Babbitt's metal

The supposed superiority of brass or Babbitt's metal lined boxes over iron boxes, in positions very liable to heating, lies in their greater softness and conductivity for heat.

In 1839 Isaac Babbitt, a goldsmith of Boston, Mass., discovered the alloy known as Babbitt's metal which is used the world over in bearings of machinery.

So-called Babbitt's metals made principally of lead, and weighing six ounces per cubic inch, are dear at any price, when compared with the tin Babbitt's metals which weight but 4¼ ounces per cubic inch, and never heat or cut journals.