Morning journal and courier., 1880-11-03
A CurfouS Mineral.

From the Boston Journal of Chemistryl
 Asbestos is one of the most curious and in- teresting of minerals; or, we might rather say, classes of minerals, the same being ap- piled to quite Q number of varities of tremo- lite, actinolte, etc.,ss which are themselves varities of amphibole, or hornblende, as it is more commonly called. Chemically viewed these are compounds of silica, magnesia, lime and oxide of iron. They differ from other varities of hornblende chiefly in containing little no alumina, and are remarkable for assuming fibrous character the fbers being sometimes very long, fine and flexible, and having much the appearance of flax. They form compact masses but can often be easily separated by the fingers. They vary in color from white to green aud light brown
 The name asbestos is from the Greek, and means incombustible. It is nothing strange that a mineral should be incombustible, but that delicate threads, looking like flax, should not be destroyed by fire, but sheold come forth from the ordeal only the winter, like ordinary thread when washed in water, nat urally seemed remarkable phenomenon to the ancients who gave them the name. The finest variety is called amianthus, which in the Greek means unpollutible; all the stains that 1t receives being removed by fire.
 The resemblance of these mineral threads to flax at once suggests that they might be woven into an incombustible fabric and this was done by the ancients, the cloth being uSeC loE WrdppluS cOFpS0S 1OE Luo funeral pile, in order to preserve the ashes of the body from being mixed with those of the materials used in burning it.
 An Italian writer relates an amusing incl dent which is worth repeating here. In 1854, a man working in his vineyard near Naples, while digging trench in which to set out some vines, came upon an old EtruScan tomb, in which he found a garment somewhat like a large shirt, apparently made of coarse linen He took 1t home to his wife, who washed 1t again and again, but finding it impossible to get 1t clean, at last used it for wiping dirty floors and similar kitchen work When 1t be- come too much soiled for this purpose, she threw it out on the dust heap. Here it was picked up by some boys, one of whom car ried it home to his father, the village baker, He, after due examination, decided that it was fit for nothing but cleaning out his oven. To this use he put it, until it became so black with coal dust that he threw it into the oven with the fagots to heat it. But what was his astonishment, on opening the oven to clean it out before putting in his bread, to find the old linen shirt unconsumed, but white and clean, though the fagots were burnt to ashesl Frightened out of his wits he ran into the street, crying. 70 San Giuseppe, have mercy on me- the devil has got into my oven n' He then went to the priest for confession, and told him what had happened. The good man would not believe the tale, but on going with the baker to inspect the oven was more frightened than his parishioner had been Joining the villagers and old women, who had collected round the bakers house, he told them, crossing himself, that the devil indeed had got into his oven, for he had seen him with his own eyes. What was to be done? He must be expelled some how other. Mass must be said, the priests of the neigh boring villages collected, a procession form ed, ceremonies gone through, and the evil one cast out of the oven by exercising him. So all this was done, and after sprinkling the oven with consecrated water. the piece of be- deviled linen was dragged forth with pair of tongs and thrown with excavations Oh dung-heap outside the village. The oven was thus purified and the village freed from an unwelcome visitor An apothecary of the next village, hearing of this miraculous piece of linen dared to go and look at 1t and to carry 1t away. Seeing that 1t was something curious, he took 1t into the city and present. it to an antiquarian friend. After passing through various hands it reached the great national museum of Naples, where, enshrined in glass case and reposing on velvet cush ion it found final resting place as one of the most peIfect known specimens of ancient asbestos cloth.
 In our day some experiments have been made with fabrics of asbestos, especially as firemen's dress but we are not aware that these have led to it's permenant use for that purpose. Some years ago 1t was tested in Paris, where fremen, wear hoods or helmets of the incombustible cloth, and garments of it put on over clothing rendered freproof by chemical preparations, remained for some minutes without injury in the midst of burn- ing piles of wood and straw. Asbestos has also been used for lining safes, for making incombustible wicks for lamps, and for chemical filters but its industrial use is still very limited.
 The mineral is found in many localities, but the chief deposits of it are in Savoy and Corsica, and on Staten island in New York harbor