Phillips County herald., 1922-06-08
ASBESTOS SLOW
in DEVELOPMENT
Ancients Knew Of Qualities but
Technical Difficulties De-
layed Its Use.
REDUCES HORRORS OF FIRE
Used by Romans for Funeral Dress Of
Bodies Which Were to He Gre
mated - Asbestos Curtains
comr,oa In Theatera

New York.-It Is not so very long
ago that fro IN the stnge Of
.theater was an ever present menace
to the audience. Today most play
houses possess an asbestos curtain
which can be dropped at moments
notice and which viii absolutely con.
fine any fire to that part Of the thea
ter. Asbestos is a mineral, found in
the earth just like coal and iron. and
mined. A few years ago 1t was merely
curiosity TO be found only in the lab
oratory of the chemist. Today 1t is
used in many ways and forms an I'M
portant factor In the industrial mar
ket Of the world.
This mineral Is not a modem dis.
covery. Asbestos was known to the
ancients. The Romans used the sub
stance, deriving their supplies from
the Italian Alps and the Ural noun
tains. One of the uses to which as
bestos cloth. was put in those days
was to wrap bodies which were to be
cremated. In fact, 1t was called the
'funeral dress Of kings" as so much
difficulty was found In making the
cloth that only a king or the extremely
wealthy could afford It. The slowness
Of the modern development of the as
l-best0s industry has been caused by
the. technical difficulties OF weav-
ing the short silky fibers into
cloth or combining them In other ways
10 o,e1 oil rs<v
utility
Comes From canxda.
The asbestos used In the United
States comes almost entirely from
Canada. There are deposits of the
mineral In Arizona. California. Gcorgia
and other states. but this Is not Of
the high quality Of the Canadian u.s.
bestOs. There are various types Of
asbestos, and the sort that can be
carded. spun and woven In a manncr
similar to wool. flax or silk Is found
mainly In the Thedf0rd mines Of
Quebec. 1t u this property Of the
mineral that fooled the Roman his-
toriaH Pliny. In thinkins Il ia he Of
vegetable origin and that has given
rise 10 its destgnatioq ~ the mineral
yegstablsE md the ''physicsl paradox."
" NvNbasNinD ouoli6tse tssasias ss....
TIE raw 1soestus ID subtectsa to- Z.
dressing process which cansi1ts Of
bspafatint the sshkstos from the rock
In which 1t ID imbedded. In the low
grade product machines are used for
this. while In the high-grade material
hand dressing is res0rted to.
The fnct that asbestos will not burn
was known ages ago. and while that IL
responsible for very important and
valuable application Of the substance
to-day. II does not constitute the sole
use OF this product. The theater cur.
tains are spun from asbestos fiber Of
the best quality. About LOO Of these
curtains are made each year. The
largest usbestos curtain In the world
* found In the Hlppodrome. In some
theaters asbestos cloth In also used as
4 lining for walls and ceilings and
there Is also tendency 10 make all
the scenery on the stage and the
draperIes from this material.
Has Many Uses.
Asbestos cloth coated with rubber In
used In making gaskets and packings
for high pressure steam pipes. The
cloth IL also used In laundries. hotels.
the automobile. the Innings Of brakes
and for a host Of other purposes. Per
haps the most interesting use OF as
bestos cloth Is In the manufacture ~
garments. The firemen clad In ns-
bestos boots, trousers. coat. gloves and
he'ldsenr would be fireproof to u high
degree. and could fight fires with much
more comfort and effectiveness. Most
of us are familiar with asbestos tnble
covers and pads. hniiron holders. bnk.
Ing sheets. stove mats and other mr.
tlcies common In the household.
The asbestos fiber can also be woven
Into rope useful In fire fighting.
These ilreproof ropes ARE mot heavy.
do not become slippery and are not
injured by water. Asbestos Irvine liz
made for use In the laboratory. sew.
Ing thread and Incandescent lamp
thread.
Asbestos. being also hcnt Insulating.
Il used In covering steam pipes. boil
rrs and all sorts of heating surfaces
to prevent the loss Of heat BY rmdIa.
tion. Not only Will an asbestos cont
Ing keep the heat within the pipe hut
II will aiso keep heat from entering
pipes. and II II used In covering 70.
frissrnting pipes and npparntus.