The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-02-02
4 QUEER MINERAL AND ITS USES.

Il QUEER MINERAL And ITS USES.
Here is towel that is never wash
| ed, and yet is always kept Clean"
said chemist to a reporter, handing
| to him at the same time what appear
ed to the eye and touch to be nothing
more nor less than an ordinary piece
| of coarse cotton toweling.
What sort of laundry do you send
it to p was the natural query.
''This kind" replied the man of
science, going over to the corner of
his laboratory and stuffing the towel
into small stove that was burning
brightly there for chemical purposes.
Il understand" said the visitor.
You never use such a towel more
than once"
You are very much mistaken
there" responded the chemist.
Il use such towels almost forever,
aud they almost never wear OUT
With that he lifted off the lid of the
stove again and pulled out the towel
with the tongs, dipping it in cold
water and then handing it once more
to the newspaper man.
why exclaimed the latter, lit is
not even injured. What is it made
off,
sit is made of rock" answered the
chemist; ''but very peculiar kind of
rock,-so peculiar, indeed, that the
ancients supposed the stuff of which
this towel is woven to be of q vegetable
nature. They used to wrap bodies
that were to be burned in cloths made
of the same fiaX-like substance in Or
der to keep the ashes from being lost
among the charred wood of the funer-
al pyre."
''But what is it called?"
"You have often heard of it under
the name of asbestos though very
few people apparently have any no.
ton as to what it really is Enor-
nous deposits of it exist in Canada
and elsewhere. 1t is form of a very
hard rock called horn blende, and is
found in strata of a fibrous consist
ency readily divisible into silky
strands resembling flax. This like
ness has given it the name of earth
flax You can see for yourself from
this towel how much it looks like a
vegetable fabric when woven. An
asbestos towel may be used for
pretty nearly the same purpose as
an ordinary towel, and, when it is
dirty, all you have to do is to throw
it into the fire and rake it out after
little while perfectly clean"
is asbestos used for any other pur-
poses in these days?n
ooh, yes. 1t is employed for roof
ing material, boiler felting, paper
stock, and in the mixing of fireproof
paints for stage scenery. Also clothes
for firemen and gloves to handle red
hot iron with are made of it. Some
times the mineral is found in thin
sheets of interlaced fibres, known as
mountain leather Elsewhere it is
not unfrequently procured in thick
sheets, and in that condition is called
mountain cork"
ONLYA LITTLE CORRECTION.
Here is a poem which you may
publish in your paper" said young
he entered the editorial door 81
ment, and you will find it in it's rough
state, as il were. You can make such
corrections as YOU think necessary
''Ah, much obliged" said the edi-
tor. Il will give you a check for it
at once"
You are very kind" said the con-
tributor. II shall be delighted"
There you are,n said the editor,
handing him the check.
MANY thanksr' exclaimed the
young man. II will bring you some
other poems"
When he got to the door he sudden
ly paused, then he came back.
Excuse me- he said, but you for
got to fill up the check. You have
not written the date, nor the amount,
nor have you signed your name"
"Oh,'' said the editor, that's all
right. You see, have given you a
check in its rough state, as it we're
You can make such corrections as you
think necessary"