, “no one has spoken of the figure the American rocking-chair cut in the fire. Rockingchairs were in great demand as drays for household goods. Nearly every family dragged one or more after them in the flight to the western hills. ”
Demand for Aluminium — Reports from Great Britain show that the consumption of aluminium has increased so rapidly that the world’s supply at present falls far short of the trade demand. Many users of the metal, particularly those engaged in the motor-car industry, are suffering great inconvenience without any immediate prospect of substantial relief.
The world is dependent for its supply of aluminium on four sources of production. The chief of these is represented by the Pittsburg Reduction Company at Niagara Falls. In Great Britain there is the British Aluminum Company, whose plant is at the Falls of Foyers, and on the Continent of Europe there are the Neuhausen works in Switzerland, and works in Germany. In the United States shortage was aggravated by a strike of workmen. Americans sought to cover their requirements in this emergency by importing from Great Britain, but there was no aluminium there to be had. The British production amounts to about 2, 250 tons per annum, which does not meet the needs of that country, and additional plants are being laid down in Scotland and Wales. There was a great demand on the Continent of Europe for this metal, and the result has been that aluminium ingots were quoted the 1st of April at $850 a ton, or $200 above the market price ruling last July, but the quotation is purely nominal, inasmuch as there is no material to be had in England.
The London Times says that aluminium has come very prominently into use for castings, such as are necessary in electrical work, and an immense impetus has been given to the industry by the adoption of the metal for crank-cases and gear-boxes in
automobiles. Aluminium is also very largely displacing copper for the manufacture of pans, such as are used in wax refining, jam boiling, etc. It is claimed that where brass can be used aluminium is, with rare exceptions, equally applicable, is equally economical, and has the great advantage of being about one-third of the weight. It will naturally be asked why the great expansion of demand for the metal has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase of production. The answer is that the producers have miscalculated the rate of progress, the present consumptive demand being very greatly in excess of that at the same period of last year. The rapid development of the motor-car industry is, no doubt, chiefly responsible. The supply of aluminium can not be increased at will, as is the case with many commodities.
In America aluminium is being adopted for electric wires. For example, the current from Niagara is being carried from the rapids to New York by aluminium cables. The metal has not, however, been applied to this use in England.
Tin Deposit in Texas. — The increasing price of tin makes the development of new mines a matter of considerable importance. The Iron Age reports on the discovery some years ago of tin in Franklin Mountains, in Texas, and says:
“The ore in the principal development of this property was discovered in 1899, and at the time of Weed’s report in 1901 the three veins then known had been exposed for several hundred feet along their length and a few pits had been sunk, the deepest being 50 feet. Little work appears to have been done on these veins since then, although they have been much visited. In 1904 two small occurrences of tin ore associated with quartz were found about one-half mile apart, the farthest being between 1½ and 2 miles north of the old workings. These new occurrences are similar, but smaller than those first found. Present developments do not warrant a prediction of the future of this field; it may or may not prove to be of considerable value. Some of the ore is of excellent quality, and the chief question concerns its abundance. This can be determined only by further development and prospecting. ”
A Thermit Repair. — An interesting thermit repair was recently accomplished by L. Heynemann, consulting engineer, at San Francisco, Cal., upon a large forged-steel dredge-bucket arm measuring two inches thick by twelve and one-half inches wide at the break. The. fracture was complete. To facilitate the flow of thermit steel through and between the broken parts a number of holes were drilled in the crack. A sheetiron mould-box was first closely fitted to the arm and carefully lined with sand and flour core mixture and thoroughly baked. After the mould was placed in position the parts were heated by a blow-torch to expel moisture and avoid chilling the thermit steel.
MINERAL WOOL
FIRE, SOUND and VERMIN PROOF
SAMPLES AND CIRCULARS FREE
INSULATOR
U. S. MINERAL WOOL CO.,
143 Liberty St. NEW YORK
We Design and Build all Types of
Greenhouses
LORD & BURNHAM CO.
Broadway and 26th Street, NEW YORK