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ASBESTOS 
 
 ITS PRODUCTION AND USE 
 
 WITH 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ASBESTOS MINES 
 
 OF CANADA ^ > 
 
 By ROBEHT n. JONES 
 
 g'piol]ui 
 
 i 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 CROSBY LOCKWOOD AND SON 
 
 7, STATIONERS' HALl. COURT, LUDOATE HILL 
 
 1888 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The substance of the following pages was originally com- 
 prised in a scries of Letters from Canada to a friend in 
 London, who was desirous of obtaining all the authentic 
 information possible on a subject on which so little appears 
 to be generally known. 
 
 The use of Asbestos in the arts and manufactures is now 
 rapidly assuming such large proportions that, it is believed, 
 it will presently be found more difficult to say to what 
 purposes it cannot be applied than to what it can and is. 
 
 Under these circumstances, although much of the infor- 
 mation here given is not new, but has been gathered from 
 every available source, it is hoped that the compilation in its 
 present shape may be found acceptable. 
 
 R. H. J. 
 
 Hotel Victoria, 
 
 northumuerland avenue, 
 London. 
 April 20, 1888. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOR 
 
 Intuoductory 5—8 
 
 Asbestos at the American Exhiuition .... !), 1<> 
 
 Where Found . . . 12—15 
 
 Italian and Canadian Asbestos compared . . . 16—18 
 
 Where Used 18 
 
 The Asbestos of Italy 19—24 
 
 Canadian ^Iining for Asbestos . . . . . . 24-2!) 
 
 Asbestos Mines of Canada— 
 
 The Thetford Group . 29—30' 
 
 The Coleraink Group 3(3—42 
 
 Brouohton . 42—46 
 
 Danville . . 46 
 
 South Ham . 47—50 
 
 Wolfestown . . . . . . . . 60 
 
 Uses to which Asbestos is Applted . ' . . ' . . 55 — 72 
 
 Index 75, 76 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 One of Nature's most marvellous productions, asbestos Is 
 u physical paradox. It lias been called a mineralogical 
 vegetable ; it is both fibrous and crystalline, elastic yet 
 brittle; a floating stone, which can be as readily carded, 
 spun, and woven into tissue as cotton or the finest silk. 
 
 Called by geologists "asbestus" (the termination in os 
 being the adjective form of the word), the name of the 
 mineral in its Greek form as commonly used (uct/Jco-tos), 
 signifies " indestructible." The French adopt the same deri- 
 vation, calling it " asbeste " (mineral filamenteiix et incom- 
 bustible). In Germany it is called "steinflachs" (stone- 
 flax); and by the Italians "amianto" (from dfilavTo<;, pure, 
 incorruptible); so-called because cloth made from it was 
 cleansed by passing it through fire. Charlemagne, we are 
 told, having a cloth made of this material in his possession, 
 one day after dinner astonished his rude warrior guests by 
 throwing it in the fire, and then withdrawing it cleansed 
 and unconsumed. 
 
 As a modern pendent to this well-known legend, the 
 following is current in Quebec. A labouring man, who had 
 left the old country to seek a better fortune in the Dominion, 
 found employment at once on arrival in one of the many 
 lumber yards on the St. La\\rence, where his energy and 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 activity, supplemontod by great bodily strength, soon secured 
 for him a good position. It so Impponed, however, that 
 one evening, on returning from tlioir daily toil to tlicir 
 common apartment, some of his fellow-workmen saw him 
 deliberately throw himself into a seat, kick oft' his boots, 
 and then pull oft his socks, and having opened the door of 
 the stove, coolly fling them in on to the mass of burning 
 wood. Possibly no particular notice would have been taken 
 of this, judged as a mere act of folly and waste on the part 
 of the new-comfer ; but when, almost immediately after- 
 wards, they saw him open the stove door again, take out the 
 apparently blazing socks, and, after giving them a shake, 
 proceed just as deliberately to diaw them on to his feet 
 again, that was a trifle too much ! Human nature could not 
 stand that. Consequently the horrified spectators, having 
 for a moment looked on aghast, fled precipitately from the 
 room. To them the facts were clear enough. This, they 
 said, was no human being like themselves ; such hellish 
 practices could have but one origin. If not the devil him- 
 self, this man certainly could be no other than one of his 
 emissaries. So off thoy went in a body to the manager and 
 demanded his instant dismissal, loudly asseverating that they 
 would no longer eat, drink, or work in company with such a 
 nionster. Enquiry being at once set on foot, it turned out 
 that some time before leaving England the man had worked 
 at an asbestos factor}'', where he had learned to appreciate 
 the valuable properties of this mineral ; and being of an 
 ingenious tui'n of mind, he had managed to procure some of 
 the fiberized material and therewith knit himself a pair of 
 socks, wliich he was accustomed to cleanse in the manner 
 described. He was, as has been said, an unusually good 
 workman, consequently his employers had no wish to part 
 with him. Explanation and expostulation, however, were 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 all in vain ; nothing could remove the horrible impresrion 
 that his conduct had made upon the minds of his super- 
 stitious fellow-workmen ; go Ijo must and did, nor could the 
 tumult be in any way allayed until he had been dismissed 
 from his work and had left the yard. 
 
 Leaving this digi-ession, however, it may be said that the 
 peculiar properties of the mineral were known long before 
 Charlemagne's time. The ancients, who believed it to be a 
 plant, made a cere-cloth of it, in which they were accustomed 
 to enwrap the bodies which were to be burned on the funeral 
 pyre, so that the ashes might be retained, separate and 
 intact, for preservation in the family urn, an aperture 
 being loft in the cloth to allow a free passage for tlie flames. 
 How they succeeded in weaving this cloth is now unknown. 
 It has been suggested that its accomplishment was effected 
 by weaving the fibres along with those of flax, and then 
 passing the whole through a furnace to burn out the flax. 
 
 The lamps used by the vestal virgins are also said to have 
 been furnished with asbestos wicks, so that the modern 
 adaptation of it to this purpose is only another exemplifica- 
 tion of the truth of Solomon's saying that " there is nothing 
 new under the sun." 
 
 The mineral has been variously described. In general 
 terms it may be said to be a fibrous variety of serpentine, 
 closely allied to the hornblende family of minerals, the 
 Canadian variety of which is called by mineralogists " chry- 
 sotile." In the local vernacular of the mining districts this 
 is " pierre-a-coton " (cotton-stone), perhaps as expressive a 
 term as can be found. 
 
 The ore takes a variety of forms ; much of it (especially 
 that found in the States) is of a coarse woody character, of 
 but little value for mercantile purposes. 
 
 Sir William Logan, in his " Geology of Canada," says 
 
 Ht| 
 
8 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 that foliated and fibrous varietica of serpentine arc common 
 in veins of the opluolites of the Hilurian wories, constituting 
 tlio varieties whicli have been described under the various 
 names of baltimorite, mnrmolite, picrolito, and cHVysotile. 
 The true asbestos, however, ho sliys, is a fibrous variety of 
 tremolitc or h iblende. 
 
 In Le G^nie Civil for September, 188l{, Canadian 
 asbestos is tlius dosciibed : " La ehrvsotile du Canada n'est 
 pas commo ramiuntc ordiiiaiie formec d'un paquet do fils 
 d'uu bhmc vcrd&trc et remplissant des cavites irregulieres : 
 c'est une v«5rilable pierro d'une dcnsite comprise cntro 2 ot 3, 
 qui 80 trouve en couches tie 3 A 10 centimetres d'epaisseur. 
 Cette pierre possedo la propriet(5 do se reduire en fibres per- 
 pcndiculairement i\ sa longueur sous un effort tres faible. 
 8es fibres transversales soiit plus resistautes et beaucoup plus 
 facile il filer, k tisscr, et i\ feutrer que raniiante ordinaire." 
 This is as good a description of chrysotile as can be found 
 anywhere. 
 
 Until the discovery of the Canadian mines, the variety 
 here spoken of us amiailte (amianthus), was esteemed the 
 most rare and delicate kind, on account of its beautifully 
 white, flexible, long, and (U^licately laid fibres. This vaiiety 
 is generally found buried in the centre of the older crystal- 
 line rocks in the Pyrenees, the Alps of Dauphiny, on ISIount 
 St. Gothard, in North America, in the serpentines of Sweden, 
 the Ural Mountains, Silesia, and New South Wales. The 
 most beautiful specimens, such as are preserved in museums 
 and minoralogical collections, have mostly been brought from 
 Tarantaise in Savoy, or from Corsica.* In this latter place it 
 is said to be so abundant that, its mercantile value being un- 
 known, it has often been used, instead of tow, as a material 
 for packing. 
 
 ♦ "Eacycl. Brit." Art. 'Asbestos." 
 
ASnES70S. 
 
 
 
 In a hnndbook publiHhed by tlio Dominion Govommont in 
 1882 (before the discovery of tlio mines of cliryHotile) on 
 the mincrul resources of Canada, it is said that — 
 
 •' AVhat is eommcrciallv known as asbestos is really a term 
 used to denote a peculiar fibrous form assumed by several 
 distinct minerals, rather than to designate any particular 
 species. Tromolite, nctinolite, and other forms of hornblende 
 and serpentine, passing into fibrous varieties, assume the 
 name of asbestos, and the ' Geology of Canada ' does not 
 give the mineral as a distinct one, but recognizes it under 
 these different headings. As yet comparatively little 
 asbestos has been found in Canada." 
 
 This is sufiicient to show how small was the interest, oven 
 so recently as that, attaching to this substance in the very 
 country which was so soon to find it taking important rank 
 amongst her natural productions. 
 
 That singularly beautiful mineral termed ** crocidolite," 
 which displays such sheens and radiances of gold and bronze 
 and green as give it the appearance of satin changed into 
 stone, is nothing more than compressed asbestos. The 
 derivation of its name is not happy. It is said to be from 
 /c/joKo? Xl6o<;, simply crocus-coloured or yellow stone. This is 
 doubtless its general colour, but the finest crocidolite is any- 
 thing but yellow. 
 
 Having hoard that there were some fine specimens of as- 
 bestos on view at the recent exhibition of the United States 
 products at Earl's Court, I made a journey there specially to 
 see them. In this, however, I was disappointed. There was 
 but one small tray of so-called asbestos (amphibole) on view ; 
 and this was of a coarse woody character, very similar in 
 appearance to a sample I had had sent to me recently from 
 California- It was, moreover, of a very poor colour and 
 certainly not of the kind that would readily find a market. 
 
10 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 I found there, however, a piece of im'mistukablo chrysctile, 
 grouped amongst a miscellaneous lot of American minerals. 
 The exhibitor at once told me, in reply to my questions, that 
 this was not an American product at all, but that it was a 
 " vegetable matter " found in Canada. He evidently did 
 not know much about it, and said it was not asbestos at all. 
 It was not by any means a fine specimen : it had somewhat 
 the appearance of ordinary Thetford No. 1, though differing 
 slightly in colour. I could get no further information about 
 it, except that it had come from near Ottawa, 
 
 At this exhibition I found a splendid display of croci- 
 dolite, the sight of which well repaid the visit. I secured 
 a good specimen, biit found, on enquiry, tnat like all the 
 superioi qualities of this mineral, it had been brought from 
 Griqualand (South Africa). The sample I secured was of 
 the kind that in the States is called " Tiger-eye," as I 
 presume, from its general tawny-coloured streaky brilliancy. 
 The exhibitor said it was a silicate of iron occurring in 
 asbestos-like fibres. It is of an exceedingly hard, densely 
 compact nature ; from its hardness diiRcult to work, but 
 susceptible of a very high polish. A few years ago it was 
 thought to be a precious stone and accordingly commanded 
 a high price, but recent discoveries of large deposits con- 
 siderably reduced its value. It is used for a variety of 
 ornamental purposes, for which, from its extreme natural 
 beauty, it is peculiarly adapted. The grain is very fine and 
 in its rough state the fibres are singularly distinct. 
 
 There is another very singular substance worth alluding to 
 here, which is often put forward as a substitute for asbestos, 
 and which is said by the manufacturers to be fire-proof, frost- 
 proof, vermin-proof, sound-proof, indestructible, and odour- 
 less. This is a good deal to say, but is in a great measure 
 true. It is largely used in iho United States, especially for 
 
 1 I 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 1 1 
 
 insulating and other purposes of a like kind. I mean the 
 artificially manufactured "material called " Mineral or Slag 
 Wool," which is made from the refuse of the furnaces at 
 ironworks, by, it is said, passing jots of steam through molten 
 slag. This material is manufactured on a somewhat extensive 
 scale by the Western JNIineral Wool Company, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio. There is no doubt it is a very useful substance for 
 many of the purposes for which it is recommended, but it 
 can scarcely be expected to compete to any material extent 
 with asbestos from its total want of elasticitj' and lubricity. 
 Even the finest quality on being crushed between the fingers 
 has a harsh, gritty, metallic feeling, very different from the 
 silky, springy, and greasy feel of the natural fibre. 
 
 In connection with this manufactured article, a very 
 curious natural production is called to mind, the origin of 
 which is somewhat similar though brought about by natural 
 causes. I refer to the product of the lava-beds of Hawaii, 
 called by the natives " Pele's hair." Miss C. F. Gordon 
 Gumming, in her " Fire Fountains of Hawaii," speaks of this 
 as " filaments of stringy brown lava, like spun glass, which 
 lie scattered here and there, having been caught by the wind 
 (when thrown up) in mid-air in a state of perfect fusion, 
 forming fine lava drops, a rain of liquid rock, and so drawn 
 out in silky threads like fine silky hair. 
 
 "In fact, this filmy, finely spun glass is known as Pele's 
 hair — Rauoho o Pel^. It is of a rich olive green or yellowish 
 brown colour — a hint for aesthetic fashions — and is glossy, 
 like the byssus of certain shells, but very brittle to handle. 
 SometiiTies when the great fire- fountains toss their spray so 
 high that it flies above the level of the cliffs, the breo/o 
 catches it sportively and carries it far away over the island ; 
 and the birds line their nests with this silky volcanic hair. 
 Sometimes you can collect handfuls clinging to the rocks to 
 
12 
 
 A SB ES 'J OS. 
 
 which it has drifted, generally with a pear-shaped drop 
 attached to it." This, it is evident, would crumble and break 
 oli' short in the fingers, and the mineral wool when handled 
 has just the same gritty brittle feeling one can iaiagine 
 Pele's hair to have. 
 
 Returning to ' asbestos, however, its formation or actual 
 origin is at present unknown. In its pure state it is as 
 heavy as the rock in which it is found, so closely are its fine 
 elastic crystalline fibres compressed together. These have a 
 beautiful silky lustre, varying in colour from pure white to 
 a dusky grey or green, sometimes of a yellowish green ; the 
 direction of the fibres being transverse to the walls of the 
 vein. The essential point in which it differs from any other 
 known mineral consists in its being at once fibrous and 
 textile. Its quality is determined by the greater or less 
 proportion of silicious or gritty matter with which its fibres 
 are associated. When crushed out from the rock, these 
 fibres, which vie in delicacy with the finest flax or the most 
 beautiful silk, can be corded, spun, and woven into cloth in 
 precisely the same way as any other textile fibre. 
 
 Of good quality it is only found in serpentine. One 
 instance of its having heen found in quartz is mentioned ; 
 but, even in that case we are told, when six feet of the 
 superficial quartz rock had been blasted away, the inevitable 
 serpentine was found cropping through. 
 
 According to Mr. Ells,* the serpentines in which it is 
 found are intimately associated with masses of dioritic or 
 doloritic rocks, of which rocks certain varieties, rich in 
 olivine or some allied mineral, the serpentine is, in many 
 cases, an alteration product. They are frequently associated 
 with masses and dykes of whitish rocks, which are often 
 composed entirely of quartz and felspar, but occasionally 
 • A mcml»er of the fieological Sui-vcy DLparttncnt, Ottawa. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 >3 
 
 with a mixture of black mica, forming a granitoid rock. 
 They occur generally not far from the axes of certain anti- 
 elinals which exist in the group of rocks called by Sir 
 AVilliani Logan the " altered Quebec group." 
 
