Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-21
Uses OF ABESTOS.
Ee,ng inconiT.ust ibIe, 1t Is n Valuable
Compound in Many Industries.

Ea.ng IncomEustibIe, 1t Is n Valuable
Compound in Many Industries.
Asbestos is a wonderful substance
The name comes from Il Greek word
meaning incOnsumab Fire will not
burn it, acids will not gnaw it, weather
VIII not cOrrOdc it. 1t is the paradox
of minerals. for il is Quarried just like
marble. The fiberS of which it is COM
posed are soft as silk and fine and
feathery enough TO float on water. Yet
in the mines they are so compressed
that they are hard and crystalline like
ytone. Although the substance has
been known for ages in the form OF
mountain cork or mountain leather
comparatively little has been learned
as to its geological history and forma-
ton. \ legend tells how the Emperor
Charlemagne, being possessed of a ia
bleclOth woven of asbestos, was accuS-
toned to astOnish his guests by gather
ing it up after the meal, casting ii into
the fire, and Withdrawing it later.
cleanSed. but uncOnsumed. Yet. al
though the marvellous attributes of as
bestoS have been known for so long,
they We're turned to little practical use
until about twenty years ago. Since
that time the manufacture of the mate
rial has grown until it can take its place
with any of the industries of this coun-
try. Indeed. so rapid has been its pro-
greSS and development that there is
almost no literature of any kind on the
subject, and. to the popular mind. ii is
still one of those ineXplicable things.
Up to the late '70's nearly all the as
beStOS used TO come from the Italian
Alps and from Syria. but one day cX-
plOrers discovered Il rich deposit in the
eastern township of Quebec C0mpan-
les were formed. and. in 1879. the mines
were opened Remarkable rs it may
seem. however. although the Canadians
started factories. in the operation of
which they We're substantially backed
by English capital. it was an American
concern. with headquarters in New
York, that developed the industry most
rapidly. The company has now grown
SO large that it has branches in nearly
all of the large cities of the country
and the machinery used is specially
made and peculiarly adapted to the
manufacture Of asbestos articles. There
are also 4 large number of factories in
England. The veins of chry sOtile, as
the Canadian asbestos is called, are
from two to four inches in thickness.
and are separated by thin layers of
hornblende crystals. The nearer 10
the surface the vein runs, the cOarSer
are the fibers and the less valuable. The
mining is done by the most improved
machinery. Holes are drilled IN long
rows into t he sides of the cliffs by
means of steam drills. They are then
loaded with dynamite and exploded
simultaneously in such a way that a
whole ledge of the rock falls at once.
Then the wOrkmen break out as much
of the pure asbestos as possible, load it
into tubs or trucks, which are hOisted
out and run along to the dollhouse.
Here scores of boys are kept busily en-
ployed crumbling or 'cObbling' the
pieces of rock away from the ashes
tos and throwing the good fiber to one
side, where it is placed in sacks for
shipment to the factory. The greatest
work in connection with the mining of
asbestos is in diSpOsing of the waste
rock and the refuse of the quarry. Only
about onetwenty fifth Of the material
Quarried as real asbestos, and the rocky
parts have to be carried to the dumps
at great expense. AS the asbestos
comes from the mine it is of a greenish
hue and the edges are furred with loose
fibers. The more nearly white asbestos
is the better its grade. The length Of
fiber is also of great Importance, the
longest being the most valuable. From
the mines the asbestos is taken TO the
manufactures in the United States
Engineer.