DEMAND FOR NICKEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1921, 11 December 1890, Page 12

DEMAND FOR NICKEL.

The United States Government never acted more promptly, even in,time of war, than it has in the matter of the adopting of nickel steel for the armoured battle ships. As stated in dispatches (dated September 25), tests were made at the Naval Aoademy. at Annapolis, by expert ordnance officers of the plates used by different countries for war vessels, These plates were made by the beat manufacturers in Europe without any knowledge on the part of those who designed the plates that the tests were to be made. Neither the owners of the nickel plates nor those of the mines at Sudbury and elsewhere were acquainted with tbe fact. The result of these experiments has been to show, as tbe United States Ordnanoe officers report, that the compound armour used in the English battle shipß is comparatively iaferior, and that the nickel steel plates which have recently been adopted by the French Government are invaluable. The tests certainly were remarkable. Photographs of the different experiments have been on exhibition in the House and Senate for some time. They show that while the best compound steel whioh ia ÜBed on the finest British warshipa of to-day was splintered and cracked into useless fragment by the projectile, the Frenoh niokel Bteel plate, with the same weight of projeotile and the aame propulsive force, wbb not cracked, but waß simply nicked aa glass might be, while the heavy projectile waa embedded in the nickle as if it were putty. If the niokel had been the armour of a battle ship when such a heavy projectile waa fired at it, there would have neither been leak nor strain. The tests made have been regarded as conclusive by the United States naval authorities, and the decision was immediately reached to uae niokel armour in the new ships of war, which are now under construction, and whioh have recently been authorised by Congress. But tfle United States baa no nickel. There are onlj two countries where nickel to a commercial extent is produced— namely, Canada and New Caledonia. In anticipation of tha decision of the United States Government, the Tariff Bill whioh baa just been agreed upon places niokel upon the free list. It has been observed that some of tbe owners of tbe Canadian niokel mines have been in Washington for tbe greater part of tbe session, and have manifested considerable interest in tbe Tariff BUI.

THE STOBY OF SUDBUBT.

It happens that the Canadian nickel mines are chiefly owned by Americans, There is a very interesting story conneoted with the discovery and development of these mines. As reported here it is aa follows :— Five years ago- a young man named M'Oonnell, while lost in the woods of the Sudbury district, found nickel there. The Canadian Copper Company of Akron, Ohio, got possossion of 15,000 acres in a block and commenced operations. The principal rome is on the Algoma branch of the Canadian Pacific railway, with a shaft sunk to the depth of 600 ft and drifted to a radius of 400 ft, Taay employ 150 minerß, blast by electricity and dynamile, elevate the rock by steam, crush with huge block crushers, and load on cars for the smelting, works a mile away. The only other mines in tbe district

are the Dominion and the Murray, the latter owned by one of the great smelting firms of Swansea, Wales ; but many more •might be operated, as the quantity of the metal is practically unlimited. In 1888 and 1889 only from 1200 to 1400 tons of nickel were produced in the whole of America. This year the Sudbtuy district alone will yield twice that amount. Thirty yearß ago the metal was Idol 200 a pound. Now it is worth 400, and can be mined very profitably at 250. An indication of the importance of this Canadian deposit is given in the recent visit to Sudbury of Krupp, a nephew of the great gunmaker of Essen, Germany. Experiments have shown that when nickel is alloyed with Bteel the breaking strain of the metal is increased 30 per cent., and is rendered inoorrosible. TMb fact will create an increasing demand for nickel wherever tougher Bteel is wanted, as in the case of cruiser armour-plat-ioCTt The upßhot of the matter will be the expenditure of probably £200,000 in Canada within a very short time for the purchase of nickel.