 For centuries asbestos was regarded merely as a mineral 
 curiosity. Indeed, it is only within the last few years that 
 it has developed into a valua^ le article of commerce, the 
 tirst modern experiments in the use of it practically extend- 
 ing no farther back than 1850. 
 
 Its uses in the arts and manufactures are of a very 
 important character, and now that it is clearly demonstrated 
 that a fairly abimdant supply can be obtained at a moderate 
 cost, there seems no reasonable limit to be put to the demand, 
 new uses for it being continually found. These will, of 
 course, rapidly increase as its value becomes more clearly 
 and widely known. 
 
 It is found in most parts of the world, but in only a few 
 places of a sufficiently valuable kind or in quantities large 
 enough to give it any commercial value. The main sources 
 of supply at present are Canada and Italy. 
 
 A good deal has, at times, been found in Russia ; and I 
 remember an incident which occurred a few years ago at 
 some extensive ironworks in that country, with which I was 
 at the time connected, which amusingly illustrates how little 
 was then known there of the nature and properties of the 
 mineral. The iron ore, in the district referred to, is found 
 in bunches or nodules, near the surface of the grouaid ; and 
 in order to get it, the peasants dig out pits about seven or 
 eight feet in depth, and then burrow, rabbit-like, into the 
 surrounding earth in all directions below. When all the ore 
 is got out from one spot, they dig another pit further afield, 
 and so they go on until the particular patch of ground they 
 are working on is exhausted. On the occasion referred to, 
 
 li 
 
H 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 [H 
 
 some of our men, in their burrowing, threw out a consider- 
 able quantity of asbestos. They had not the slightest idea 
 what it was. In fact, they knew nothing at all about it, 
 except that it was not what they were in search of; and, 
 consequently, as it obstructed their work, they threw it all 
 out in a heap near the piles of ore. Presently, one of the 
 foremen or overlookers saw it, and wanted to know what all 
 that rubbish had been put there for. " Here," said he, to 
 some of the men, "just clear up all that mess at once, and 
 fling it into the furnace, and get rid of it." And this was 
 immediately done, with what result you may imagine. 
 
 'Recently, however, it is said that enormous quantities of 
 asbee-tos have been found in Hussia, although I cannot learn 
 th;it any use is made of it there at present. Its mercantile 
 value must of course depend on its quality and distance 
 from market. I have had a great number of specimens sent 
 me, but they mostly turn out to be a coarse kind of so-called 
 bastard asbestos, which would not pay for extracting. Now, 
 however, we are told that from Orenburg to Ekaterinburg 
 the country is thickly dotted with asbestos deposits, while 
 near the Verkin Tagil ironworks there is a hill called 
 Sholkovaya Gora, or Hill of Silk, which it is asserted is 
 entirely composed of asbestos. The ore here is also said to 
 be of the best white quality, well adapted for all the most 
 important purposes to which asbestos is applied. I should 
 much like to see a specimen of this ; its value could be easily 
 determined on inspection. In the Gorobtagsdat district of 
 Perm, again, there are said to be large deposits cropping out 
 above the surface, and also that enormous quantities could 
 be had there for nothing, as at this moment it possesses no 
 value in the Ural region. I imagine it would be found of 
 considerable value if a practical man were sent out to see to its 
 liberization on the spot, when it might be compressed, packed. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 »5 
 
 il! 
 
 and exported in the same way as cotton. There can, however, 
 be little doubt tliat if its quality is as good as it is represented 
 to be, it will very soon be utili/^ed, and will tlien form a very 
 important addition to the vast mineral wealth of that region. 
 
 As might be expected, asbestos is also found in China, but, 
 as a matter of course, the use to which it is put there is one 
 we should little dream of here. For instance, in the translation 
 of a Chinese medical hook by Dr. Ilobson, of the London 
 Medical Mission, asbestos is seen to figure (of all places in 
 the world) under the head of tonics, in company with such 
 heterogeneous substances as " dried spotted lizard, silkworm 
 moth, human milk, parasite of the mulberry tree, asses' 
 glue, staUu'tite," and a few more surprising things. Perhaps 
 it may be just as well for us that we are not yet educated up 
 to so fine a point as that, and that consequently the mineral 
 we are speaking of does not yet find a place in the British 
 Pharmacopoeia, but is left to .exhibit its apparently more 
 natural properties in the arts and manufactures. 
 
 A correspondent of The Finaiuial JVcws, writing from 
 Barberton in Jaimary, 1888, says that at Komali Fields, fifty 
 miles from that place, asbestos has just been found, but that 
 it was as yet too soon to discuss the merits oi the find. 
 
 In sending you an account of the Canadian asbestos indus- 
 try, you will scarcely expect me to give you any very detailed 
 information about its Italian competitor. Any account of 
 the one, however, would necessarily be so incomplete without 
 some mention of the other, that I will do the best I can with 
 the little information' I have been enabled to obtain on the 
 subject of the Italian mines. 
 
 Experiments with the view of utib'zing asbestos in Italy 
 appear to have been first sucbessfully carried on in 1800 bv 
 the Chevalier Aldini, of Milan, and others, mainly with the 
 object of turning the mineral to account in the manufatjture 
 
 m 
 
i6 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 h 
 
 of asbestos cloth. The Chevalier had a complete suit made 
 of it — cap, gloves, tnnie, and stockings — for the purpose of"* 
 testing its protective powers for firemen ; and of this I 
 shall have something to say presently.* But it was not until 
 twenty years after this that any success was attained in the 
 manufacture of asbestos millboard and paper, the commcr* ial 
 value of which is now assuming such large proportions. 
 
 About the same time the manufacture of asbestos into 
 pjjckings for piston glands was successfully accomplished in 
 America ; and some two years afterwards a company', 
 calling itself " The Patent Asbestos Manufacturing Company, 
 Limited," was formed in Glasgow for the purpose of making 
 piston packings according to this American invention. In 
 1880 this Glasgow Company united its business with that of 
 Messrs. Furse Brothers and Co., of Rome, asbestos manufac- 
 * turers, as well as with that of the Italo-English Pure Asbes- 
 tos Company, and, when the amalgamation was complete, the 
 new Company, taking the name of "The United Asbestos 
 Company, Limited," became possessed of nearly the whole of 
 the known Italian mines, and, consequently, of a practical 
 monopoly of the trade in asbestos from that country. 
 
 Italian differs very materially from Canadian asbestos, 
 not only in appearance, but in formation also, as well as in 
 the mode of extraction. The two are, in fact, entirclv 
 separate and distinct kinds of the same mineral ; notwith- 
 standing which their intrinsic qualities are practically the 
 same, aiid the uses to which they are put are almost identical. 
 
 An extraordinary specimen of Italian asbestos, obtained 
 from one of the mines of the United Asbestos Company, situate 
 in the Valtellina Valley, is in the possession of that company, 
 and is no doubt the finest piece of asbestos ever brought from 
 Italy, whether as regards strength or fineness of fibre. Any 
 
 • 8ec post, p. 66. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 n 
 
 one interested in the matter would, I have no doubt, be 
 readily permitted to inspect this natural curiosity, on appli- 
 cation to Mr. Boyd, the courteous manager of the company, 
 in Queen Victoria Street. 
 
 Just about this time (1880) Canadian asbestos, also, was 
 being much talked about and sought after ; and it is therefore 
 perhaps scarcely to bo wondered at that the company which 
 first began to work the mineral in Italy on a large scale, and 
 which, at great expense and trouble, had managed to secure 
 the Avhole of the Italian mines, and so become possessed, as 
 they supposed, of a monopoly of the trade, should have 
 viewed with jealousy the rapid progress made in public 
 estimation by the Canadian ore when once it waa introduced 
 to the market. 
 
 It is not my purpose, however, to enter on the vexed 
 question of the relative merits of the two varieties, whicli 
 would be altogether out of place in a letter of this kind. 
 But I think we may safely conclude that both possess un- 
 deniably good qualities, and that there is an ample field for 
 both, inasmuch as the peculiar properties which render 
 one kind unsuitable for some particular purpose are often 
 prcciselj'- those which best adapt it for another. Each 
 variety will assuredly make its own way and take its proper 
 place in public estimation as further experiments and greater 
 experience in the use of it shall bring its special value more 
 prominently to light. 
 
 Ample proof has been given of the valuable qualities of 
 Italian asbestos; and if any proof were needed of the 
 intrinsic value of its Canadian competitor, nothing more 
 would be required than to point to such houses as that 
 of John Bell & Son, of London ; of Wertheim, of Frank- 
 fort ; or to the Johns Manufacturing Company, or the 
 Chalmers-Spence Company, of New York, whose world- 
 
 c 
 
 If 
 
 I wl 
 
i8 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 m 
 
 !i > 
 
 renowned manufactures arc made of Canadian asbestos 
 alone. 
 
 The essential characteristics of both sorts arc alike in 
 this respect, that they are absolutely indestructible by fire, 
 or even when exposed to the action of any known acid ; 
 the Canadian variet}'' possessing in addition, in a very high 
 degree, that strange peculiarity (which is also claimed for 
 one of the Italian sorts), and is common also to plumbago 
 and soapstone, of being a self -lubricator. Good Canadian fibre 
 is known at once by its soft, greasy, mi\\)y feeling ; and 
 one of the leading New York firms claims for its products, 
 made entirely of Canadian asbestos, that they will resist 
 even the flame of the blowpipe ; and further asserts that 
 this mineral transcends all previously thought-of materials 
 for fireproofing, in that it is not only absolutely inde- 
 structible by fire, but that its power of resistance cannot be 
 worn away or diminished by lapse of time or hard usage, 
 as invariably happens in the case of such applications as 
 tungstato of soda. 
 
 Regarding its use, Germany is a very large consumer. 
 In France the consumption is not so great, although 
 manufacturers in that country are now beginning to bestir 
 themselves, especially in regard to some very valuable 
 kinds of paper, which they are making entirely out of 
 Canadian fibre ; and Paris has now sot the world an example 
 by the adoption of the Chevalier Aldini's plan of clothing 
 firemen in a dress of asbestos cloth. 
 
 America, however, is the country where the most rapid 
 strides are being made in the development of every branch 
 of this new industry, and there also the Canadian fibre alone 
 is used. 
 
 A considerable quantitj^of it is made use of in England, 
 in the manufacture of some valuable kinds of packing for 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 »9 
 
 engineering work, millboards, felts, luhricnnts, paint, and 
 (lie like ; but in England wo lack in some degree the" readi- 
 ness which is found on the other side of the ocean, in the 
 adaptation of new materials and new methods of work. 
 
 Whether it bo that Englishmen are influenced by 
 climatic or other causes, certain it is that they are slow to 
 adojlt new systems, to cultivate novel ideas, or to move out 
 of old grooves. Consequently, when new materials, or even 
 novel applications of those long used, are suggested, they 
 ponder over them, hesitate, and weigh the chances, and in 
 so doing not infrequently let slip valuable opportunities ; 
 whilst the keener and more enterprising American, once . lo 
 sees the drift of the new matter, will, to use his own ex^ 
 pression, " catch hold " at once. It by no means foUoAvs, 
 however, that this is the fault of the manufacturers alone ; 
 they have naturally to gauge the requirements of their 
 customers, and prefer to limit their make to what they know 
 they can sell. 
 
 The finer kinds of asbestos, the strong fibres of which 
 are o\ a pure wliite colour and of a fine silky texture, being 
 at the same time free from silicic acid or metallic oxide, 
 are comparatively rare; and, oh account of their lubricating 
 qualities, are especially valuable. This particular kind, I 
 am told, is at the present time only o be found in Canada 
 and some parts of the States. Whether this statement is 
 correct or not, I am not in a position to say ; but that it is 
 found in Canadr I know, for I have there personally wit- 
 nessed the blasting out of many hundreds of tons. In the 
 Dominion it is invariably obtained from hard rock somewhat 
 difficult to work. 
 
 In an interesting paper on Italian asbestos, to be found 
 in the "Journal of the Societj' of Arts " for April, 1886, 
 to which I have been indebted for a good deal of informa- 
 
 f; 2 
 
 'l:' 
 
20 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 .1 1 
 
 tion respecting the Jtuliim niiuos, I find a very sinp^ular 
 statement given as the result of long observation by the 
 employh of the United Company in Italy. It is there said 
 that "if asbestos be found on the surface of a rock 
 exposed either to the south or south-west, the product is 
 generally fairly abundant and of good quality. If exposed 
 to the east there is fine quality, but very small quantity ; 
 whilst if exposed to the north the quantity is plentiful 
 but dry and hard, and on entering the rock all traces of it 
 are lost." 
 
 Whether this bo at all consistent with Canadian ex- 
 perience I cannot say. The lie of the ground and the 
 course of the veins being so diiferent, it is quite possible 
 the theory may have no applicability at all to Canadian 
 mining. But it is certainly suggestive and interesting, 
 and I will cause inquiry in this direction to be set on 
 foot at once. 
 
 In the same paper I find tlio following given as 
 analyses of the two varieties. The first is stated to bo by 
 Professor liarlf, but by whom the latter was made does 
 not appear. According to these there would be little 
 doubt which was the most valuable for general manufac- 
 turing purposes, but as there is nothing to show what kind 
 of Canadian ore was submitted for analysis, or by whom 
 the analysis was made, you must take it as an analysis 
 only, quantum valcnt. 
 
 
 ITALIAN. 
 
 CANAinAN. 
 
 Lime and magnesia . . 
 
 .37-84 
 
 33-20 
 
 Silica . . 
 
 41-69 
 
 40-90 
 
 Oxide of iron . . 
 
 3-01 
 
 6-75 
 
 Potash . . 
 
 •85 
 
 traces 
 
 Soda 
 
 1-41 
 
 -G8 
 
 Alumina 
 
 2-67 
 
 6-60 
 
 Moisture evaporated at 100° C. 
 
 304 
 
 — 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 t\ 
 
 L088 on heuting to w}iito }iont, wiiter 
 
 of hydriiiion, and organic matter 0*50 
 
 Chloriiio . . . , . , — 
 
 Loss , , , . . , . , . , -Oli 
 
 12-60 
 
 •2ft 
 
 12 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 Three distinct kinds of nsbcstoa ore said to be found in 
 Italy, viz., Grey, Flossy, and Powdery. The grey is a long, 
 fibrous variety, possessing, in addition to strength, the much- 
 prized saponaceous quality ; and this is mostly found in tho 
 two Alpine valleys of Valtellina and d'Aosta. Tho flossy, 
 which lias a smooth, silky appearance, but a dry feeling when 
 touched, is found and worked in part of tho chain of moun- 
 tains which bound the valley loading from Susa to Turin, 
 and at an elevation of about 8,000 feet above the sea level. 
 This is the kind whioli is mostly used in the manufacture of 
 gas stoves. It is commonly found in thicker seams than the 
 grey, lying mostly in a horizontal direction, but dipping- 
 rapidly as the rock is entered. The third is a powdery kind, 
 which, while possessing all the heat-resisting properties of 
 the two others, crumbles in the hand when touched. This 
 variety is found in the same range of mountains as that last 
 mentioned, but at a much lower level ; it appears to have 
 been first brought to light by a landslip exposing to view a 
 seam of it three feet wide. When first seen it is said to 
 liave had a pasty oonsistoncy, but on exposure to the air it 
 dried and crumbled into powder. 
 
 Italian ore, generally speaking, is won by running drift- 
 ways, or tunnelling into tho face of the rock. In Canada 
 the mineral is got out by open quarrywork, no tunnelling 
 there being possible. The serpentine rock in which the 
 asbestos or chrysotile is there found is so split and seamed in 
 every conceivable direction by the veins and stringers that if 
 
31 
 
 ASBES'IOS. 
 
 tuniitlliiig were attLMnpttsd llio first bliiHt would iiioyitubly 
 bring tho whole Riiporincumbonl muss down about, your curs. 
 You miglit UH well uttompt to tunnel througli loose sand or 
 gravel. In other words, the relative diirerence in tho two 
 modes of winning the ore appears to bo that tho Italian 
 UHbcstos may bo said to bo won by tunnelling into the face 
 of tho rock ; wliilst tho Canadian chrysotilo is found in veins, 
 running, it is true, witli the greatest irregularity, but yet 
 with a distinctly perpendicular declension. Tho Italian 
 variety, again, seems frequently to be found, or tho seams to 
 end, in pockets, some of wliich have been known to contain a 
 ton or a ton and a half of asbestos, after exhaustion of which 
 uU appearance of its presence ceased. The Canadian ore, on 
 tho other hand, generally runs in veins and seams, which 
 almost invariably improve both in quantity and quality the 
 lower you go down, but where or how it ends has never yet 
 been discovered. 
 
