The sun., 1901-10-09
WEAVING A MINERAL.
Asbestos, Used in Ancient Times TOT
FireprOof Napkins, Vow ttiiine"
In Various Arts and Industries.
Ry w. Il. JOHNS.

u
fibrous mineral known as asbestos IN the
popular mind. has been one Of long staha-
ing. From ancient history we learn that
asbestos was used in the arts to some ex-
tent. but the few eases which have been
authenticated are those in which fibers
of this interesting mineral were spun into
threads, woven into cloth, and used IN
one case to amuse Roman emperors
guests. by throwing his asbestos napkin
into the fire for cleansing, and in anothcf
for the purlsse of containing the remains
of the dead during and after cremation.
Since 1868, however. asbestos has been
brought from the darkness OF the labora-
tory and museum to the full light 81 the
commercial world. As mineral ashes
tos appears a gray-gre giistening rock,
easily discermed and greatly differing
from the matrix in which 1t Is found I'M
bedded. TO one whose experience mas
led him to examine mines OF varying
kinds, a curious characteristic Is imme-
iiately noticeable, namely that, though
the serpentine matrix above and below
the nearly horizontal vein Of asbestos Is
iseDo,ls and found it's place in the liquid
or molten state, the asbestos between u
seems TO have crystallized almost perpen-
dicularly: that is. though the asbestos
rms parallel to its matrix, its fibers
ara practically perpendicular. The geoio-
rist has never informed us why IL IS
hard. but is easily crushed, after which
il turns TO pure white and resembles
noth;n, more than cotton 1t is fibrous,
differing from all other known fibers, IN
asmuch as each apparent fiber Is shown
by tho microscope to be still indefinitely
diyisible. although no instrument mas
been made fine enough to accomplish It's
further division.
In the foregoing will he found the sole
reason for the value placed upon TINS
mineral in modern times, namely: 1t IS
II mineral. therefore incombustble in the
ordinary sense; it is fibrols, therefore u
may be spun and woven: it is fiexiDie,
therefore il may he made into amy form.
Incombustible flexible, spinable, weave
able and practically acid proof, these
qualities make it as nearly indcstructi-
ble for the purposes for which it IS used
as any known material.
Al the present it would seem that there
is no line Of commercial business, me-
chanical, electrical, chemical or struct-
ural, in which asbestos in some form or
another does not enter, and to an I'M
portant degree. No steam pipe, boiler
or engine can free itself entirely from
asbestos: no dynamo, motor or any OF the
numberless adjuncts to the development
or transmission of electrical power can
claim absolute freedom from it; no
chemist can Danish it from his lahora'
tory and no building Of the modern type
can be called fireproof without its aid
In short, asbestos is "A material which Is
Indispensable wherever the best results
in modern mechanics are required.
Its main commercial uses are for p,
coverings, boiler coverings, heat lnsua
ton, for any degree, and for steam pack
ings in almost numberlesS forms.
In the field of electricity, asbestos has
been called into use as a non-conductoi
of the uncertain fluid, and to protect
the delicate mechanism from the over
heating due to short-crcuiting or over
loading; that is, the use Of asbestos Il
the form commonly called vulcaheston
which simply means yulcanized asbestos
A dollars worth may be. and daily is
the means of saving many thousands .
dollars worth of valuable machinery a
any electrical engineer will admit
: The manufacturing chemist, rs well a
the analyst, requires this material whcr
ever heat is an important factor in hi
manufacture or experiment. Acres 0
asbestos cloth are used for filtering ho
acids, alkalies, salts, ETC., and it ha
been found the only material that per
mitted the theorist to develop processe
which he well knew We're possible, bu
lacked the one essential-asbestos
The skyscraper of to-day, as well a
buildings of all other classes for moder'
purposes, require the fireproof quality o
asbestos under many conditions: in tn
form Of wall plaster, containing only
> small portion of cement, it is largel
used; being fibrous, it will not crack
? being fireproof, it will not carry flame
= and, having both of these qualities,
will stay in place under the combine
/ action of fire and water as long as tn
supporting structure will last. Publ
J tests have been made proving this. bot
e abroad and in this country.
/ AS a building felt, manufactured o
/ the usual cylinder paper machine, it ha
l. no peer. AS il roofing it is first mad
5, waterproof. and yet will resist the el
Il croachment of fire from the inside {
d outside many times as long as met;
$, would. Many instances have been cite
h where wooden building has burne
Is down, the roof fallen in, and the flame
Is smothered by the asbestos roofing.