70 



for uneasiness in the use of such utensils, especially if the same 

 precautions are used as in the case of copper vessels, namely, thoroughly 

 cleaning them and avoiding the storing of food in them. The proposi. 

 tion to use nickel in alloy with steel to increase the strength and quality 

 of the latter, will, if carried out, increase the consumption very mate- 

 rially, and all have been eager to know the result of the recent experi. 

 ments undertaken at the instigation of the United States Government. 

 A French invention has effected the means of regulating the composi- 

 tion of such an alloy, and subsequent experiments in Glasgow revealed 

 the fact that this alloy could be made in any good open hearth furnace 

 working at a fairly high temperature as well as in the crucible. In obtaining 

 a correct idea of the value or usefulness of alloys of nickel with iron or 

 steel it should be borne in mind that the composition is complicated 

 by manganese, carbon, silicon, sulphur and phosphorus, whose influence 

 must be carefully watched, requiring a long series of experiments. A 

 comparison of steel alloyed with 4.7 % nickel raised the elastic limit 

 from 16 up to 28 tons, and the breaking strain from 30 up to 40 tons, 

 without impairing the elongation or contraction of area to any notice- 

 able extent. A further gradual increase of hardness was noticed until 

 20 % is reached, when a change takes place, and successive additions 

 of nickel tend to make the steel softer and more ductile. The alloys 

 polish well, and the colour of the steel is lightened as the proportion of 

 nickel increases. They do not corrode as readily as other steel. The 

 I % nickel steel welds fairly well, but this property lessens with each 

 addition of nickel. It can, therefore, be seen that considerable 

 advantage may be expected from these alloys, especially where the 

 percentage of nickel is less than five. 



The consumption of nickel and nickel alloy in the United States 

 has increased from 294,000 pounds in 1880 to 421,000 pounds in 1888 

 while the total consumption of the world was estimated not to exceed 

 700 or 800 tons of the pure metal. The chief supply at present comes 

 from New Caledonia, a penal' colony of France (long. 165° E., S. lat. 

 22°). M. du Peloux states that the cost of production at this place 

 could be so reduced that the company could sell at from 37 to 46 cents 

 per pound, and yet have a good profit. Dr. Peters in his evidence before 

 the Ontario Mining Commission states that the Canadian Copper Com- 