 It may possibly bo, however, that the more correct way to 
 put this would bo tho very opposite of what I have just 
 stated ; because if you stand and face tho rock when laid 
 bare in any of the Canadian mines and trace the downward 
 course and increasing strength of tho veins, it would really 
 seem as if this strange mineral substance, at some former 
 time, when in a state of violent ebullition, had striven 
 energetically to force an outlet into the upper air, splitting 
 the overlying rock in all directions in its passage -upward 
 from bc^ow ; and that, as it gradually cooled oil and ex- 
 pended its force, the rifts in the rock, which now form 
 the veins, became narrower and narrower, until, when the 
 surface of the ground was at last reached it had only just 
 sufficient energy left to bubble over through the cracks, 
 where it then cooled off and hardened into thin lava-like 
 ridges. These ridges nre to be seen in all directions in the 
 
AS/iESTOS. 
 
 «3 
 
 UHbcHtoH (llstiictH of Ciiniulu, whorovor tlu; pcculiiir yellowisli- 
 lookin^ stono forminp^ llu) ii})p(>r crust of tho asbostos-boar- 
 iii^ rocks is t'ouiul. And noiwitlistiindiufj; the pliiiiily visiblo 
 evidence that those rocks, from centuries of exposure to tho 
 elements, luive been worn tiwtiy on tho upper surface until 
 they have assumed u rounded, wnter-wtished, boulder-liko 
 shape, the narrow ridg^es spoken of have apparently always 
 remained in the same state, alike indestruci iblo and undis- 
 turbed. 
 
 If you will imagine to yourself tho mountain masses of 
 almost perpendicular rock, wliich contain the horizontall}'- 
 lying seams frequently found in Italy, to bo thrown back- 
 ward and downward so as to Ho face uppermost, and so that 
 you could walk on the face, you will get a rough idea of tho 
 lie of the veins in the Camulian serpentine. And possibly 
 on further exploration the analogy would bo still further 
 borne out by these veins being found to tenninatc in reser- 
 voirs or pockets, just as it has been said is usually found to 
 bo the case in Italy. No one has yet gone far enough down 
 to test the depth of the veins in any Canadian mine. It will 
 no doubt presently bo done. All that woidd be required 
 would bo to bore until tho next series was reached. The 
 experiment, if expensive, would be both valuable and iiiHtiuc- 
 tivc, especially bearing in mind the w(dl-known fact in 
 Canadian mining that the deeper you follow the veins into 
 tho ground the bettor the quality of the cotton becomes. 
 
 There is one more point of distinction between the two 
 kinds, and that is in the surface indications, which may 
 possibly be due to atmospheric influences. In Italian 
 exploration the prospector is not guided by any hard lines 
 or ridges on the rock surface of the ground, as in Ciuuida. 
 On the contrar)-, he finds cracks in the perpendicular face of 
 the rock filled with a white powdery substance which, when 
 
 J. 
 
li i 
 
 24 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 i I 
 
 tlie stirfacc is broken away, is said to assume a leatlicrj'^ 
 appearance, after which, when further entry is made, the 
 true asbestos is found. ^ 
 
 Thus, it will be seen that there is not only a considerable 
 difference between the two sorts of asbestos which supply 
 the demands of the market, but that the mode of winning it 
 is also different ; as are, moreover, the natural indications 
 which guide the explorer in his search after the mineral. 
 
 CANADIxiN MINING FOE ASBESTOS. 
 
 
 And now I will leave the subject of the Italian mines 
 altogether, and proceed to give some account of the asbestos 
 mining industry as carried on in Canada ; mainly the result 
 of my notes and observations during a residence at the 
 mines. 
 
 The main sources from which the supply of asbestos in 
 the Dominion is derived lie in the province of Quebec, in 
 the counties of INIcgantic and Beauce. The serpentine rock 
 in which it is found crops up at intervals all along the bolt 
 of what has been previously alluded to as the "altered 
 Quebec group " * (pre- Cambrian), throughout a range of over 
 120 miles in length, occasionally attaining a width of more 
 than 2,500 feet, mostly bearing from north-east to south- 
 west, and crossino: the Coleraino District nearlv east and 
 
 * Anff, p. 13. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 »5 
 
 west. It extcnda almost uninterniptedly from the boundary 
 of Vermont, in the State of Maine, running north-eastward, 
 to some distance from the Chaudiere River, a little beyond 
 the latitude of Quebec. 
 
 Large tracts of serpentine, probably containing the 
 mineral in paying quantities, occur at Belmina in ^yolfe 
 County, and in the vicinity of Brompton Lake ; but although 
 the work of exploration has been carried on in several pluces 
 with fair prospects of success, the profitable working of tlie 
 mineral up to the present time has been mostly confined to 
 Broughton, Thetford, Coleraino, and Danville. 
 
 In the Shickshock mountain region of New Bnmswick, 
 said to be a detached area of the pre-Cambrian formation, 
 which constitutes the chief mineral belt of the Eastern Town- 
 ships (within which the last-mentioned districts are com- 
 prised), serpentine and chromic iron are the only two 
 minerals which have as yet been recognised. Looking, 
 however, to the fact that these two minerals everywhere 
 accompany the deposits of chrysotile, as well as the ores of 
 copper, lead, and antimony, with occasionally richer deposits 
 of gold and silver, in the region to the south-west, it would 
 scarcely seem unreasonable to anticipate discoveries of 
 asbestos in the as yet unexplored region of the Gaspc penin- 
 sula. The range here extends through the northern portion 
 of the peninsula in rear of Saint-Anne des JNIonts, and 
 further east on the lower part of the Dartmouth River.* 
 
 Indications of asbestos are found at most points throughout 
 the whole serpentine formation. The developments, so far 
 as is yet known, are principally, as we have said, in the 
 districts around Thetford and Coleraine. There can, how- 
 ever, be no valid reason whv chrvsotile of the richer sorts and 
 in "paying quantities should not be found at other points, it 
 
 * "Geol. Hist. Can.," 1880. 
 
 I 
 
11^ I 
 
 26 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 I 
 
 H 
 
 being only reasonable to suppose tbut future exploration will 
 materially extend the area over which profitable mining 
 operations can be carried on. 
 
 In the Blue Book on the " Geological Survey of Canada, 
 1882 " (Mr. Willimott's report), published by the Dominion 
 Government, it is stated that " there appears to be unlimited 
 quantities of asbestos distributed throughout the entire 
 serpentine belt which attains its greatest prominence in the 
 townships of Thetford and Coleraine. Its existence is 
 generally made apparent by a whitish shining substance 
 found coating the serpentine, arising from the decay of the 
 outcropping veins. But this," he says, " must not be taken 
 as always indicating the presence of workable veins," 
 
 The character cf the rock varies considerably, and in some 
 places it is even now apparently in the transition stage 
 between the original rock from which it is derived and a 
 ti'ue serpentine, having utill almost the hardness of felspar, 
 while it yet retains the g isral aspect and colour of the 
 serpentine in which it is found. Large masses of dioritic 
 rock, having the aspect of dykes, are found in most of the 
 quarries, possibly representing portions of the original rock 
 not yet altered to serpentine.* 
 
 It may be taken as a general rule that wherever the true 
 serpentine occurs asbestos will be found, though it is difficult 
 to say how the veins have been formed, or how the fact of 
 their existence is to be known v ith any degree of certainty, 
 except by the light superficial indication already men- 
 tioned, which seems at present to be the only, but by no 
 means infallible, guide. The asbestos traverses the ser- 
 pentine in irregular veins ranging from mere threads or 
 stiingers to a thickness of three or four, and in some cases it 
 is asserted of as much as -six inches ; the fibre always, unless 
 
 * See ante, p. 12. 
 
^lii 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 27 
 
 affected by the dislocation of the containing rock, lying ut 
 right angles to the sides of the fissure. 
 
 The rock is often impure, the impurity arising mostly from 
 tlie admixture of particles, occasionally of small irregular 
 thread-like veins, of magnetite or of chromic iron, which 
 break the continuity of the fibre and cause very careful cob- 
 bing of the ore to be necessary in order to get rid of these 
 impurities. This is particularly the case at Thetford, as we 
 shall see when speaking of Messrs. King's mine there.* 
 
 In other districts the fibre is discoloured (and the value of 
 it consequently much reduced) by the infiltration of water 
 impregnated with the oxide of iron. This is especially the 
 case in the Black Lake district, more particularly on the 
 property of the Anglo-Canadian Company, where the serpen- 
 tine is a good deal shattered by the action of the weather, 
 or possibly from other causes. This discoloration ceases as 
 a general rule, or at any rate becomes considerably dimin- 
 ished in intensity, in proportion as the containing rock 
 becomes more solid. It is, however, a most serious matter as 
 affecting the character and pecuniary value of these mines. 
 
 In the case of nearly all the mines there are large quan- 
 tities of so-called bastard asbestos found in and about them. 
 This is a woody, brittle variety of apparently as yet un- 
 formed mineral, for which at present no use seems to have 
 been found ; but, judging from the course new applications 
 of the mineral are now taking, there can be little doubt that 
 this inferior article will presently command its price in the 
 market, a use being found for it in some of the many pur- 
 poses for which coarse pulverized asbestos is found to be 
 applicable. 
 
 Many other very singular types are also to be seen. Some 
 of the pieces as they lie on the ground, after blasting, have 
 
 * Sec post, p 3o. 
 
28 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 so much the appearance of a wood- cutter's choppings (being, 
 in fact, in the coarse and peculiar grain of the fibre, so like 
 chips of wood), that, if placed side by side with actual chip- 
 pings from rough timber exposed to the weather in the 
 woods, the one could in no way be distinguished from the 
 other, except of course by handling, when the weight and 
 stony feeling of the asbestos would make the difference at 
 once perceptible. 
 
 Chrome iron is frequently found, sometimes as at Thetford 
 and South Ham, in very large quantities in close proximity 
 to the asbestos-bearing rock. In the iron, where this is the 
 case, although the stringers of asbestos may be very minute, 
 they will almost certainly be found intersecting the ore, 
 just as we have already seen that the grains and threads 
 of the chrome iron often cut and spoil the fibre of the 
 asbestos. 
 
 The marketable value of asbestos is determined in the first 
 instance by the colour, coupled with the thickness or width 
 of the fibre in the vein. The colour, it may be said, largely 
 depends upon the locality of the mine, and will be distin- 
 guished at once on inspection of the rocky gangue.' At Thet- 
 ford it is of a greenish hue, being there found in the darker 
 coloured serpentine ; whilst at Broughton the ore is of a 
 pearly yellowish green, tlie surrounding rock being mostly 
 of a grey or pale green colour. This difference of colour in 
 the ore, however, in no way affects the value of the mineral, 
 as when crushed out the fibre is mostly of a uniform 
 whiteness. 
 
 There are other distinguishing characteristics in the ore 
 even of closely adjacent mines, of so marked a nature that 
 an expert has no difficulty in determining the locality of 
 the mine, or even of the mine itself, from the appearance of 
 the ore. 
 
 |i 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 29 
 
 Although scarcely within the scope of the present remarks, 
 it is worthy of note that serpentines of an ornamental cha- 
 racter are very abundant in Canada ; some very beautiful 
 specimens of which were recently shown in London, at the 
 late Colonial and Indian Exhibition at South Kensington. 
 Many of these contain smau quantities of chromium and 
 nickel, and are associated with soapstone, potstone, dolomite, 
 and maguesite. A band of limestone also. occurs at Templeton 
 containing masses of a light-coloured translucent serpentine. 
 These, however, beautiful as they are, do not at this moment 
 specially concern us, as none of them contain asbestos in 
 workable quantities, the stone being eniirely of an orna- 
 mental character. They are exploited with some success by 
 the Canadian Granite Company of Ottawa, and are used by 
 them for monuments, mantelpieces, vases, and such like. 
 One would certainlj'- think that their importation into Eng- 
 land would meet with success, seeing "that there is always a 
 demand here for fine marbles and stones for architectural 
 and other purposes. 
 
 Sir William Logan sa3's : " Les serpentines, dans toute 
 I'etendue de leur gisement, fournissent de tres-beaux marbres 
 vert-de-mer souveut resseuiblant au vert antique." 
 
 
 THE THETFOIID GROUP OF MINES. 
 
 Although the existence of asbestos in Canada, in one at 
 least of the above-mentioned localities, was known to geolo- 
 gists for many years prior to 1877, it was not until the 
 autumn of that year that a mine was discovered which 
 proved to be of any commercial importance. This was 
 
 \} 
 
i 
 
 30 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 first found by a farmer, named Fcctoau, in the township of 
 Thetford ; and, true to its reputation, Thetford has continued 
 to be the head-quarters and main source of the supply ever 
 since. 
 
 This, the first regular Canadian mine, was opened up in 
 1878 by Messrs. Johnson and "Ward. The demand at first 
 for the produce of this mine was exceedingly limited ; in- 
 deed, great difficulty was experienced in finding a market at 
 all. The output the first year was only about fifty tons ; but 
 the great value of the mineral being soon ascertained, 
 exploration on the serpentine belt in this noiglibourhood 
 was prosecuted on an extensive scale, which resulted in 
 asbestos bein^ found in workable quantities of er a very 
 considerable area. 
 
 The min% spoken of is now the property of the Johnson 
 Company, of which the Hon. George Irvine, Q.C., is president, 
 and Mr. Andrew Johnson, who now represents Mcgantic in 
 the Provincial Legislative Assembly at Quebec, is the resident 
 manager. The features of this and the neighbouring mines 
 are very similar. They consist of a massive serpentine, 
 varying in colour from a dark green to almost white, 
 intersected by numerous veins of asbestos of varying thick- 
 ness, remarkably free (except in one instance) from any 
 admixture of foreign substances. A largo extent of this 
 mine is now opened. It is being worked with energy and 
 success, its produce being second to none that has yet been put 
 on the market. According to a statement given in the Cana- 
 dian Mining Remow for October last, its output for 1886 was 
 approximately 375 tons, the total output of the mine up to 
 the end of that year being given as 2,500 tons. I was 
 recently informed by the president of the company that they 
 had now made a contract for the sale of the Avhole of 
 their output for the next five years. The produce of the 
 
 
 ) 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 V 
 
 mine is nearly all No. 1, and is wortli from $80 to $100 a 
 ton. 
 
 Adjoining tlio Johnson Company's mine is one belonging 
 to the " Boston Asbestos Packing Company," of which Mr. 
 ITyde Rust, of JJoston, is treasurer, and Mr. T. Sheridan, 
 local resident manager. This mine is being steadily and 
 efficiently worked, and being practically on the same level 
 with that of the Johnson Company, the produce is of a 
 very similar character. It is remarkably good, and some 
 exceptionally fine asbestos has been got out here. In a 
 pamphlet published a short time ago by the Canadian 
 Government on the mineral resources of Canada, it is 
 stated that the yield from this mine (including of course 
 that last mentioned), is pronounced by European manu- 
 facturers to be the finest and strongest fibre of the kind 
 knoNvn ; and it is further stated that there is no question at 
 all as to the profitable nature of asbestos mining in this belt of 
 countri/. 
 
 The output of the Boston Company's mine, according to 
 the authority just cited, is about 400 tons per annum. Mr. 
 Ells, of the Geological Survey Department, Ottawa, says that 
 in 1886 the quantity extracted was about 700 tons, and the 
 total produce of the mine l:o the end of that year about 
 3,000 tons. There must, I imagine, be some misapprehen- 
 sion of the figures here, and I feel sure that those given 
 above are nearer the mark. 
 
 The value of the output oi: tliis mine is certainly as high, 
 it is possible taking it all round, that it may bo higher than 
 that of the last mentioned. Steps are now being taken to 
 introduce machinery and prosecute the work on a more 
 extensive scale. 
 
