Milford chronicle., 1925-04-24
ONLY "LOST ART" REDIS-
COVERED IS CEMLNT MAKING

OF all the much discussed "lost
arts" of antiquity cement making is
the only one which has been redis-
covered in modern times.
For centuries scien lists real and
pseudo-have puzzled over mallc
| able glass, which was form of
glass said to have existed in the
days of Rome's grandeur ana which
could be bent or worked like metal
without breaking.
Early historians had quite a lit
tie to say about this substance, al
lesing that it was introduced to the
court of Nero by a Roman who had
been held prisoner in Africa. Ac-
cOrding to the account, the eX-pris-
Oner brought back a glass goblet
which could be tossed about freely,
and could be Strengthened easily
whenever dented or crushed. Mod
ern glass makers are skeptical of
the existence of such Il glass at any
time. and all efforts to rediscOver |
the art of making it, if there ever |
was such an art, have failed COM |
pletely
That copper was tempered to the |
hardness of steel centuries ago is
now pretty well established. Cop
per chisels have been found in
Peru of a hardness far greater than
any which it is possible to impart
in this day, although modern metal
lurgistS have tried diligently to find
a method, and in one or two in
stances it has been possible to
harden the metal slightly. Every
once in a while someone announces
the rediscovery of the lost art, but
The fact that such claims are not {
followed by the appearance of man !
lfactured tempered copper on the {
market is the best disprOOf of the '
assertions. Could copper be tenn ]
)ered to the hardness of steel there I
S no doubt that manufacturers f
would utilize it for some purposes L
n which iron and steel labor under 7
Disadvantages. d
The dyemasters of ancient Tyre J
re asserted by historians to have s
vOlved a shade of purple so beau F
iful that it was eagerly sought all {
yer Europe and northern Africa by \
atiOns which had themselves pro- t,
ressed well in the art of dyeing a
lXcept that the extraordinary shade
7as obtained from CLAIMS or other
lussels, nothing is known of its
and all efforts to re-
rOduce it failed. With the fall of
yre the secret was lost and has
ever been brought to light.
Cement was discovered by the
Omans, who used it extensively
fn11Y,1afSA,,r 0e 4,,s,,
hal arches and temples Evcava-
ons in the Forum clearly show on
le concrete marks the same pat
rms. As with Tyrian purple, the
It of cement making was lost
hen Rome fell before the andals,
nd during all the Dark Ages and
le Renaissance the secret remain |
| buried. /
But enough information remained |
that some time prior to the Am |
lean Revolution investigators in
lrious parts of Europe began to
axe cement of varying qualities in
small way. The first notable use
cement in modern times was in
e EdystOne Lighthouse off the
lglish coast. This was in 1856.
was also employed in the Erie |
mai about 1920.
These cements were much like |
oman variety, which has stood for |
arly 1000 years. They were made
materials which nature had al
ady mixed in the proper proper |
ms. But in 1924 an Englishman, |
seph Aspdin, succeeded in making
stronger cement from materials
nch had not already prepared for |
n. This he called portland ce-
mt, because it resembled a dur
lie building stone from the Isle of
rtland, used in building West
mister Able.
A highly developed form of this
rly portland cement is the cement
modern commerce, so that the
'ret of the ancient Romans in
S instance has not only been re-
covered but also has been i'm
)Ved upon IN