The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-02-05
ASBESTOS.
A Matter OF Interest to Thos " no Use
steam Power.

49,
A writer in the British Trade journal,
discussing the subject of asbestos and
it's uses, say oil it In the city OF dlaS,
gov a mandatory is now beng carried
on, in which the principal ingredient
usrd is a material hitherto so little
known, except among S0rantS, that It's
very name" asbestos a mystery.
When all its properties are known, the
substance is st Ii more pu22ling. Ia
appearance ns lriablc and perishable as
thistlcdowp, it is older than Il y order
Of animal or vegetable lie on tartli.
SO little amenablc is it to the dissolvlnP
influences of time, that the action OF
mnumbcred centuries, by which the
hardest rocks know to biologists are
worn away, has no appreclablo eifect on
this strange substance, which 10 found
imbeddcd in them. With its great pro-
portion of bulk composed OF the most
rough and gritty materials known, 1t If
itself as smooth to the touch Us soap or
oil, and may be made as light and buoy
ant as feathers. Apparently ms combus-
tible as tow the iercost heat cannot con
sumo it, ard the thready filaments may
be mingled with molten brass or iron
without losing their characteristic form,
Finally, no combinations of acids at
present known in any way affects the
appearance and strength OF its fibre,
even after days of exposure to their
action. The name of this article is de
rived from the Greeks. Asbestos
literally means "indestructible"-a title
which is very thoroughly earned by this
strange substance. 1t is, moreover, so
unassailn5leby all known solvents that it
is a virtual impossiblity to analyze and
give its component parts with exact
ness. Enough, however, is known or
guessed at, to enable us to speak of it
as consisting of from fifty to sixty parts
slick, ten OF twenty parts magnesio,
about the same proportion generally OF
aluminium, some traces of ~prOtoxlde OF
ron, AID sometimes II lime-like mixture.
The marvellous properties and con
scqucnt prospective value of asbestos
to mankind have been known to some
extent and appreciated for thousands OF
years, and vast sums of money have
been expended in endeavoring to make
it available; but up till within II few
years these experiments have for the
most part resulted III failure, from the
fact of the varied and dissimilar pecu-
I]iaritics of the different species-such,
for instance, as ihe length, strength and
liucncss Of the fibre, excess of mag
nesia or aluminium, etc, being I'M
known. Paper can be made from as
hcstos, aud Of excellent quality too.
Still there il only one or, at the furth-
est, two hiudu OF oshcgtOs that can ne
made iuto paper at all, and that only by
proper and peculiar treatment. This,
also, is the case MS to threa and cloth,
and, in fact, with reference to any and
all other applications of asbestos. A
new and important use for this sub
stance is for steam packing. In this
particular branch OF manufacture, more
than amy other, is II thorough kEowl-
edge of asbestos necessary, for 80 de-
structiye are the Influences to which
steam packing is exposed, that out Of
samples from more than ono hundred
mines in the United States, Scotland,
ireland, the Shetland islands, Wales,
Savoy, Piedmont, Germany, Austria,
aud Corsica, only two have been found
winch answered the purposes at all, and
one of these only indIf1erently. The
practical uses to which it is not only
possible, but probable, that asbestos
will be put are almost numherIess. AS
bestos boats, tubs, boxes, wagon bodies
and even railway carriages, which will
neither rot, burn, nor splinter, are per
fectly practicable and possible.
Another Of the uses to which this
material is applied is the covering Of
steam boilers, drums and pipe, and in
fact all bodies where the object is TO
retain heat and exclude cold. The adj
vnntngcs in these eases are very many
the principal being the saving of fuel,
II not unlmportant item to the manufac
turer. We are advised that it has been
tested i'll several of our largest manu-
featuring establishments, and has given
entire satisfaction.
KANSAS Clergyman travels through
that state with II portable tent, capable
OF holding 1000 persons, to accommo.
date those to whom he may preach.