 The next mine here is one of a more recent date, worked 
 by the Brothers >7ard, and owned by them conjointly with 
 
. 
 
 j j 
 
 ■ j i 
 
 ■ jj 
 
 if 
 
 hi 
 
 
 
 ij. 
 
 3* 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 tlio Hon. James Ross of Quebec. It is turning out fairly 
 good material, and judging by tbe indications, coupled with 
 what has been already done, there is no reason to suppose 
 that this mine will not presently be as remunerative as those 
 already mentioned. 
 
 The output of this, on the same authority, is 150 tons, 
 which is, I believe, the extreme limit of what has yet been 
 done. This mine has been opened now about four years, and 
 in that time hxis produced, as near as I could learn when last 
 there, about 400 tons. It is said to be worth from $70 to 
 $80, but I did not hear of any of it fetching more than $70, 
 which is doubiloss its present value. 
 
 The same gentlemen own some very promising-looking 
 land on the other side of ihe railway, which, in fact, bisects 
 their property ; but as this is on a lower level it looks very 
 much as if they will be troubled with water when they begin 
 to open. 
 
 The only other mine now opened at Thetford is that owned 
 and worked by Messrs. King Brothers. It is in the same 
 vicinity and bears much the same character as those already 
 mentioned. The output is given at 175 tons per annum. 
 
 These four mines form the Thetford group, and are at 
 present by far the most important in the province. They 
 are on a lower level and are consequently worked at a greater 
 depth than those next to be described. The output for this 
 reason moreover is of a more uniform character, and does not 
 require such close classification as some of the other mines 
 farther on. Practically, No. 1 and No. 3 are the only 
 divisions here, the produce being mostly available for No. 1. 
 No. 3 is a very inferior kind, merely the refuse in fact, 
 which is sold and shipped in bulk at $10 a ton, without 
 being bagged up at all, and is mostly used for cement, boiler 
 covering, &c. 
 
n 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 33 
 
 The Thctford river marks the western limit of the serpen- 
 tine on these properties, the rocks on the other side of the 
 water being mostly altered slates and sandstones. To the 
 east of the railway, which cuts directly across the area, the 
 serpentine forms a knoll with an elevation of about 90 or 
 100 feet above the line of rails ; all the workings at 
 present being confined to this portion of the area. They 
 consist of open cuttings on the face of the hill, apparently 
 very little having as yet been done to ascertain the value of 
 the ground between the railway and the river. There are 
 certainly good indications there, and when I was last at 
 Thetford I found Mr. Ward prospecting in this part with 
 some success. Here, however, is the place where the water 
 trouble will first arise, which will have to be provided for at 
 the outset. 
 
 The essential peculiarity of the veins at Thetford is that 
 they are occasionally associated, as already mentioned, with 
 grains and threads of chromic iron and also of magnetite. 
 The magnetite forms rather conspicuous masses between the 
 veins of asbestos in Messrs. King's mine, where it sometimes 
 entirely replaces the latter.* 
 
 As a general rule, however, the surface veins at Thetford 
 are nearly as pure as those lying deeper in the rock, the 
 reason being that the surface is mostly naked rock only 
 scantily clothed with vegetable mould, moss, or other foreign 
 element, contact with which deteriorates, by discolouring, 
 the fibre, as is found to be the ctse in a very marked degree 
 in the mines next to be described. 
 
 It is a peculiarity of the veins of asbestos that they are 
 never continuous. They vary very much in size, and, in 
 precisely the same way as other mineral veins, they are 
 affected by faults or slides, which not infrequently cut off 
 
 • " Geograpbicnl Survey of Canada." 
 D 
 
 ^^mii 
 
34 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 m 
 
 i 'i 
 
 completely a valuable working face. Wlicre this occurs the 
 alicken-sided character is very marked. 
 
 Sheets, also, of imperfect or immature asbestos, having a 
 long coarse woody fibre, are frequently to be seen lying all 
 along the sides of the fault ; but, although there is a good 
 deal of this, the general quality of the jjroduco of all the 
 Thetford mines is excellent. The fibre is fine and of a 
 smooth silky texture, very easily worked. The veins are 
 mostly, especially in the lower cuttings, more free from 
 impurities than those of Coleraine. 
 
 No steam power is at present used in this district, the 
 whole of the proprietors at present continuing to rely upon 
 hand labour ; the Boston Company are, however, as just 
 mentioned, now seriously turning their attention that way, 
 with a view of increasing their output. 
 
 The Thetford mine-owners are one and all kind and 
 hospitable men, always feady to give every information and 
 to facilitate an inspection of their works by anyone who 
 will take the trouble to visit them ; a trouble which I always 
 found very amply repaid by the courtesy with which I was 
 received, and the candour and obliging readiness with which 
 all my inquiries were immediately answered. 
 
 The workers in the mines here are mostly resident on 
 the spot, sufficient accommodation having been provided for 
 them in the immediate neighbourhood of the mines ; the 
 proprietors, who appear to act with a liberal consideration 
 towards their men, deeming it incumbent on themselves to 
 look after their welfare ; and they find their account in so 
 doing, in not running short of hands at critical times. 
 
 The piactice at Thetford is to close down entirely for the 
 winter months, it not having yet been found advantageous, 
 in view of the limited market, coupled with the difficulty of 
 outdoor quiirrywork, to encounter the extra expense of work- 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 35 
 
 ing at this season. Sorao of the owners, Messrs. King in 
 eHpecial, being largely interested in the hnnbcr trade, to 
 which thev devote themselves in the winter, are able (o find 
 plenty of employment at that season for their men and 
 others, who then go off into the woods. 
 
 At Thetford, as elsewhere, great mistakes, arising mainly 
 from inexperience and want of the knowledge now possessed, 
 were made when the mines were first opened up, which will 
 inevitably entail serious loss in the future ; as an instance, 
 much valuable ground is now seen to be covered up by 
 the dumps, which will unquestionably have to be moved 
 presently when the land is wanted for working. 
 
 The same want of foresight, for which there was less 
 excuse with the Thetford experience to guide them, will 
 inevitably cause trouble in the near future at ]31ack Lake, 
 on the property of the Anglo-Canadian Company, even to a 
 more serious extent. The parties who first opened up the 
 ground here evidently know what they were about, but their 
 immediate successors, being destitute of all practical mining 
 knowledge, have, by their neglect of professional assistance, 
 committed such errors of judgment as will presently occasion 
 very serious expense to the company. At their main pit 
 many thousands of tons of waste rock have been dumped 
 on to some of the richest part of the (ground, and this must 
 bo again moved before that ground can be worked. From 
 tlie peculiarity of the work, there probably exists no class of 
 mining which so absolutely necessitates the services of a 
 practical mining engineer, in marking out the land in the 
 first instance for mining and dumping, as that for asbestos does. 
 
 The cost of extraction varies in different localities, depend- 
 ing mainly on tho mass of barren rock to be encountered 
 and removed. At Thetford the cost may be put at from 
 §20 to $25 per ton, the latter probably being nearer the 
 
 J) 2 
 
 ill 
 

 IV M 
 
 m 
 
 36 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 average. On tlio Anglo-Canadian Company' h property at 
 Black Lake it is a more serious matter. There the quantity 
 of barren overlying rock and earth is enormous, and detracts 
 immensely from the value of the mines. The minimum cost 
 here is $28. 
 
 In addition to asbestos, it is worthy of note that the whole 
 of the Thctford distWct is rich in minerals. Among others 
 some largo and valuable deposits of chromic iron ate found in 
 the immediate neighbourhood, within but a short distance 
 of the asbestos mines. 
 
 THE COLERAINE GROUP. 
 
 Four miles farther down the line of railway from Thet- 
 ford we come to the Coleraine group of asbestos mines, 
 situate at Black Lake. 
 
 The pioneer of these mines was a Mr. Noel, now resident 
 at Richmond, near Sherbrooke, in the same province, who, 
 in 1881, discovered and opened up a mine of a promising 
 character here, which in 1882 he sold to Mr. Charles Lionais, 
 who was until recently the resident manager of the mines 
 owned by the Scottish Asbestos Company, at Black Lake and 
 Broughton. 
 
 The mine iirst opened here was called by Mr. Lionais the 
 "Eureka," and some time afterwards he opened another on the 
 same estate which he named the " Emclie." The property on 
 which these two mines are located subsequently came into the 
 possession of the late Mr. Senecal, and was by him trans- 
 ferred to the "Anglo-Canadian Asbestos Company, Limited," 
 on the formation of that company in London, in the autumn 
 of 1885. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 37 
 
 The estate owned I)y the Anglo-Canadiun Company com- 
 prises 325 acres, and baa a frontage of 1,350 feet extending 
 backwards over the hills as far as Lake Cariboo. Until 
 recently this was the only place in the district where 
 machinery was employed to get out the ore. 
 
 The peculiar characteristic of this property, as distin- 
 guished from the mines forming the Thetford group, is that 
 much exceedingly heavy 'vork, necessitating of course great 
 expense and showing very poor results, must of necessity bo 
 done before the good veins, if any such exist, as it is believed 
 they do, are reached. Much of this has already so far been 
 done at tho Emelie, that at length this portion of the pro- 
 perty bids fair, in capable hands, of proving to be a moder- 
 ately paying mine. Great results wore prophesied from it 
 at first, but so far it has by no means realised expectations. 
 
 Tho surface veins, not only at the " KmcHe" but all over 
 the property so fur as yet proved, are . ' only thin, but are 
 much discoloured by the infiltration ft water which is so 
 strongly impregnated with the oxide i . iron as almost to 
 destroy its value. It was thought, and as it wmild appear 
 with some show of reason, that the output would greatly 
 improve in value as a lower depth was reached ; but 
 although there has undoubtedly been a sensible improvement 
 in quality, the general result is disappointing. Started 
 as a No. 3 mine, as such in all probability it will continue. 
 The output from this Company's mines for 1886 was 330 tons. 
 
 The No. 3 quality of asbestos, which has hitherto been 
 the main produce of this mine, fetches so low a price in the 
 market that alone it would not pay for working. Tliis, as 
 already explained, is mainly on account of its bad colour 
 and general coarse quality. This latter having somewhat 
 improved, a considerable proportion of the produce would 
 cease to be classed as No. 3 if it were not for the bad 
 
 
 
38 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 
 I 
 
 III I! 
 
 colour. It therefore occurred to me that It might bo 
 possible to remove this defect without injuring the fibre, 
 and in consequence I had some experiments made with this 
 object in view, and ultimately succeeded beyond my expec- 
 tations, in replacing the discoloured fibre by one sufficiently 
 bright to enable it to take rank as No. 1. These experi- 
 ments, it is true, were onlj^ conducted on a limited fcale, 
 but, so far as I am aware, there is no reason why it should 
 not be done on a large scale, which would very materially 
 increase the value of the article. 
 
 There is ample room for opening up in a more judicious 
 way on other parts of this property on what seems likely to 
 be good paying ground ; and a mode of doing this without 
 incurring any further expense might easily be devised, and, 
 if this were done, other seams of better quality might be hit 
 upon. 
 
 Another point in the company's favour is that, if judici- 
 ously selected, there is abundant room for dumping without 
 encroaching on the ore-bearing groimds — r. most important 
 matter when consideration is taken of the enoi'mous quantity 
 of waste rock to be here encountered and removed. 
 
 The buildings on the estate are well constructed, and 
 are in an efficient state of repair, but at present there va 
 an insufficiency of dwelling-houses on the property. These 
 are a necessity in the district, for securing and retaining 
 a better class of labour. No great expense would have to 
 be incurred in supplying this deficiency. Lumber and 
 labour are both conjparatively cheap, and the buildings in 
 themselves, moreover, would always return a fair interest on 
 the outlay. 
 
 The property on which the " Martin " Mine is located 
 closely adjoins the last mentioned. This has recently been 
 acquired by " Ihe Scottish Asbestos Company," of Glasgow, 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 39 
 
 with the intention of working it in conjunction with their 
 mines at East Broughton. Judging by the elaborate 
 preparations for work which are being made, and the 
 expenditure which is being incurred in buildings and 
 machinery, it is evidently the company's intention to carry 
 on work vigorouslj'^ in both places. 
 
 Their property at ]^>lack Lake covers 102 acres, and is 
 described as being a mile long by 520 feet wide. The out- 
 put is given as JiOO tons, but I should doubt very much if it 
 has yet reached this figure. 
 
 The ground here and in front of the Anglo-Canadian 
 CoiT^)any's land rises very rapidly, from the level of the 
 Quebec Central Hailway, until it attains a height of nearly 
 600 feet, being then about on a level with the Thet- 
 ford mines. The great serpentine belt crosses both pro- 
 perties, and is bounded along its northern margin by 
 quartzose granulite, separated from the serpentine by a 
 narrow belt of soapstone. It is claimed for property of the 
 Scottish Asbestos Company, that not less than three-quarters 
 of it consists of the rock formation that seems to be the 
 asbestos matrix. 
 
 This property is well laid out, and has a considerable 
 number of dwellings already erected on it for the work- 
 people. It is also traversed by a good road leading down to 
 the line of railway. 
 
 On a narrow strip of land, dividing the properties of the 
 last two mentioned companies, is a small mine called the 
 Freehette-Douville "Mine, which (working the same seams 
 of ore), was doing very well when I was there. The output 
 of this is not large, but the quality was very good, and this 
 in consequence is no doubt a very paying mine. 
 
 These are Ihe only mines at present being worked at 
 Black Lake, but from indications on other properties lying 
 
 % 
 
 ill I 
 
« 
 
 40 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 on the same Hue, there can be little doubt that other mines 
 will presently be opened up in this locality. Capital is all 
 that is wanting at present, but, as the demand for the 
 mineral increases, the necessary capital for producing it in 
 larger quantities will no doubt be forthcoming. 
 
 The companies working at Black Lake when I was last 
 there were working at a great disadvantage as compared 
 with those at Thetford, in the want of a station on the line. 
 The Post Office arrangements were also of a very primitive 
 character, nor was there any wire nearer than Thetford. All 
 this, however, has been remedied, and there is now at Black 
 Lake not only a station but also a post and telegraph office, 
 in addition to many new houses for the accommodation of 
 the workpeople. 
 
 The cost of mining, for the reasons already given, is, and 
 must of necessity be, greater at Black Lake than at Thetford, 
 and cannot be put at less than $28 a ton. After removal 
 of the surface earth and rock , the proportion of refuse rock 
 is about twenty-five tons to one of asbestos. 
 
 In regard to communication, Black Lake is 80 miles 
 from Quebec, and about 60 from Sherbrcoke; the latter 
 being a rising place, where all stores, &c., needed for the 
 mines are obtainable and from whence lines radiate to all 
 parts of the States. 
 
 There are several other places in the vicinity of Black 
 Lake where, although all that has yet been done may be 
 culled simple exploratory work, the indications are such as 
 to warrant the expectation that valuable results may be 
 looked for. This is especially the case in whit are known 
 as the Reed and Haydon properties which v;xtend over about 
 200 acres. 
 
 On Dr. Reed's land, or rather on that part of it known as 
 the " Coleniine Klines," which is about 100 acres in extent. 
 
' 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 41 
 
 the ground has already been opened up in ten dijfferont places, 
 each of which shows good No. 1 asbestos in quantities 
 sufficient for profitable working. 
 
 The outcroppings here, moreover, are far superior to any- 
 thing that can be seen on the ground lower down where work 
 is now being carried on. A practical mining engineer who 
 was recently sent to examine and report on ♦^his property says 
 that it is 1.00 per cent, better than that at Black Lake ; that 
 75 per cent, of the whole is veritable asbestos-bearing land, 
 and that he knows of no other asbestos mine so well situate 
 for practical work, or showing such advantages in timber, 
 water, and, dumping ground. The timber is sufficient for all 
 practical purposes for at least twenty-five years. 
 
