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T H E J O U K L V A L O F I N D L S T R I A L A N D E iVGI 3-E E RI N G C H E ilf I S T R I’
the Perkin Gold Medal for distinguished services in Industrial Chemistry, by the Medal Committee representing the ,Society of Chemical Industry, the American Chemical Society, the American Electrochemical Society and other associated societies. A full account of Dr. Hall’s achievements was published in JOURNAL, on the occasion of the the March, 1911, issue of THIS award of the Perkin Medal. There was also published in World’s W o r k for August, 1914, a very interesting illustrated article on “The -4merican Creator of the Aluminum rlge.” It was a remarkable coincidence that while young Hall was making his great discovery and invention in Ohio, another young chemist, of the same age, Paul L. V. HGroult, should have made the same discovery and invention in France. Dr. HProult was present a t The Chemists’ Club on the occasion of the presentation of the Perkin Medal to Dr. Hall; and gave some interesting information with regard to the early history of aluminum. Dr. Heroult was born in Thury-Harcourt, Normandy, on April IO, 1863, and died May 9, 1914. A short account of his life is given in the June, 1914, issue of THISJOURNAL. Dr. Hall was a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the Franklin Institute, the American Electrochemical Society, and the New York Chamber of Commerce; he was also a trustee of Oberlin College and ex-President of the Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital. A bequest of $3,000,000 was left by Dr. Hall t o Oberlin College. The bequest is in the form of $ z , o o o , m endowment to be used for any purpose; $500,000 for building a n auditorium and $IOO,OOO for its maintenance; $zoo,ooo for campus improvements; all property in Oberlin owned by Dr. Hall; and a valuable art collection. Dr. Hall was extremely modest, was very youthful in appearance and endeared himself to all who knew him well by his extremely lovable character. His career was remarkable and offers an example to our young college students, who rarely realize what young men may accomplish by serious interest in their opportunities. C. F. QHANDLER SAMUEL BENEDICT CHRISTY Samuel Renedict Christy, Dean of the College of Mining of the University of California and a pioneer in the development of the cyanide process for the treatment of refractory ores, died on Piovember 3 0 , 1914, a t his home in Oakland, California.
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Professor Christy was born in San Francisco on August 8, 1853, and received the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy a t the University of California in 1874. After his graduation, he studied mining and metallurgy in the same institution, serving as instructor in analytical Chemistry from 1874 to 1879, and as instructor in mining and metallurgy from 1879 to 1885 when he became Professor of Mining and Rletallurgy and proceeded to organize and develop one of the leading Schools of Mining in the world. Engineers whom he has trained hold positions of great importance all over the world. At one time there were more of his graduates in important positions in South Africa than from all the other American universities put together. The Hearst Memorial Mining Building, built by Mrs Phoebe A. Hearst some years ago as a mining laboratory for the University of California a t a cost of $640,000, embodies Professor Christy’s ideas as to equipment for mining and metallurgical instruction. Possessed of a powerful personality and great charm of manner, he was able to gain the confidence of the public a t large as well as to impart to his students something of his own enthusiasm and diligence. I n addition to his university duties, he carried on numerous laboratory researches of great interest and value to his profession. These included studies of the Monte Diablo Coals, the quicksilver deposits of California, the mines and works a t Almaden, Spain, Idria, Austria, and New Almaden, California-all of which are described in his publications. I n 1900 he patented a n improved and valuable process for the recovery of gold and silver from dilute cyanide solutions. Other publications include a discussion of the practice of chlorination a t the Alaska Treadwell mine; a series of very important papers on the metallurgy of gold, silver and mercury; discussions of the training of mining engineers and the relation of American mining schools to the mining industry; and a noteworthy biographical notice of his friend and colleague, Joseph N. LeConte. I n 1902, Professor Christy was the recipient of the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Columbia University. Professor Christy was actively connected with the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the California Academy of Sciences, the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, the London Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and was an honorary member of the Chemical, hlining and hletallurgical Society of South Africa.
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL NEWS By h f .
L. HAhlLI?:
METALS I N I914 Among a vast amount of data on the metal market in this country during the last year published in detail in the hTewYork Eaening Post’s Annual Financial Review (December 31, 1914, p. 1 3 ) , much was of sufficiently permanent interest to warrant being repeated here. To some extent it amplifies C. H. White’s article in the last number of THISJOURXAL, 7 (rgrg), 6 2 , but it also covers ground that mas not touched on there. COPPER-In January, 1914, following a year of generally declining tendency, copper stood a t about 1 4 ~ cents, ~ 4 and a little rally dating from the beginning of the holiday season was in evidence. h-o new copper supplies of any magnitude were immediately in sight, and after Inspiration and Chuquicamata should begin t o swell the output about the middle of 1915, nothing more of any consequence was foreseen for ii long time. When the war began, a complete closing of foreign outlets except to England, France, and Russia, with din: results t o American copper producers, was prophesied. Yet, as things turned out this was an excellent test of the soundness of the readjustment of the previous three months. The producers did not budge from their position t h a t in offer-
ing copper a t 11 c. they were taking less than the cost of production and rather than make any further sacrifice they themselves would finance their accumulation indefinitely. The buying movement that began with copper a t I I . I c. a t the first of November continued right through that month, the sales aggregating ~oo,ooo,ooopounds or more, and a t the end of the month the price was IZ’/Z c., or just where it closed at the end of July. LEAD-The price for lead, January I , 1914, was 4.15 c , S e w York, which had been named a t the end of December, but this was found t o check buying, and on January 9th the price was reduced to 4.10 c. This improved things, and the leading interest named 4.15 c. again a t the beginning of February, but for the second time there was a chill, and the independent producers, quick to discern that things were out of joint, began to take a t cut prices all the business offering, whereupon the American Smelting and Refining Company reduced to 4 c., the bedrock price in former estimation, but what was subsequently to be regarded as something luscious, and indeed was not t o be realized again in 1914. The United States has for many years been a large exporter of Mexican lead refined here in bond, but the novelty of 1914 was the exportation of a very large tonnage of domestic lead.
