ee ee 
SS Se 
eae 
eee 
330 Canadian Record of Science. 
immediately prior to the discovery of the Canadian deposits 
a powerful company had been formed and had succeeded in 
bringing under one control the numerous small mines of 
the Italian district. 
Under the circumstances it is not to be wondered at that 
the Canadian fiber found no favor in the eyes of the owners 
of the Italian mines. The Canadian mineral was declared 
to be far inferior to the Italian; the latter, it was main- 
tained, is true asbestos, while the former is only fibrous 
serpentine. As a matter of fact the two minerals are prac- 
tically of the same composition, as is shown by the follow- 
ing results of analysis of fair samples recently made by 
myself :— 
ITALIAN. CANADIAN. 
Silica ee Pere Holst aiereaisistes AOS OP Silica Hee eee sen eee 40.57 
MagneSia...-----.2eceeece 43.387 Magnesia....+e.....0+eee 41.50 
Ferrous Oxide »-.......+.  .87 Ferrous Oxide....+...... 2.81 
PAUL UinMAIMatsretateleleloleioteraleselsictels 5) Ba IN hibothboey 646000, 00000 000¢ 90 
WATER ee eliesors elcvetereuuns airieltre IB \WWONIIRG bdo choGoan ao do0aC 13.55 
UNG Gal lWorevotonereteletelelielcietare - »-100.53 NGO talevreieeaeteretersietete cove II.00 
Canadian asbestos has largely displaced the Italian, not 
because of difference in composition, but by reason of the 
greater ease with which the former can be wrought into the 
various forms required in the arts. 
Il. The third misconception is that asbestos is in nowise 
affected by heat. This is set forth in such statements as 
“temperatures of 2,000° to 3,000° are easily withstood,” and 
‘a mineral which has been successfully exposed to a heat 
of 4,500° to 5,000° Fahr.” 
Now, what are the facts of the case? It is true that 
asbestos is infusible except at very high temperatures, but 
it is equally true that only a very moderate degree of heat, 
heating to low redness in a platinum crucible for instance, 
is required to entirely destroy the flexibility of the fibre 
and render it so brittle that it may be crumbled between 
thumb and finger as readily as a piece of biscuit. In this 
connection one is reminded that the ancients are said to 