 And Mr. Ells, in his Annual Report to the Minister of the 
 Interior, for 1886, speaking of his visit to the asbestos 
 district and of his inspection of these properties, makes 
 special mention of them as follows : " In the vicinity of Black 
 Lake several other areas occur, in which the exploratory 
 work done, though not very extensive, shows indications 
 that fulli/ warrant the statement that a valuable and profitable 
 output may be expected. These properties are known as the 
 Reed and Hayilen properties, and are situated on lots 27 and 
 28, Range B of Coleraine. In various open cuts in the side 
 of the hills numerous veins are disclosed, ranging upwards 
 to a width of two and a half inches, with surface indications 
 apparently in no way inferior to those of the adjoining pro- 
 perties now being worked at this place, or even of those of 
 Thdford mines, not only as to the number and sizeoi the veins, 
 but also as to the quality of the fibre. These indications 
 appear at many points on both the Hayden and Reed pro- 
 perties, which embrace a total of 200 acres." 
 
 Between these properties and Cariboo Lake the serpentines 
 extend in an apparently continuous ridge, and show, at inter- 
 
 i 
 
42 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 I Si 
 
 vals, very good indications of asbestos. This area, h(jwever, 
 has not yet been sufficiently explored for much to be said, 
 from actual observation, of its value as asbestos land, though 
 it seems reasonable enough to suppose that this portion of 
 the serpentine belt will be presently found equally valuable 
 with that of the adjoining section. 
 
 In the vicinity of the Coleraine Station of the Quebec 
 Central Railway (the next station to Black Lake), serpentine 
 also occurs ; but the main ridge, extending south-west, keeps 
 to the north-west for about a mile and a half, where it forms 
 a conspicuous hill feature. An opening recently made on 
 this south-west extremity by Mr. Kennedy disclosed the 
 presence of a number of asbestos veins, one of which, occurring 
 near the surface had a wddth, it is said, of nearly four inches. 
 Sufficient work has not yet been done to determine the 
 persistence and value of these veins, though when I was 
 last leaving the district I was given to understand that 
 energetic operations would commence immediately on the 
 opening of the working season. 
 
 A peculiarity here is the occurrence of a considerable 
 quantity of mica in direct contact with the asbestos, a 
 circumstance which has not hitherto been found to be the 
 case anywhere else. 
 
 BEOUGHTON. 
 
 The finest vein of asbestos ever yet worked in Canada was 
 discovered at Broughton, when the Fraser Mine was first 
 opened and worked by Dr. Reed ; although doubtless the 
 largest, most continuous, and consequently best paying veins 
 have been found at Thetford, some of which, it has been 
 stated, were over six inches in thickness. I confess I have 
 
•w 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 43 
 
 not been fortunate enough to see anything like this, but I 
 have seen many veins there, the produce of -which was of 
 surprising beauty, and specimens of which I have before me 
 as I write, which are broad enough and good enough for any 
 purpose to which the fibre can possibly be put. 
 
 It must, however, be borne in mind that the same rule 
 obtains with many other things as is noted in the vegetable 
 world — namely, that the largest specimens are not necessarily 
 the best. The broader veins of asbestos do not, as I have 
 already remarked, yield as a rule fibre of so fine a quality as 
 those of a medium, or even of a small size. The length of 
 the fibre, moreover, cannot be determined with iiny absolute 
 certainty from the thiclcness of the vein. On the contrary^ 
 the broader veins are not seldom found to be separated at 
 right angles to the length of fibre by minute bands of ser- 
 pentine, chrome, or magnetite, sometimes even by a sepa- 
 ration without any perceptible layer of rock, the only indi- 
 cation of this being an irregular, scarcely visible line, readily 
 detected by the expert.* 
 
 Under the hammer the big veins, in which the separation 
 exists, are at once divided into two, or it may be into three 
 lengths of fibre ; but if the cotton be pure and clear, thir. is 
 no very great detriment. Veins of an inch or an inch and a 
 half extracted from compact rock seldom have these inter- 
 sections. The veins, moreover, are extremely irregular in 
 character, a small vein at the surface frequently developing 
 into one of considerable size lower down, or breaking otf 
 altogether. This is the special characteristic of the veins in 
 the Coleraine district — notably at lilack Lake — at the min'es 
 of the Anglo-Canadian Company, and at Danville. At 
 Thetford, on the other hand, where the ground is of a more 
 luiiform character, and at a lower level than at Black Lake, 
 
 * Ante, ]). 27. 
 
44 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 fine veins are frequently met with just below the surface, which 
 continue for a considerable distance with very little change. 
 
 It will clearly be seen, therefore, that it is not possible 
 properly to appreciate the value of such a mine as this 
 without inspection and thorough examination by an expert. 
 Fine specimens can at any time be obtained, and have before 
 now been exhibited at a distance as being the produce of 
 some particular mine for which a purchaser was wanted, 
 when anyone visiting the spot would at once see the utter 
 impossibility of such having been the case ; and even if it 
 were proved to be true that the specimens exhibited came 
 from the place indicated, it would be important to know at 
 what depth they were got, with the nature and general 
 disposition of the mine, as well as the proportion of super- 
 incumbent rock requiring to be removed before the valuable 
 veins could be worked. Without a knowledge of this it is 
 self-evident that no practical estimate of expense to be 
 incurred could possibly be made. 
 
 The discovery at liroughton made a great stir at the time ; 
 but the big vein there was to all appearance soon worked out, 
 the supply thought to be exhausted, and work in consequence 
 discontinued. 
 
 That, at any rate, was the view taken by the gentleman 
 who then worked the mine. About 130 tons, I was told, 
 were got out, which fetched from $100 to $120 a ton. It 
 would now be w^orth a mucli better price. 
 
 The Scottish Asbestos Company have since then purchased 
 this property, and from the extensive preparations they are 
 making for work, and the great outlay they are incurring for 
 machinery, buildings, and plant, it is clear that they do not 
 by any means coincide in the view above expressed. The 
 stratification at Broughton is peculiar, and different from 
 anything that is fomid either in Thetford or Coleraine. It 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 45 
 
 is quite possible, therefore, that the Company's advisers may 
 be .right, and that the surface deposits will bo found to 
 continue in richness and volume lower down. The develop- 
 ments at present consist of an open cut 15 to 20 feet deep by 
 8 feet wide following the vein and the serpentine reef is laid 
 open for a length of about 900 feet. 
 
 When I last visited Broughton, ill the autumn of 188G, I 
 went over the ground in company with the late Mr. Fraser, 
 who was then resident on the property, but was unable, from 
 the quantity of water in the cut, to trace any of the big 
 veins which had previously been worked. It was evident, 
 however, that in consequence of a sudden dip downwards 
 considerable expense would have to be incurred, and much 
 very heavy work done, before the seam could be reached 
 again. The belt of serpentine hero is very narrow, and the 
 veins of asbestos are closely pressed together. The strike is 
 east and west, and the dip 30°. 
 
 There are prospects here to the north-east, apparently of as 
 valuable a character as those of the mine already opened. 
 A few days after my visit, I was shown some fine samples 
 from the surface work of this place, where the ground had 
 just been stripped, and these bore the precise characteristics 
 of the fine vein already spoken of. The Broughton ore has 
 a pale yellowish hue, as distinguished from the greenish 
 metallic lustre which distinguishes the finer samples from 
 Thetford. This does not, it must be observed, in any way 
 deteriorate or injuriously affect the clear whiteness of the 
 fibre when crushed out, although it at once identifies the 
 locality of its production. Ther(j are, in fact, as I have 
 already mentioned, certain peculiarities, even of colour, attach- 
 ing to the ore of each locality of so marked a character that 
 an expert can at once tell, on inspection, from what locality 
 it was obtained. 
 
man 
 
 ! li 
 
 46 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 There is great abundance of soapstonc (steatite) at Broug-h- 
 ton ; much of it of good quality, and some of it is remark- 
 ably pure. I brought away a singular specimen, having all 
 the grain and even the fibrous markings of asbestos, which 
 was nevertheless pure and unmistakable unfibred steatite. 
 
 At present no use is being made of this material at 
 Broughton, but at Wolfes>town, in the same province, there 
 is a manufactory for its use, and here slabs of very fine 
 quality can be procured. A workable bed of very superior 
 quality has been found also at Potton, and there is another 
 at South Ilara, near the antimony mines on the Lake Nicolet 
 estate. Reduced to powder, the softness and unctuosity of 
 steatite have caused it to be used, in the same manner as 
 plumbago, for lubricating purposes, and when finely gro\nid 
 it is employed for giving a surface to some kinds of paper- 
 hangings. 
 
 The substance called Venetian or French chalk, used by 
 tailors and others, is nothing more than steatite. It can bo 
 readily cut with a knife, and is infusible in anj' ordinary 
 furnace heat. 
 
 Slaty varieties, of which there are many, arc comparatively 
 useless. 
 
 ilH 
 
 DxVNVILLE. 
 
 There is a mine at Shipton, about four miles from the 
 village of Danville, contiguous to the line of the Grand 
 Trunk Railway, which has been for some time worked by 
 Mr. Jeffery, whose acqiuiintance I had the pleasure of 
 making in Montreal, but I much regret that time did not 
 permit of a visit to this mine, so I can give no details of my 
 own personal knowledge. 
 
 The outcrop of the serpentine here, I am told, is quite 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 47 
 
 limited, willi stcop sides all round it. It liowever contains 
 niimeroua veins of asbestos which, though mostly of small 
 size, are of good quality. Faults are numerous, and these 
 considerably affect the value of the property, some of the 
 good veins, with a thickness of two inches, for instance, 
 being cut off completely at a distance of fifty feet from the 
 surface. 
 
 In a pamphlet published at Ottawa, by the Department of 
 Agriculture of the Dominion Government, I find it stated 
 that the whole output of this mine has been contracted for 
 for the next ten years. This is said to amount to 100 tons 
 per annum, and its value is given as $>00 per ton. 
 
 II ! 
 
 SOUTH HAM. 
 
 This mine, the property of Dr. Reed of Rcedsdalo, 
 Megantic, is situate on the Nicolet Estate, in the township 
 of South Ham, 7\ miles from the Garthby Station on the 
 line of the Quebec Central Railway. It was first described 
 as being situate on Big Island, in the centre of Lake 
 Nicolet, where the serpentine rocks rise very abruptly to the 
 height of sev^enty feet, forming precipitous cliffs on the 
 western side of the island. Recent exploration, however, 
 has shown that the main body of asbestos is on the hill-side, 
 and is of siich extent as altogether to eclipse that proved to 
 exist on the island, which was at first thought to be the chief 
 source of supply. 
 
 The mine on the island is not being worked, but has been 
 fully proved by numerous openings which have been made 
 at the most promising points, revealing in every case Aoins 
 of asbestos of remarkably good quality and in great abun- 
 dance. These, as mentioned, are now known to pass under 
 
 ill 
 
 W' 
 
n 
 
 48 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 tho lake, and can be seen cropping out in many places on 
 tho shore and the hill-side. 
 
 The mineral as seen on the island presents many points of 
 difference from that at Thetford and Colcraino ; and in tho 
 Geological Survey of Canada, I iind it is stated to consist of 
 four varieties, viz. : — 
 
 Ist. Small veins, rarely exceeding half an inch in width, 
 the fibres not easily separable. This, however, does not 
 detract from its commercial value. 
 
 2nd. Apparently occupying a position at right angles to 
 the veins above noticed, is a coarse fibrous mineral, resem- 
 bling rope, and evidently derived from the associated picro- 
 lite. The extreme length which those fibres may attain 
 could not be determined, but judging from exposed portions, 
 it cannot be less than three feet. 
 
 3rd. Veins somewhat resembling the latter in aspect, but 
 much finer in texture. The fibre can be separated with 
 great facility, though firmly attached at one end to the 
 parent rock. 
 
 4th. A steatitic asbestos rock, resembling " Mountain 
 leather," forming important masses, which enclose small 
 concretionary pellets of asbestos, the centres of which con- 
 tain a nucleus of serpentine. 
 
 Very little (the report says) has yet been done on the island 
 to develop these asbestos veins, perhaps owing to the diffi- 
 culty of transport across the lake. This, however, would 
 probably be more than counterbalanced by the magnificent 
 returns which this locality promises to afford. 
 
 Dr. Reed at present is altogether neglecting the asbestos 
 and devoting his attention to the development of a very 
 promising antimony mine on the shore of the lake. 
 
 Indeed this estate might very justly be termed a typical 
 Canadian mineral estate, and is, in its waj', unique, for 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 49 
 
 ccnuprisod within its 2,000 ncres, there are found to exist 
 not only ricli veins of antimony and asbestos, and, as was 
 Rioted in the notice of Brougliton, enormous quantities 
 of soapstone, but there are also immense deposits of iron, 
 niagneti' chromic, and bog ore, as well ua copper and 
 sulphur. Silver to the value of $4 per ton of ore is found 
 with the antimony, and reefs of auriferous quartz i*un 
 through the entire property, from which a practical miner 
 from Australia, wlio was examined before the committee 
 appointed in 1887 by the Dominion Government to investi- 
 gate the gold-fields of Canada, stated that he had taken 
 samples which on assay gave 2 J ozs. gold to the ton. Nickel 
 also is found on the property, and cobalt. 
 
 Everything necessary for the working of those valuable 
 deposits already exists on the ground — unlimited water 
 supply, and timber for building and niiniug purposes, as 
 well as for charcoal for any furnaces that may presently bo 
 erected : sufficient, if judiciously managed according to the 
 rules of forestry such as obtain in Germany, Austria, and 
 Kussia, to last until a new growth matures. In regard to 
 transport, the roads are good, and a line of rail connecting 
 the Grand Trunk with the Intercolonial will touch the 
 property next summer, and will, it is expected, have a station 
 there just below the antimony mine. In rogard to steatite, 
 the quantity here is so enormous that an expert (Captain 
 A. M. Evans, of the firm of Blakemoro and Evans, the well- 
 known civil and mining engineers of Cardiff), who was 
 lately sent by me to report on this property, s])eaking of 
 steatite, says, " All I can say is, there are raouritains of it." 
 
 This mineral is a more or less pure and compact talc. 
 When pure and of close hard grain it is used as a refractory 
 for lining fitrnaces, especially those designed for anthracite. 
 It is in demand also for gas burners, not being liable to rust 
 
 ,■ r i 
 
50 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 or corrosion, and also for tho construction of small portable 
 furnacos and open stoves. It is used also in tho manu- 
 facture of paints. "When very strongly heated, steatite Icses 
 the small portion of combined water contained in it; and 
 then in consequence becomes much harder. 
 
 WOLFESTOWN. 
 
 The description of tho asbestos area of Wolfestown ia 
 given by Mr. Ells. It is situate on the north-east extremity 
 of a serpentine ridge which extends south-westerly, with 
 many interruptions, from the road leading from Coleraine 
 Station to Wolfestown, in tho vicinity of Lake Nicolet. It 
 belongs to Mr. John Bell (John Bell & Co., asbestos manu- 
 fafctui'ers, Lr q), and considerable sums have been expended 
 on the prc^ in the way of exploration. The surface 
 
 indications are said not to be equal to those at Black Lake, 
 but show at several points numbers of veins, some of which 
 are from one and a half to two inches thick. 
 
 A very fair showing of workable veins has been exposed 
 on the upper part of a deep cut, which it is proposed to 
 intersect at a considerably lower level. Should tho same rule 
 of increase which holds good at Thetford and Coleraine 
 obtain here, there should be good paying ground exposed 
 when the loAver level is driven in past the cap of barren rock, 
 provided the veins already disclosed are not cut off by fault s, 
 whose presence is noted here as at other points. 
 
 The total amount of asbestos taken from the Balmina dis- 
 trict ]Mr. Ells puts at about twenty-five tons. 
 
 i/i , 
 
ASBESTOS, 
 
 5« 
 
 Considerable quaiidtics erf chromic iron arc found on the 
 hills in this area, which cnibrucoH about, six hundred acres. 
 
 Tlio foregoing arc all the Canadian mines now in work, as far 
 as I have been able to learn, certainly all of any importance. 
 There can be no doubt, liowever, that as the demand increases 
 further explorations will be made, and now mines discovered, 
 as well as that increased capital will be put in to further 
 develop those already at work. At the present time the 
 supply scarcely keeps pace with the demand, and capitalists 
 are beginning to wake up to the importance of this industry ; 
 it haviiiy been now conchiHii'eli/ proml that nu'niiif/ for asboatos, 
 propet'li/ coiulucfrd, shows a move stendt/ return for the money 
 invested, with less elements of risk, than 7nining for any other 
 knoum mineral. 
 
