The herald., 1896-06-21

| Of time seem to have no effect upon it.
/ The action of unnumbered centuries, by
which the hardest rocks known to geOlo-
/ ssts are worn away, has left no percept-
/ lble imprint on the asbestos found i'm
| bedded in them While much of its
| bulk is of the toughest and most gritty
| materials known, it is really as smooth
! to the touch as soap or oil. Seemingly
| as combustible S tow, the fiercest heat
| cannot consume it, and no known COM
| bination of acids will destructively affect
| the appearance anG, strength fits fibre,
| even after days of exposure to its action.
, 1t is, in fact, practically indestructible.
! Its incombustible nature renders it a
| complete protection from flames, but
| beyond this most valuable quality, its in
| duStrial value is greatly augmented by
| its non -conducton of heat and electri-
| city, as We'll as by its important property
of practical insolubility in acids.
Asbestos has been found in all quar-
ters of the globe. II comes from Italy
China, Japan. Australia. Spain, Portu-
gal, Hungary, Germany. Russia, The
Cape, Central Africa, Canada, New
foundland, this country and from South
and Central America. The asbestos gem
orally found in the United States, espe-
cially in Virginia, the Carolinas and
Texas, also in Staten Island New Jer-
sey. and Pennsylvania, is in appearance
like fossiliZed wood. The veins range in
length from few inches to several feet
The fiber can be split off like soft wood,
the appearance being woolly, and when
separated it has no strength or cohes-
ion 1t cannot be spun nor even pulped
AT one time it was thought it might be
protitably used as filler in paper-mak-
ing but Virtually it is of no commercial
value.
Notwithstanding this wide distribu-
ton of asbestos. the only varieties which
a IN 1ntS md -1,-t,
consideration. from commercial point
OF view, are the Russian, the South
African, the Italian and the Canadian
The pritoipal claim possessed by the
Russian fiber to a place in this quartet
is based on the enormous extent of the
deposits which have been discovered in
East Russia, beyond the Ural noun
tains and Russian Siberia. So far, their
specimens have been of compare tively
poor quality. The yield is used almost
entirely in Europe, where it is mixed
with the Canadian for spinning. MAX
ing paper and other purposes where an
inferior grade can be utilized
Before the development of the Cana
dian fields. the italian asbestos was su-
preme in the market For nearly twenty
years Italy has been looked to for the
best grades of the fiber. From a point
on the northern mountain slope of tbs.
Susa valley is taken the floss asbestos
fiber. the appearance of which in gas
stoves is so familiar. In the same local
itN is found a fine white powder of as
bestos, which serves for paint and other
purposes. The mining is carried on at
a height of from 5000 to 10 900 feet above
sea level.
But the Italian asbestos industry, once
so important is already on the down
grade The difficulties of mining are
very great. and unduly increase the cost
of production. The asbestos itself,
l. lord 1oA t-+.-. l..
feNior quality; II is not easy to spin,
and it does not pulp we'll in the making
of paper. The best grade is extremely
-7m the Italian mines is rapidly falling
off. As a matter Of fact, Canada con-
tains the great asbestos region of the
world, in the sense that while its mines
are practically unlimited in productive
capacity. the product is of a quality
which fully meets the requirements of
the newest and most eXacting of the
innumerable uses that are daily being
found for it.
The process of manufacture is intense
lY interesting. more especially from the
fact that as the industry is constantly
entering upon novel phases, new meth
DDS of treatment ard special machinery
have to be devised. One of it's special
uses is for wall plaster.
This is a new application which will have
a distinct effect in modifying the prac-
tice of indoor plastering. Instead of the
ordinary tedious and elaborate prepara-
tion of studs and stips. and the use of
inferior and duSt-creating mortar, with
its after-scoring. which is necessary to
give cohesion to the final coat of plaster
of Paris, a single coating Of the asbestos
is laid on. IT has a glossy surface that
VIII not crack, as, while firm, it is per-
fectly flexible. II can be put on the raw
brick; and a room of which the walls
have been built in the morning can, be-
fore night, have smoothly finished
interior surface, shining like glass and
a. hard as a rock A kindred application
of asbestos is now coming into vogue in
the shape of uninfiammable decorations
for walls and ceilings. These are used
d great deal for the saloons of steam