INCOMBUSTIBLE CLOTH. 



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Italian, entered on a course of experiments towards the 

 beginning of the eighteenth century. The method he de- 

 \\ soaking the asbestos in warm water, 

 after which it is opened and divided with the hands, to 

 allow the extraneous panicles to escape. This opera- 

 tion Wing frequently repeated, the flaxy parts are col- 

 lected and laid in a sieve to dry, and then gently card- 

 ed, some of the flaxen substance being allowed to hang 

 over the sides. Next, by mixing the ends of thread 

 with what hangs over of the asbestos, both may be 

 drawn out and twisted together, and wound on a reel. 

 Or, instead of carding the substance and then using 

 thread, Ciampini affirms, that the asbestos miy be 

 drawn out by mixing it with common hemp. During 

 the operation, the fore finger and thumb must be 

 kept cohsuntly wet with oil, both to protect the 

 skin from the friction of the substance while draw- 

 ing out in a thread, and to render the filaments more 

 soft and flexible. The thread of asbestos, combin- 

 ed with real flax, having been thus obtained, it may, 

 with great care, be wove into a coarse cloth ; which, 

 being put into the fire, the flaxen portion will be con- 

 \, w hile the asbestine part remains entire. This 

 cloth can be best preserved by keeping it well oiled ; 

 when committed to the flames, the oil bums off, and 

 the cloth comes out white and purified. Whether or 

 not the art was preserved in Europe, there is every 

 reason to believe that it subsisted in the East. Inde- 

 pendent of the Venetian traveller's narrative, we learn, 

 that a piece of incombustible doth was transmitted from 

 fMn to llatavia, and from thence to England, in the 

 year 168*, which is described as a Imndkervkirf or pat- 

 tern, but it seems to have been a small portion of very 

 coarse doth. It was subjected to various experiments, 

 and the result was, it* being withdrawn whiter and 

 [Icsjnsr after having been rendered red hot in a fire. 



A few yean ago, the art of making incombustible 

 cloth was completely revived by M. Perpenti, an Ita- 

 lian lady, who has improved on the process of all her 

 predecessors. Having seen a distaff of asbestos, from 

 the ruin* of Hemilaneum, in the cabinet of natural 

 history belonging to the canon Csrsar Gattoni at Com*, 

 she was made acquainted by him with the different me- 

 thods which the ancients are supposed to have adopted 

 in making doth. On inspection, also, she remarked, that 

 their asbestine doth was fabricated of double threads, 

 hi order to be of greater strength. M. Perpenti began 

 by beating the asbestos, and steeping it in oil and in 

 r. whereby the threads tisrasns more pliant ; but 



finding them too much relaxed for weaving by the oil, 

 .lie abandoned this method. She restricted her opera- 

 tions to softening it in water, drying it in the sun, and 

 then carding it like wool. A very close toothed steel 

 comb was used in carding, as the filaments were thick 

 and short; and in this way she succeeded in obtaining a 

 weak and unequal thread, with which iwverthelesesbe 

 was able to make a pair of gloves. Much difference, how- 

 ever, is to be found in the nature of the asbestos itself. 

 Ciampini bad before remarked, that although the as- 

 bestos of Cyprus is reputed the best, it in fact proved 

 the worst ; and what was most suitable came from Cor- 

 sica. M. Perpenti first used asbestos from the mountains 

 of the valley of Malenco in the Valteline. which proved 

 to be better than what was procured from the environs 

 of ( ienoa. In the former, she observed, there were 

 threads much longer than the piece of asbestos contain- 

 ing them ; whence it became important to devise some 

 method whereby they should be detached and unravel- 

 led. Merc also M. Perpenti was successful, for by rub- 

 bing the asbestos, and disengaging the two ends of 



the threads, she thus obtained some of the'greatest beau- Incombtuti- 

 ty, and suitable for the most delicate work. These were .^* ^'"^ 

 several feet long, and equally fine and strong as silk or "" Y ~" 

 linen thread. It was the more singular that such should 

 be the case, as a piece of asbestos, to external appear- 

 ance, exhibits only a mass of thick short threads, which 

 has always been the chief obstacle to the fabrication of 

 incombustible cloth. All the previous preparation 

 therefore which is necessary, is confined to softening 

 the asbestine substance in water, beating it to create 

 greater flexibility, and employing the iron comb. The 

 threads acquire greater consistence, by moistening the 

 finger with a little oil or gum while they are spun. 



IncombtutMe paper. Those who have occupied Incomkusti- 

 themselves with the subject of incombustible cloth, *!" 

 have also directed their attention to the fabrication of 

 incombustible paper from asbestos. Kircher propo- 

 ses a certain process for it, which we do not discover 

 he adopted. Some was made of Welsh asbestos to- 

 wards the close of the seventeenth century ; and Ciam- 

 pini thinks the shorter asbestine threads would answer 

 this purpose. M. Perpenti found the asbestos of Ge- 

 noa, which was less suitable for spinning, the best 

 adapted for making paper, which she accomplished by 

 washing and purifying it well. Some time ago, M. 

 Sage exhibited before the French Institute, a leaf of 

 incombustible paper, made twenty yean before that 

 period by M. Levrier of Lisle, the proprietor of a paper 

 manufactory. It was not smooth like paper fabricated 

 of flax, but had sufficient coherence, and, if the ink em- 

 ployed was well gummed, would readily receive writ- 

 ing. When put among burning coals it was not con- 

 sumed ; it assumed a greyish colour from the glue, 

 and the written characters appeared red. M. Sage re- 

 grets that M. Levrier had not received greater encou- 

 ragement, as deeds on common paper might be pre- 

 served from the flame* by indosure in case* of that of 

 asbestos; but Ciampini remarks, that it was no protec- 

 tion to a stick which he had enveloped in it Ao s^H^-. , 

 ing to M. Perpenti's experiments, an indestructible ink uble ink. 

 may be obtained, by mixing a third of sulphate of iron 

 with two-thirds oxide of manganese, the whole being 

 well pulverised. 



The Chinese and Siberians are said to have gone Fumaeu 

 farther than any modern nation in converting incom- t *L"f 

 bsjstibls " K T***v* to ose. M. Sage describes a small 



furnace, constructed by the former, of a kind of card or 



paper, which, in his opinion, consisted entirely of ashes- pipr. 

 to*. It was nine indie* high, six in diameter, and pro- 

 vided with a grate, and two doors for the ashes. I In- 

 colour was grey tending to red, but it whitened with 

 beat. Both externally and internally it had a smooth 

 polish resembling pasteboard, and its fracture was ab- 

 solutely similar. M. Sage conceived, that the asbestos 

 having been pounded, was mixed with a mucilage 

 forming a paste, which being put into a mould, there- 

 by acquired its shape and polish. 



BtSidas incombustible cloth and paper, the ancients rneitin- 

 are supposed to have possessed the secret of making 

 perpetual or inextinguishable lamps, apparently with the 

 same materials. Several tombs have been opened, which 

 the spectators declare contained burning lamp!, though 

 many centuries bad elapsed from the sepulture of the 

 deceased. Isidorus relates, that a candelabrum was re- 

 ported to be in the temple of Venus, which neither 

 wind nor rain could extinguish. We believe that di- 

 rection* have been given for constructing perpetual 

 lamps ; but the experiments of the moderns with ssbes 

 tos do not appear to have been successful, for oil would 

 not rise in the wick. It is most likely, however, that 