 I am unable to say, with any degree of exactness, what is 
 the amount of the aggregate output of the Canadian mines ; 
 but I saw it stated in a local paper that, in 1885, it was 
 under 1,500 tons, and that in 1886 it hud reached 2,000 tons, 
 giving an increase of over 500 tons for the year. This is 
 quite sufficient to show the rapid strides the business is mak- 
 ing, and is probably near about correct, judging by the rate 
 of progression in the imports to the States, for instance. 
 The value of manufactured asbestos imported into the United 
 States from Canada, in 1880, is given in the Government 
 Returns as under 10,000 dollars. In 1884 it had risen to 
 48,755 dollars, and it has been increasing yearly ever since. 
 That the demand is rapidly increasing its unquestionable, not 
 only for the present articles of manufacture, but for the new 
 purposes to which it is being daily applied. More capital 
 will, doubtless, soon be put in, and then new lines, which 
 almost indicate themselves, will prepare the way for con- 
 tinued success. 
 
 As regards the progressive output of crude asbestos at the 
 
 e2 
 
 ill 
 
'f 
 
 5* 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 Tons. 
 300 
 
 Value at the Mines 
 Dollars. 
 
 19,500 
 
 380 
 
 540 
 
 24,700 
 35,100 
 
 810 
 
 52,650 
 
 955 
 1,141 
 2,440 
 3,458 
 
 68,750 
 
 75,079 
 
 142,141 
 
 206,251 
 
 mines, since its introduction in 1887, the following may no 
 doubt be taken as authentic, being extiVicted from the 
 " Statistical Report on the Production, Value, Exports, and 
 Imports of Minerals in Canada during the year 188G and 
 previous years," by Eugene Coste, M.E., published by 
 authority of the Dominion Parliament. In this Iloport the 
 production and value is given as follows : — 
 
 1879 
 1880 
 1881 
 1882 
 1883 
 1884 
 1885 
 1886 
 
 The mode of extraction in all Canadian asbestos mines is 
 by open quarry work. Whether the drills are worked by 
 compressed air, or by hand in the old-fashioned way, the 
 effect is the same. When a sufficient number of holes of 
 the proper depth are drilled and duly cliarged with d^Tiamite 
 or powder, they are linked together, and fired by a battery 
 in such a way that the face of rock shall be thrown outward 
 on to the floor of the pit. The asbestos is then picked out, the 
 adhering Tock roughly broken off, and the ore piled into 
 boxes or tubs, which are loaded on to trolleys, and run off 
 on tram-lines to the cobbing-sheds. The refuse rock, of 
 which there is always an enormous quantity (probably as 
 much as twenty tons of rock to one ton of asbestos), is loaded 
 into cars, run off and shot over on to the dumping-ground. 
 
 Boys are employed in the cobbing-sheds to chip, or cob, the 
 rock cleanly from the ore, an operation which is much more 
 troublesome with thin veins than with those of the better sort 
 to which, as I have already said, the waste rock is less firmly 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 55 
 
 adlicrcnt. This cobbing is a very troublesome and expensive 
 process, costing about 5 dollars a ton. After cobbing, great 
 care is required in sorting the ore into the respective grades 
 of Nos. 1, 2, and 3. It is then put up in bags of about 
 160 lbs. each, marked, and stacked away in the bins ready 
 for shipment. All this i.s done in a very rough and ready 
 style, and the waste is simply enormous : there is no doubt, 
 however, that as the ore increases in value more scientific 
 appliances ,.ill bo adopted with good results. At present 
 thousands of tons of rock containing only thin veins of 
 asbestos are dumped on the refuse heaps as waste which Avould 
 all be crushed if a proper machine were at hand, and the 
 valuable material saved. 
 
 In the cobbed state ready for market the ore is worth at 
 the mines at the present time from 50 dollars to 55 dollars 
 for No. 2, and from 80 dollars to 100 dollars for No. 1. ItJs 
 ■evident, therefore, on a comparison of the cost of extraction 
 with the price realised for the raw material, that there is 
 ample margin for good profit. 
 
 Wages run from 1 dollar to 1 dollar 75 cents a day, 
 according to the nature of the work performed, for men, and 
 from 50 cents to 1 dollar for lads and cobbers. The compa- 
 rison o;i' the cost of production, therefore, with the value of 
 the raw material, shows a very large margin of profit. 
 
 There is no scarcity of 'labour, a sufficient number of 
 hands, mostly French- Canadians, being always forthcoming ; 
 but at those mines where there is an insufficiency of houses 
 for married men, acconnnodation has to be found in the 
 barrack-] ike building for single men; the married men, who 
 cannot be accommcdatcd, residing frocpiently at a long dis- 
 tance from choir work, which causes them to be of a migra- 
 tory disposition, and gives con.siderable additional (rouble fu 
 the management. 
 
54 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 !l#Hi 
 
 A disadvantage in the employment of French-Canadian 
 hibour lies in the great number of festivals incident to their 
 religion, with consequent loss of work at the mines, but 
 apparently there is no remedy for this at present. The 
 greatest curse of the place, however, is gin. Although the 
 district is under the Scott Act, and the sale of liquor conse- 
 quently prohibited, like every other place where the sale is 
 interdicted there is no difficulty, if you know how to go 
 about it, sometimes even if you don't, in getting as much as 
 you please. At any rate I never yet was in any such place 
 where I did not find it to be so. 
 
 Here is an instance : On one occasion I had been ou^; 
 driving in the pouring rain for several hours, had got 
 drenched to the skin, and was bitterly cold. I pulled up, 
 therefore, at a likely-looking house, went in and called for 
 some brandy, but to my disgust was told no liquors could 
 be supplied, as it was against the law. As I turned to go 
 out again, in no very cheerful mood, the man, seeing the 
 state I was in, evidently took compassion on me, and said, 
 " Better try some bitters ;" so calling to mind the old saying 
 that all bitters ,are warm barring a bitter cold (hxy, which 
 only proves the niic, J assented. He then pushed over a 
 tumbler and a black bottle, when I at once poured out and 
 swallowed a pretty strong dose, feeling when I had done so 
 as if I had swallowed a streak of forked lightning. As 
 soon as I had recovered my breath I muttered my thanks 
 and paid up. *' Have another ? "' says he, with a twinkle in 
 his eye. " No, thauks,*" I replied. " Guess you'll remem- 
 ber our bitters," he then laughingly said, prefixing the name 
 of the place, which I afterwards found was in a district 
 where prohibition was very strictly enforced, and which I 
 therefore purposely omit, his breach of the law having no 
 doubt saved me from the dangerous effects of a chill. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 55 
 
 The hip pockets in the men's pants form very con- 
 venient receptacles for the bottles, and are always pretty well 
 filled after pay days and holidays. The liquor most in 
 favour is a vile compound called gin. It is supplied in the 
 regular square Dutch bottles from the familiar green- painted 
 boxes in which " Hollands " is exported, and which are 
 labelled " De Kuyper ; " but the vile stuff is not much credit 
 to that gentleman's manufacture if it be so, which is much 
 to be doubted. 
 
 no 
 
 USES TO WHICH ASBESTOS IS APPLIED. 
 
 In regard to the many varied uses to which this mineral 
 is now put, foremost must be placed the numerous .aluable 
 articles manufactured for engineering purposes. 
 
 Were I to attempt to enumerate the various kinds of 
 packing, mostly in the shape of millboard, in use for all 
 kinds of engines, for steam joints, cylinder and steam chest 
 covers, pipe flanges, &c., this part of my little book would 
 have the appearance of a manufacturer's catalogue. 
 
 The rapidly increasing favour witli which high pressure 
 steam is now regarded by engineers, recently necessitated 
 the introduction of a packing capable of resisting the 
 higher temperatures and pressures ; as a consequence manu- 
 facturers of asbestos "roods had to devise improved methods 
 of manufacture in oner to meet the new condition of things, 
 and this they succeeded in doing in a way to give universal 
 satisfaction. 
 
 For washers asbestos has Tuany advantages over rubber ; 
 its weight is less, they can be frequently used, and half the 
 thickness of rubber is mostly sufficient. 
 
 i 
 
56 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 The fibre, Sir Frederick Abel says, is as effectual for 
 closing the breeches of big guns so as to prevent the passage 
 of gas, as for ensuring safety, in the same way, for miner.s' 
 lamps. In these last, it had for a long time been found very 
 difficult to get a good joint between the metallic and the 
 glass parts of the safety lamp, and a great many different 
 materials were <ried for filling these joints in such a way 
 that air should not be able to pass through. In many cases, 
 the air was contaminated with a certain amount of gaseous 
 material which Avould be likely to render the whole explo- 
 sive, and if this got through the joint between the glass and 
 the metal, there would be very serious risk of explosion. 
 After a great nuTuber of substances had been tried and found 
 unsatisfactory, some hundreds of experiments were made by 
 Sir Frederick Abel and Sir Warington Smyth, with asbestos 
 washers, which, in the end, ^yere found to maintain their 
 condition most admirablv. 
 
 With regard to closiiig the breeches of big guns, we arc 
 informed also on the autliority of Sir Frederick Abt^l, that the 
 only contrivance which could be called an approach to a 
 perfect arrangement, was one devised by a French artillery 
 "officer, ]M. Dubange, which consisted of a kind of pad of 
 asbestos fibre attached to the breech-closing arrangement. 
 This, from its mineral nature, was nearly indestructible, and, 
 consequently, lasted without material deterioration for a 
 great length of time, notwithstanding that it was subjected 
 to the enormous pressures which are now developed in the 
 bores of very heavy guns. 
 
 In connection with the "Whitehead torpedoes, we learn 
 from the same authority, that in these and other similar 
 receptacles, within which charges of wet gun cotton are 
 enclosed, the use of asbestos is now found to overcome a great 
 difliculfy. The vessels containing the damp cotton have 
 
ASBESTOS, 
 
 57 
 
 to be soldered, in order to keep them perfectly air-tight, and 
 thus prevent the water from escaping ; and in order to do 
 this, with anything approaching safety, the space between 
 the gun cotton and the metal surfaces which havo to bo 
 soldered, were formerly filled with damp felt wads or discs. 
 This answered the purpose ; but Sir Frederick Abel states 
 that it was found after they had been stored for some time, 
 that the effect of the moisture on the felt was to cause it to 
 undergo a kind of decay or fermentation, resulting in the 
 formation of gas to such an extent that the vessels were dis- 
 tended, and threatened to burst, and sometimes actually did 
 burst with considerable violence. Asbestos millboard was 
 then substituted for the felt, and the difficulty and danger 
 were then removed ; gas was no longer evolved, whilst the 
 operation of soldering could be performed with safety, the 
 material remaining perfectly unaltered. 
 
 In the manufacture of time-fuzes again, asbestos washers 
 are found most valuable. Washers of india-rubber and wash- 
 leather were formerly used, but these in time became hard, 
 and acted on the metal surfaces with which they came in con- 
 tact in such a manner as to cement tiiem together, instead of 
 keeping them mobile, and it was not until the introduction of 
 asbestos washers that difficulties in connection with the 
 proper action of these ingenious contrivances for the ex- 
 plosion of shells in a given time after their discharge, Averc 
 removed. 
 
 One of the latest uses to which asbestos has been proposed 
 to be applied in connection with warfare is as a coating for 
 ironclads. It is alleged by the inventor of the process that 
 if asbestos be packed between the armour-plates it will arrest, 
 or certainly minimise, the inflow of water after the pene- 
 tration of a ship's side below the water-line. This has 
 already been tried by the Admiralty, and an interesting 
 
 II' I 
 
S8 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 account of the trial may bo found in the Army and Nary 
 Gazette Supplement , for August 28, of last year, and in tlio 
 Globe of the previous evening. Should the results of further 
 trials corroborate the success of' the first, it is manifest that a 
 great impetus will be given to the asbestos trade, whilst it 
 will, at the same time, raise confidence in our fighting ships, 
 by practically preventing them from becoming waterlogged 
 in action. 
 
 An eminent firm of manufacturers in New York have 
 recently supplied, vmder contract with the United States 
 Government, a quilting for boiler covers for their model 
 warships, the Dolphin, Chicago, Atlantic, and Boston. 
 These quiltings weigh about two pounds to the square foot, 
 and are at all times removable. The same firm make remov- 
 able pipe coverings a speciality. 
 
 Certainly some of the uses to which this mineral is now 
 being put are sufficiently astonishing. Who, for instance, 
 could have imagined that a substance of such comparative 
 specific gravity as crude asbestos could have been manufac- 
 tured into a cloth available for aeronautical purposes in 
 which absent ">- of weight is of such primary importance? 
 Yet here it appears to be the one thing wanting to give 
 success to that despair of aeronauts, military ballooning. 
 Many years have now passed away since scientific military 
 men first turned their attention to this subject ; and it is 
 now long since the War Department of the Government first 
 authorized experiments to be made with the view of utilising 
 balloons in warfare, and notwithstanding all the time and 
 money which has been expended, until now the result in tlio 
 way of practical success has been nil. No use of balloons 
 was made even in the late Egyptian campaign, which shows 
 that up to that date English military men had no great faith 
 in their usefulness or availability. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 59 
 
 The difficulties to be encountered are doubtless sufficiently 
 formidable. Gas, it is clear, could not bo carried into a 
 hostile country or into remote and nearly inaccessible 
 districts. Even if procurable at all near the battle-field it 
 could only be obtained by a long and difficult process of 
 generation at the very time when speed and simplicity would 
 be the main factors of success. Gas, therefore, being 
 practically out of the question, it seems to have occurred to 
 Mr. Spencer, the wcll-know-n balloon manufacturer, that it 
 would be better after all to revert to the original conception 
 of Montgolfler. The old-fashioned fire-ball, which acquired its 
 power of ascension from rarefied air produced by burning 
 straw or something similar, was, of course, of far too dange- 
 rous a character, and had been productive of far too many 
 fatal accidents. It remained, therefore, to construct a balloon 
 of some uninflammable material, in order to obviate this diffi- 
 culty ; and with the assistance of his friend, Mr. Fisher, the 
 Secretary of the United Asbestos Company of Loudon, he 
 idtimately succeeded in so doing. A balloon was accord- 
 ingly constructodj the whole of the lower part of which wAs 
 formed of fine asbestos cloth, and the remainder of canvas, 
 covered with a fireproof solution. The first trial took place 
 in the grounds of the Welsh Harp, at Ilendon, and this has 
 since been repeated at Chatham, under the inspection of the 
 Royal Engineers' Committee, and on both occasions, I am in- 
 formed, with success. The balloon, which was a model only, 
 stood about 30 feet high, and was suspended between two 
 uprights, between which it hung down like a limp rag. It 
 was of a cylindrical shape, having a deep zone at the equator, 
 and a containing capacity «f about 300 feet. Attached to 
 the neck was a copper spirit-lamp. As soon as a light was 
 put to the spirit the inflation commenced, and the balloon 
 was fully distended in a space of about five minutes. 
 
6o 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 Tho immense ndvantngo gained by this method over tho 
 tcdioua and difficult process of inflation by gas, even under 
 tho most favourable circumstances, is sufficiently obvious, 
 whilst it is at tho same time apparent that the quantity of 
 spirit requisite for an endless number of ascents could be car- 
 ried about with the greatest facility. Anotlier advantage 
 remains to bo considered, in that whilst the largo volume of 
 gas required for an ordinary balloon is in itself deleterious, 
 the rarefied air in the new fireproof balloon is perfectly innocu- 
 ous, and it can be raised or lowered at will (dimply, by turn- 
 ing the neck of the lamp a little up or down. It is perhaps 
 somewhat superfluous to say that the Russian Government at 
 once adopted these balloons for war purposes. 
 
