St. Nicholas/Volume 32/Number 2/Nature and Science/Fireproofing Mineral
A Block of Asbestos.
(On the right and left of this block are shown masses of the cottony form into which the crude asbestos is broken.)
A Fireproofing Mineral.
You have probably heard the word “asbestos” used in connection with theater curtains, and with methods of rendering a theater or other building fire-proof. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that cannot be burned. Chemically, it is a silicate of lime and magnesium. When torn to pieces in a machine made for that purpose, it looks like a mass of cotton, and these fibers can be spun into threads or strings, and then woven into fabrics useful for various purposes. The Welsbach mantles of our gaslights are tied to a supporting wire by a piece of asbestos string.
It is stated that the ancient Greeks made wicks of the fibers and used them in the sacred fires in their temples. It is also claimed that napkins were made of this material, so that they might cleaned be by fire.
The fibers of asbestos have a silky luster, and in color are while, gray, green, or a green-gray.
Various articles manufactured from asbestos.
Note.—For courtesies and use of specimens for photographs we are indebted to Mr. J. B. Johnson, with H. W. Johns Manville Co., New York.—Editor.)