 In further continuance of this part of the subject, that is 
 the application of asbestos to matters connected with warfare, 
 the particulars of a very interesting experiment, which may 
 have an imp6rtant bearing on the carriage of explosive 
 material in time of war, was given by Mr. Boyd, the mana- 
 ger of the United Asbestos Company's worky at Haretield, 
 of whom I have already spoken, and to whom I have been 
 considerably indebted for much practical information, in a 
 paper read by him before the Society of Arts, on an occasion 
 when, through his kindness, I had an opportunity of being 
 present. lie was referring to the value of asbestos mill- 
 board as a lining for fireproof cases and deed boxes. The 
 matter, he said, was put to a practical test thus : two iron 
 rails were supported on brickwork at a height of about eigh- 
 teen inches fi'om the ground, and underneath them a strong 
 fire of wood sliavings and chips was made, and when this had 
 well burnt up, a deed box filled with papers was pushed 
 along the rails to the centre of the fire, where it was com- 
 pletely enveloped in the flames, and there it remained for a 
 space of twenty minutes. On the box being withdrawn it 
 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 6i 
 
 unlocked easily, and the papers wore found in perfect pre- 
 servation, being neither charred nor discoloured. 
 
 On seeing this result, one of the gentlemen present asked 
 if the boxes could not be used for transporting gunpowder or 
 other explosive substances. A quarter of a pound of powder 
 was then put in a small bag, and placed inside a fresh box, 
 which was pushed along the rails into the centre of the firo, 
 to which fresh fuel had been added. Those present withdrew 
 to a respectful distance, evidently, said Mr. Boyd, not yet 
 having absolute faith in the heat-resisting properties of 
 asbestos ; and after the box had been exposed to the fire for 
 twenty minutes the question naturally arose how it was to 
 be got off again. The manager himself performed that 
 operation by means of a long iron rod and hook, after which 
 the box was again opened and the powder found intact. The 
 question was then asked by some one present who was not 
 yet satisfied, " Why have the powder in a bag 't Let it be laid 
 on the bottom of the box loose." This was done, and the fire 
 ordeal repeated, again with the same result. Nothing could 
 well be more interesting or more suggestive to every one con- 
 nected with the asbestos industry than the foregoing. 
 
 As a final instance of its applicability for purposes con- 
 nected with warfare, it may be interesting to mention that I 
 have lately seen it stated that the fibre would be of great 
 value for use as lint in hospitals and on the battle -field. Of 
 this I am unable to speak, but if it be a fact that it can be so 
 used in favourable comparison with the best lint, as stated, 
 it is certain that its imperishable quality would be of great 
 advantage, seeing that it could be used over and over again, 
 only needing to be purified by passing it through fire after 
 each time of Ubing. 
 
 In regard to the use of asbestos in connection with build- 
 ing operations, much attention is now being given to this in 
 
mB> 
 
 62 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 ii 
 
 a variety of ways, in America especially. The building laws 
 of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia pay special attention 
 to this, and many material alterations have been required to 
 bo made in consequence in the fittings of several important 
 public buildings, whilst the use of the mineral is, I believe, 
 rendered compulsory on those wishing to procure licences for 
 the erection of new theatres, libraries, concert halls, &c. At 
 the American Academy of Music, in Philadelphia, the under- 
 writers went so far as to offer a reduct ion of one per cent, per 
 annum provided an asbestos curtain was placed in the house. 
 The Fire Apparatus Conimitteo then, it is reported, succeeded 
 in perfecting " the only barrier of complete protection to 
 an audience against fire in the world." This curtain, made 
 of asbestos cloth (97 per cent, pure asbestos and 3 per cent, 
 cotton) is 54 feet wide and 5^ feet high. It is hung on 
 wire lines, three-eighths of an inch thick, connecting with 
 a drum located in the apex of the roof, and can be raised 
 with ease by two men and lowered by one. 
 
 Again, after the disaster at the Hing Strasse Theatre, at 
 Vienna, when attention was dra^ii to the great danger arising 
 from the want of some certain and rapidly applicable means of 
 separating the stage from the body of the theatre, the Roman 
 Minister or Public Security issued an order that every theatre 
 should be fitted with a fireproof curtain capable of entirely 
 isolating the stage from the theatre, and ho indicated an 
 asbestos cloth curtain as one that would meet the case. All 
 the principal Roman theatres are now supplied with these 
 curtains, the material having been furnished by the United 
 Asbestos Company of London. The same company has also 
 receirtly fitted a similar curtain for use at the Theatre Royal 
 in Manchester. This is formed of an iron frame holding 
 the asbestos curtain. 
 
 Asbestos fireproof curtains are also in use at the New Na- 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 63 
 
 tionul Theatre, Washington ; the Criterion, Brookljii ; and 
 in the theatre at Clovehmd, Ohio. They have also hitely 
 been supplied to several English theatres, as well as that at 
 Manehcster just mentioned. 
 
 The terrible calamity at the Opera Coniicjue in Paris, 
 coupled with that wliich so recently occurred at the burning 
 of. the theatre at Exeter, aghin set men's minds running in 
 the direction of greater security from fire in theatres. As a 
 consequonce several varieties of curtains, all involving the 
 use of asbestos, have been contrived. For instance, at the 
 building of that pretty little theatre (Terry's) in the Strand 
 it was resolved to rej)laco the usual heavy, cumbrous, slow- 
 lifting iron shield by a single light-grey asbestos curtain, 
 wliicli moves up and down as easily as an ordinary window- 
 blind. And the authorities agree that this is as valuable a 
 protection to the audience as the former ponderous iron port- 
 cullis which, winding slowly up and down, was calculated to 
 depress the nerves of the audience in the same way that 
 passers-by in the street are affected by tlie hu/su grating of 
 the iron shop shutters when being wound down for the night. 
 
 Again, in the proposals for a new "Safety Theatre," 
 brought to the notice of the public by Mr. Henry Irving, 
 stress is naturally laid on the necessity of scaling the stage, 
 or shutting it off from the auditorium, so that in the event 
 of fire its perils might bo confined to itself, and to providing 
 an outlet for the smoke, which is often more disastrous in its 
 effects even than the flames. This he proposed to accomplisli 
 by means of an asbestos curtain which, on being dropped, 
 would at once become rigid with the wall on either side. 
 This curtain was proposed to be worked in iron grooves going 
 straight up to the gridiron floi^r ; and the suggestion was 
 made that this should be used as constantly as the c'dinary 
 act-drop, there being at the same time nothing to prevent 
 
64 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 ■• \\i 
 
 its being inndo ns oniamontul as tlic usual curtain. It could 
 also be worked aw easily, and bo just as easily liftod for a 
 recall. The audience, it wmh said, would thus have the satis- 
 iaction of knowing that every time the oirtain WU'S dropijod 
 they wore offectually protected by a tin^proof screen, wliicli 
 could bo lowered with the same rapidity as tho present 
 curtain. 
 
 In continuation of this subject it may bo worth mention- 
 ing, as showing the amount of attention which is now being 
 directed to this important matter, that an experiment was 
 recently made in the neighbourhood of Oxford Street to 
 test the lire- resisting qualities of another new curtain for 
 the stage, said to have been invented by Captain Ilcatli. 
 This experiment took place within a specially built hoard- 
 ing, within which there was erected a largo model of tho 
 Drury Lane stage proscenium. Captain Heath explained 
 to the' company, invited to witness the experiment, that 
 the curtain was made of asbestos and canvas, and was 
 rolled on a block of wood placed underneath the front part 
 of the stage, where it occupied an otherwise useless space, 
 and in no way interfered with tho business of tho theatre. 
 The sides of the model wore made of iron plates, and tho 
 front entirely of wood. When certain catches were released 
 counterbalancing weights came into action, and the curtain 
 was run rapidly iij) from below. On reaching the top, it 
 pressed tightly and automatically against the back of the 
 proscenium, turning on at the same time a supply of water 
 from a perforated pipe which ran along the whole length of 
 the top of iho curtnin so as to keep it constantly wot, Tho 
 arrnngp' i switch used for communicating action to 
 
 • ■ c" .o I as to turn on the water and close the 
 
 y. im iXf ist ^o sides at will, He also stated that com- 
 municati'^,1 with the lever of the switch could befitted to 
 
ASnESJOS. 
 
 e>5 
 
 was 
 
 liny part of the tlioutre, A voiy scvoro firo tost wuh om- 
 l)l(»y('(l. The model was first filled with inflammable materials 
 siieh as shavingH and largo blocks of wood, ever whieli petro- 
 leum was poured. At a given signal tho curtain was raised 
 nnd tho fire lighted. Tho flames at onco rose, aecom[)anied 
 with volumes of smoko, none of whieli, however, found 
 their way to tho fiont of tho proscenium. The interior 
 looked like a furnace. But so eli'ectually were tho flames 
 shut off tliat it was possible to sit on the fore part of tho 
 stage without feeling tho heat, tho only thing noticeable 
 being the steam arising from the wet canvas. This, Captain 
 Iloath explained, might be obviated by painting tlie canvas in 
 oils. The firo burned fiercely for half an hour, and llie uni- 
 versal opinion of thone present was that the curtain was per- 
 fectly fireproof, and that its construction was as simple as it 
 was useful for tlu^ purpose intended. ^ 
 
 Whilst those sheets are still in the press, yet another 
 theatre dies the apparently natural death of all such struc- 
 tures, that is, by fire. Portugal is this time the scone of the 
 disaster, tho sufferer being the Baquet Theatre in Oi)orto. 
 The calamity was caused by the wings catching fire from a 
 gas-jet, whereby the wliole of tho stage scenery was almost 
 immediately afterwards enveloped in flames, the furious 
 progress of which it was found impossible to arrest. Here, 
 then, was a striking instance of a holocaust being caused by 
 tho want of such a curtain as has been described ; for, had 
 such a thing been available, the stage would have been at 
 onco shut off from the auditorium, and even if it had not 
 been found possible to save the structure, the fire, at any 
 rate, would have been localised for a suflicient length of 
 time, to have enabled tho authorities to clear the building, 
 and so have prevented the panic and horror which ensued, 
 and the fearful sacrifice of life which humanity now deplores. 
 
 F 
 
m 
 
 66 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 il! 
 
 i> 
 
 It 18 worth while perhaps recording the foregoing, because 
 there can be very little doubt that something of this kind 
 will presently be made compulsory even in England for use in 
 theatres and music halls generally. And it is believed, from 
 the course matters are now taking in the United States, that 
 the use of asbestos in some form or other will be made com- 
 pulsory there for the shelvings and doors of public libraries 
 and places for the custody of records, for sheathings between 
 wooden floorings and below carpets, for hearthstones, for the 
 linings and doors of elevators or lifts, and for the better pre- 
 servation of Pullman cars from fire. 
 
 The premises of the American Watch Case Company, of 
 Toronto, have their floorings protected by an asbestos cover- 
 ing, and I saw an announcement recently in the Sherhrooko 
 Gazette that this covering liad saved their premises from 
 destruction by a fire which had occurred there. In connec- 
 tion with this part of the subject it maybe added that various 
 attempts have been made for the introduction of asbestos into 
 the manufacture of lace curtains, dresses, &c., but I believe 
 that the princiiDal obstacle in the way of success in this line 
 lies in the fact that iu its present state, in the shape of cur- 
 tains, for instance, it is found to bo an obstinate holder of 
 dust. This objection will, no doubt, be prcistntly got rid of ; 
 and soon we may hope to have heard the last of those fearful 
 scenes which have at times occurred from the firing of ladies' 
 dresses at the footlights in theatres. 
 
 The Chevalier Aldini's idea, previously mentioned, has 
 been recently revived in Paris, the firemen there having been 
 furnished with asbestos clothes. Immediately after this was 
 done it was reported in the papers that on a conflagration 
 occurring in the basement of a building there, the firemen 
 arrived, clad in their asbestos suits, and were thereby enabled 
 to descend at once into the basement, wh\3re they extin- 
 guished the fire in a very short time, and so i)reveRted what 
 
 1 
 
 1?fi 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 67 
 
 might have been a great calamity. And according to the 
 papers it appears that the same course is now about to bo 
 taken in England, and the London firemen at any rate pro- 
 tected in a similar manner ; and there can bo little doubt 
 that this course will presently be universally adopted for the 
 protection of the men engaged in saving life and property 
 from destruction by fire. Nothing has yet been discovered 
 that will equal asbestos for this purpose. It will neither 
 burn nor smoulder, and is as impervious to fire as well mado 
 mackintosh is to water. 
 
 Manufactured into cloth and paper, it is in use in sugar 
 refineries, chemical laboratories, &c., for straining and other 
 purposes, especially for filtering acids and similar fluids. A 
 coarser kind of cloth is used for stokers and furnacemen's 
 uprous, for salvage blankets, and gloves. A special quality 
 of glove made of asbestos cloth, lined with rubber, is sup- 
 plied for electri^^ light work. 
 
 A fui'ther development of the industry is indicated by the 
 announcement >hat a New York manufacturing firm has 
 recently taken over a large contract for the manufacture of 
 mail bags out of asbestos cloth. 
 
 It is also proposed to be used as an inner sole or lining for 
 boots and- shoes with the object of keeping the feet warm in 
 winter and cool in summer, the material possessing the 
 double advantage of be'iig at once a preserver of heat and a 
 prote(!tor from cold. 
 
 For cold storage buildings it will doubtless be found in- 
 valuable. There are buildings in New York, principally for 
 fish preservation, which are built with double walls sur- 
 rounding the cold chambers, having some kind of non-con- 
 ducting material between the walls by way of lining. For 
 tliis purpose asbestos would be unsurpassed, and the cheap 
 No. 3 quality would answer perfectly well. 
 
 jyjr. Boyd, in the lecture before referred to, says that some 
 
[ I 
 
 68 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 
 years ugo, when resident at» Genoa, he was one of the mem- 
 bers of a committee for procuring a new floating chapel for 
 the iise of seamen. The old chapel was built on the deck of 
 a hulk, but the extremely high summer temperature caused the 
 repairs to be both frequent and costl}\ The committee there- 
 fore wanted the new chapel to be biiilt of iron, but were de- 
 terred by the fear that its roof and sides, exposed to the sun, 
 would get so Lot as to render the interior unbearable. lie 
 therefore proposed to fill up the space between the outer skin 
 and the inner boarding with asbestos ground to a rough 
 powder ; and this suggestion was adopted, the powder being 
 tightly rammed in by the carpenters. 1 he result, he informs 
 us, was so successful that Avhilst the outside temperature stood 
 at 100'^, the temperature inside, when doors and windows 
 were kept shut, did not exceed 70°. And he therefore sug- 
 gests that asbestos powder might be \ised in a similar way 
 for rendering the deck cabins of steamers navigating the 
 lied Sea and Suez Canal more comfortable for the pa.'- 
 sengers. 
 
 For wall and ornamental papers it is being largely used, 
 and a superior quality of asbestos writing paper is now 
 being made in I*aris. One can easily imagine a great future 
 in this line for asbestos paper written or printed on with 
 asbestos ink for all kinds of registers and pernument records, 
 bankers* and merchants' books, and the like. One of the 
 leading manufacturers in New York already prints his price 
 lists on asbestos paper. And another has on show fine 
 papers as susceptible of receiving good impressions from 
 type as any in use in modern books. Coloured wall papers 
 also are manufactured in great variety, which are not merely 
 incombustible, but practically indestructible by fire; and 
 wliich retai;i, even after severe heat tests, their colourings, 
 markings and letterings as clearly impressed and as vividly 
 visible as before. Boards also are mside of asbestos, varying 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 69 
 
 from the thinnest and lightest card to heavy shelving, fit 
 either for partitions in safes or for use in largo libraries. 
 
 In a recent number of "L'Industrio Moderne " I found 
 an account of a new process invented by a Mr. Ladewig for 
 manufacturing pulp and paper from asbestos fibre, which he 
 asserts will not only resist the action of both fire and water, but 
 will absorb no moisture ; this pulp, he saj^s, may be used as 
 a stuffing and for the joints of engines. He further pro- 
 poses to use it in the form of a solid cardboard as a roofing 
 material for light structures. 
 
 The process of manufacture consists in mixing about 25 
 per cent, of asbestos fibre with about 25 or 35 per cent, of 
 powdered sulphate of alxuuisia. This mixture is moistened 
 with an aqueous solution of chloride of zinc. The mixture 
 is washed with water and then treated with an aqueous solu- 
 tion of ammoniacal gas. The mixture is again washed and 
 then treated with a solution composed of one part of resin 
 soap and eight or ten parts of water mixed with an equal 
 bulk of sulphate of alumina, which should be as pure as pos- 
 sible- The mixture thus obtained should have a slightly 
 pulpy consistency. Finally, there is added to it 35 per cent, 
 of powdered asbestos and 5 to 8 per cent, of white barytes. 
 This pulp is treated with water in an ordinary, paper 
 machine, and worked just like paper pulp. 
 
 In order to manufacture a solid cardboard from asbestos 
 which sliall be proof against fire and water and capable of 
 serving as a roofing material, sheets of common cardboard, 
 tarred or otherwise prepared, are covered A\'ith the pulp. 
 The application is made in a paper machine, the pulp being 
 allowed to flow over the cardboard. Among other uses, the 
 asbestos paper has been recommended for the manufacture of 
 cigarettes, though its applicability for this purpose is not so 
 readily seen. 
 
 Manufactured into paint, the demand for it is continually 
 
70 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 \'§im 
 
 increasing. 
 
 It is used in the Houses of Parliament, as it 
 was in very large quantities at the several recent exliibitions 
 at South Kensington. 
 
 In the form of cement there is nothing equal to it as an 
 efScient covering for boilers, steam pipes, hotblast furnaces, 
 stills, &c. For this purpose it is made of about the consis- 
 tency of mortar and spread on with a trowel in the ordinary 
 way. Certain chemical ingredients have to bo added, which, 
 while not injurious to the metal, cause the asbestos to adhero 
 firmly to the plates, so that when dry it becomes quite hard 
 and can be walked over without being injured. With a 
 boiler carrying say 80 lbs. steam pressure, the application of 
 from 1^ to 2 inches of this composition so well retains the 
 heat in the boiler, that a thermometer with the bulb held 
 close to the outer surface of the covering will not indicate 
 more than 80" to 85° Fahrenheit. Boilers, steam pipes, &c., 
 covered in with this composition will, it is asserted by the 
 manufacturers, effect a saving of as much as 33 per cent, in 
 fuel* 
 
 This cement, which is made from a very cheap quality of 
 asbestos, is now in common use in Canada and the States, 
 where, as already showTi, it is found to operate with a two- 
 fold effect, viz. by lowering the temperature of the boilcr- 
 
 * There is ii Patent Kemovablo Covering now manufactured in New York 
 which is said to he entirely formed of i)ure asbestos fibre, made in cylindrical 
 sections of throe-foot lengths of the exact size of the pipes to ho covered. In 
 this the asbestos iibres are so interlaced, that the Koutions, whilst possessing 
 ftrcngth and flexibility, afford so large a number of air-cells as to give tho 
 covering the very highest non-conducting quality, whilst at tho same time 
 it cannot char or bo in any way injured by the most intense heat from with- 
 out or within. Fire Felt sectional coverings for boilers and large surfaces aro 
 made in convenient forms in sheets, &c. Tho same Company also manufac- 
 ture what is called a 8upcrator Jacket, both fire and waterproof, Vieing in 
 fact a flexible t-heet of asbestos strengthened with wire netting, the asbestos 
 being waterproofed by a special process, and provided with patent lacings, so 
 that tho jackets may be oflfectunlly kept in place, whilst being readily re- 
 movable without cutting or loss of material. 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 7^ 
 
 house, to the great comfort of the engineers and firemen, and 
 also, in a very marked degree, economising the exi)cnditure 
 for fuel. It seems, therefore, strange that its use in this 
 country has as yet made so little headway. In one of the 
 large palatial buildings recently erected in London, M'here 
 engines are required to be in constant work for pumping 
 water for working the lifts and for general purposes, as well 
 as for the dynamos, the heat from the boilers fonus so great 
 a nuisance, and occasions so much loss in other ways, that 
 very considerable expense is about to be incurred, with a 
 view to lowering the temperature. When conversing recently 
 with an expert on this subject I asked whether the use of 
 asbestos would not effect the desired object. Yes, he 
 answered, it would, but it is too expensive. This certainly 
 seems verj strange, as I know that the cement composition 
 referred to is made of the very commonest quality of asbestos, 
 of the refuse, in point of fact, which could probably be used 
 for no other purpose. The expense, therefore, cannot be 
 great, and as to its mode of use, it is simply laid on with a 
 trowel, like mortar or any similar composition, and when 
 once done is singularly effective. I have stood in an engine- 
 house where the boilers were covered with about two inches 
 in thickness of this cement, which then showed a hard, drv, 
 firm surface ; and, when the engines were in full work, on 
 placing one's hand on the covering there was little more 
 than a gentle warmth perceptible on the outside surface of 
 the composition, whilst the surrounding atmosphere was 
 scarcely, if at all, affected by t}ie heat from the boilers. The 
 boiler quiltings referred to on a previous page as being 
 manufactured by a New York firm under contract with the 
 United States Government, for use in some of their model 
 war ships, would no doubt be as effectual for the purpose, 
 but naturally they would be more costly, being an altogether 
 
72 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 differcut contrivance, and made so as to be easily removable 
 when required, which, of course, is not the case with the so- 
 called cement There is little doubt, however, that, allhough 
 the use of asbestos in this fo; ni does not seem to find much 
 favour here, its use for the purpose of coating boilers and 
 steam -pipes will piosently become as general in England as 
 it ali'eady is on the other side, where its valuable qualities 
 seem to be so much better known and appreciated. 
 
 Improved stove pipings are now being manufactured in 
 the States Avhich in appearance exactly resemble cast-iron. 
 These have the additional valuable properties of extreme 
 lightness, con jined with great strength and a capability of 
 ornamentation unobtainable with the usual cast-iron pipes 
 mostly in use ; paint in the case of the asbestos pipes not 
 ' scaling off under heat as it will do in the case of ordinary 
 iron pipes. The manufacturers of these pipes claim for them 
 that they combine the strength of steel with the lightness 
 of paper. Tubes also jjre made for electrical engineers which 
 provide them with a non-conducting covering for their wires 
 both fire and waterproof, so as to preserve •the perfect insula- 
 tion of the wire. 
 
 Asbestos rope is used for fire escapes and similar purposes, 
 as well as for the transmission of power over places exposed 
 to heat. In dyeing and printing cloth it is frequently 
 necessary to hang the fabric in loops from parallel rods for 
 exposure to steam, air or ammonia. In order that it should 
 hold upon the rods, without straining or slipping, rope or 
 strips of cloth are usually wound around the poles, but this 
 does not remove, although it mitigates, the difficulty, be- 
 cause the heat and corrosive ^ction of the vajsours will rot any 
 covering ; thefirst notice of the deterioration being generally 
 the appearance of small j)ieces of rod covering among the 
 cloth which is in process of finishing. Asbestos rope and 
 
 M 
 
ASBESTOS. 
 
 73 
 
 cloth ai'c now larp^ely manufactured and used for this pur- 
 pose in the United States with very beneficial results. 
 
 In commenting on the recent loss of life occasioned by 
 the panic at the fire at the Exeter Theatre, a well-known 
 journal, speaking of the various modes of ^troviding for 
 escape, mentions the case of a man of fashion, a millionaire, 
 who died not long ago, and says that he would never go to 
 bed in a strange house without having an apparatus of 
 knotted rope affixed to a ring in the wall, by which lie 
 might lower himself to the ground on an emergency. But, 
 asks the journalist, what if the rope itself took fire ? The 
 answer naturally is, let it be an asbestos rope, then it will 
 neither burn nor rot. 
 
 The use of the fibre iu the manufacture of gas stoves is too 
 well known to need any I'cmark. 
 
 As a lubricant it is unrivalled. 
 
 Another very important use to which it is now being 
 applied is in the manufacture of filters. These are specially 
 useful where the liquid to be filtered is of a caustic or 
 strongly acid nature, or where the filter with residue is to 
 be ignited without consuming the filter, or where the residue 
 is to be subsequently dissolved off the filter by acids or 
 other solvents. In many cases a very finely divided asbestos 
 is desiralilo. This is accomplished by a p^'ocess recently 
 patented in Germany by Fr. Ereyer, of Vienna. Tlie 
 asbestos is first coarsely ground, and then mixed with some 
 granular crystalline carbonate, which must be soluble in 
 acids. The carbonate should possess a hardness bet^Teen 
 3 and 4, 5, according to the mincralogical scale. The 
 mixture is ultimately ground togetluir in a mill. After- 
 wards the mass is treated with an acid until the carbonate 
 has been dissolved out. The escaping carbonic gas causes 
 the asbestos fibres to be loosened and disintegrated from each 
 
 G 
 
74 
 
 ASBESTOS. 
 
 'I , ■ 
 
 other 80 as to render the mass porouH. Of course it must 
 be thoroughly wasliod Avith water before being used. 
 
 Again, in the purification of foul gas, as well as for venti- 
 lating and deodorizing man-holes for cesspools, sewers, &c., 
 its use is found to be unsurpassed by any other known 
 material. 
 
 jMr. Boyd, in the paper so often referred to, says in regard 
 to this, that he was some time previously asked to supply 
 asbestos yarn spun in such a way as to have good capillary 
 action, and, on making inquiry, fouud it was to be used for 
 the above purpose. In describing the mode of using it, he 
 says that there is placed over the opening rising from the 
 sewer a hood of galvanized wire, interlaced with this asbestos 
 yarn, the ends of the yarn dipping into a receptacle filled 
 with liquid disinfectant, which, as they become satui ated, form 
 a disinfecting screen, through the meshes of which the gases 
 rise, and in their passage through are purified and rendered 
 innocuous. The system hitherto previously adopted for 
 deodorizing sewer gas has been to cause it to rise through 
 charcoal, but it is found that the impurities soon clog this 
 up, and simply prevent the passage of the gas, whereas in 
 the arrangement just mentioned (which is that of Messrs. 
 Adams & Co., of York), the gas rises freely, and is perfectly 
 deodorized. 
 
 There are, of course, very numerous other applications of 
 the material which might be referred to or described, but pro- 
 bably those already mentioned are the most important and 
 the most interesting; and these, it is hoped, are at any rate 
 sufficient to indicate the great value of this singular mineral 
 product, as well as to confirm the statement with which I 
 started, that this is indeed one of Nature's most marvellous 
 productions. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 AsiiESTOH, monnijii;- of, 5 
 
 (loHcriplion, 7, 9 
 
 origin unknown, 12 
 
 only Ibujul in serpentine, 12 
 
 places wiierc found, 1 3 
 
 first successful exporimonts with, 
 15 
 
 difl'erencu between Canadian and 
 Itiilian, 16, 22 
 
 ■where used, 18 
 
 analysis, 20 
 
 Italian kinds, 21 
 
 sources of supply, 13, 2-t 
 
 marketable value, 28 
 
 iirst discovery of, 2!) 
 
 profitable nature of niiuinur for, 
 31, 51 ^ 
 
 annual production, .52 
 
 aggregate output, 51 
 
 uses of, 55 
 Aldini, Chevalier, 15, 18, 6G 
 Ami ante, 8 
 
 Anecdotes, 5, 13, 51, GO 
 Anglo-Canadian Company, 2", 36 
 Antimony, 48 
 
 TJalloo.iing, military, 58 
 Jiastard asbestos, 27 
 lioiler coverings, 68, 70 
 Hoot soles, lining for, 67 
 Boston Company's mine, 31 
 iireeches of big guns, 56 
 Bronghton mines, 42 
 Building operations, use in, 61 
 
 C.inadian mineral estates, typical, 48 
 
 Carriage of explosives, 60 
 
 China, strange use of asbestos in, 15 
 
 Coiriont, 70 
 
 Chrome iron, 28, 36, ol 
 
 Chrysotile. 8 
 
 Cloth and paper, 07 
 Clothing l'..r iiremen, 66 
 Coating iron-clads, 57 
 Cobbing, 62 
 Cold storage, 67 
 Coleraine group of mines, 36 
 Coleraini! mines of Dr. lieoil, 41 
 Cost of extraction, 36, 40 
 Costo, Eugene, report of, 52 
 Crocidolite, 9, 10 
 Curtains in theatres, 62 
 
 Danville, mine at, 46 
 Deck cabins of steamsliips, 68 
 Dispolouration, 27, 33, 37 
 removable, 38 
 
 Ells (Mr.), report of, 12, 31, 41, 50 
 Exeter Theatre, fire at, 63 
 Exhibition, American, !) 
 Extraction, cost of, 36, 40 
 
 Faults in veins, 47 
 Filters, 67, 73 
 Firemen' !s clothing, 16, 66 
 Fires at theatres, 62 
 Fire-proof boxes, 58 
 
 curtiiins, 62 
 Frochette-Doiivillo mine, 39 
 Flench -Canadian labour, 53 
 
 G(;noa, floating cliapel at, 68 
 Greulogy of Cauadi, 7, i), 26, 48 
 Crold at South Ham, 49 
 
 Heath, Captain, experiments of, 61 
 
 Immature asbestos, 32 
 Iiiipmity of rock, 27 
 
76 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 i! ' 
 
 Ink, aaLoatoB, 68 
 Italiiin HHbcstos, 16 
 
 pupor on, 13 
 Italy, exporimoiits in, 15 
 Itiiliiui asbostoH, tliri^c kiiidrf of, 21 
 Iron-niijiiiiK in llusuia, 13 
 Irving's wifety thoalro, 03 
 
 Johnson Company's mine, 30 
 Journul of Society of Arts, 19 
 
 Kennedy's discovery at Coleraine, 
 
 42 
 King's mine, 32 
 
 Limestone at Temploton, 20 
 Lint, 61 
 
 BfaKnetito, 33 
 
 Miiilbags, 07 
 
 IVIain soiu'cea of supjily, 24 
 
 Marketable value, how determined, 
 
 28 
 Martin mine, 38 
 
 Mfwchants' and bankers' books, 68 
 Military ballooning, 68 
 Mineral wool, 11 
 ^Minor's lamps, 5G 
 Mining in Canada, 24 
 profitable nature of, 31, 61 
 
 Packing, 62 
 
 Paint, 69 
 
 Paper, 67, 68 
 
 Pecnliaritv at Thetford, 33 
 
 P61e'8hair, 11 
 
 Pierre-i-coton, 7 
 
 Places whoro used, 18 
 
 Profitable nature of asbestos-mining 
 
 in Canada, 31, 61 
 Printing papers, 68 
 Pulp and paper, 69 
 Puiilication of foul gas, 74 
 
 Roed & Haydon proi)ertie3, 40 
 
 Reed's (Dr.), mine, 40 
 
 Uegisters and records, 68 
 
 Rulativu merits of Canadian and 
 
 Italian usbestus, 17 
 Rope, 72 
 
 Russia, asbestos found in, 13, 14 
 iron-mining in, 13 
 
 i 
 Scottish Asbestos Company, 30, 38,44 
 Serpentine, 12, 24, 41 
 
 often impure, 27 
 
 omamontai, 29 
 Sliipton mine, 46 
 Singular statement, 20 
 Slag wool, 1 1 
 Soapstono (steatite), 46, 49 
 
 enonnoua quau'ily of, at South 
 • Ham, 49 
 
 South Ham, mines at, 4'/ 
 Steam-power, 34 
 Steam-pipe coverings, 70 
 Stove pipings, 72 
 
 Theatres, fires in, 62 
 Thetford group of mines, 29 
 
 district rich in minerals, 30 
 Time fuzes, 67 
 
 Tunnelling impracticable in Canada, 
 21 
 
 Underwriters, offer of, 62 
 United Asbestos Company of Lon- 
 don, 10, 60 
 Ural region, large quantities found 
 in, 14 
 
 Wages at Canadian mines, 53 
 
 Wall [japers, 68 
 
 Want of foresight in mining for 
 
 asbestos, 35 
 Ward's mine, 31 
 Whitehead torpedoes, 66 
 Willimott (Mr.), report of, 26 
 Wolfestown mines, 50 
 
 PKlNTklD BY J. 8. VIRTUE AS» CO., LIMITBD, CITX llOAt-, 
 
 >0N. 
 
(lian and 
 13, 14 
 
 ,36,38,44 
 
 at South 
 
 ) 
 
 3t5 
 
 1 Canada, 
 
 of Lon- 
 ies found 
 
 53 
 
 ning for 
 
 26 
 
 ON.