The herald. [microfilm reel], June 21, 1896, Page 18, Image 18

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
18
CYCLING IN OLD ENGLAND
The Roads Are Magnificent, the
Scenery Varied
AND THE SIGHTS UNIQUE
Toe Ancient Village of Straiton-the-
Fosse
Where the Grandest View* Are to Be Ob
tained—Spot, the Photographic Artist
Is Reluctant to Leave
WEYMOUTH. Eng., June 2.—lt is a
familiar saying among Americans that
England is like a great big garden,
and this is particularly true of the
south coast, where the great watering
places abound. To the cyclist it is an
ideal place. The roads are magnificent,
the scenery varied and the sights
unique.
Yeovil is a tow n seldom heard of, but
it is the starting point of one of the best
wheeling tours the world over. It Is a
handsome town largely supported by
kid glove manufactories, and is situated
on a hillside, sloping gently to the banks
of the river Yeo.
Among the English cyclists who ex
pect to spend a week or two at Wey
mouth it is quite the fashion to make the
Journey to Yeovil by train on the Great
Western railway and then wheel the i
rest of the distance. In the first part of
the journey the brake plays an import
ant part, as the hills on the border of the
county of Dorset have a habit of taking
very sudden dips, holding the brakeless
cyclist at their mercy.
The road leads through a magnificent
park, the seat of the Strangeways, Earls
of Ilchester. The house was built about
the beginning of the last century. It
stands on high ground facing the east;
connected with the south side Is the
church of Melbury Sampford. with pin
nacled tower, an ancient structure con
taining several monuments to the
Brownings ai d one. with alabaster effl
gles, to "Egldius Strangewaies" and
"Dorothee," his wife.
On the south side a sloping lawn de- i
sounds to a lake in a charmnlg dell, from
which rises a wood terraced at the top.
West of the house is an exceptionally,
tire avenue of four row s of lofty oaks,
limes, sycamores and chestnuts; and
east, beyond the valley, the wooded emi
nence of Bubb Down, a conspicuous
landmark" over which are numerous
pleasant drives, and where our road
runs.
The neighborhood of Melbury is dis
tinguished for the size of its oaks, which
thrive on the ctiff, retentive soil. There
is ore in particular known as "Billy
Willklns," which Is fifty feet high anil |
thirty-seven feet in circumference. It is
a very gnarled tree, and is called by
Mitchell, in his Dendrologia, "as curled, •
AVENUE LEADING TO WEYMOUTH
surly, knotty an old monster as can be
conceived."
The road over Bubb Down is perfect
from a cycling point of view and com
mads a most extensive and beautiful
prospect over Summerset, Alfred's
Tower at Stdurhead, Wells Cathedral,
the Mendips and Quantocks, and our
photographic artist was only reluct
antly made to leave what he dubbed
immediately its "an ideal spot "
AN ANCIENT VILLAGE.
Our next bait was at Stratton, an
ancient village, more fully call>d Strat
tpn-thc-Posse. The Sa:;uns called tlie
Roman roads streets, and the towns
upon them street towns or strettons,
and in this instance, as in many others,
corruption in speech has caused the
letter "A" to jostle the letter "X" out
of its place.
The roads were of the best and so we
made straight for Dorcester with but
one halt, half way where the road runs
round toward Maiden Newton, and then
from there on to Dorchester, although a
stiff hill awaited us before we could
comfortably say we had arrived at the
old Roman station and county town of
Dorsetshire. St. Peter's, which occu
pies a prominent position at the inter
section of the four streets, and rises, in
its tower, to a height of ninety feet, is
the principal of the three churches,
wherein are several monuments well
worthy of inspection. Including those of
two unknown Crusaders in coats of
mail.
Leaving Dorchester, where the roads
are anything that could be desired for
cycling, a mere question to any inhabi
tant secures the direction to the straight
road for Weymouth, eight miles distant.
Passing the railway station on the left
avenue is reached, through which a
delightful ride is obtained, from the end
of which the road opens out. and though
the surface is good, it is mostly up-hill
work until the summit of the hill is
reached, when a finger-post warns one
that further progress Is dangerous.
To look at the hill It certainly does not
appear anything out the ordinary, but it
is far better to take good heed of the In
formation so conspicuously placed for
the benefit of cyclists, as several have
already paid dearly for neglecting the
caution.
From either side of the railway em- j
bankment Is one the grandest views in j
the country. Weymouth, with its noble
bay. stretches some four miles distant,
with Portland rearing Itself up from the
sea in lonesome, rocky grandeur.
The hill from this point is exceedingly
tricky, and the safest way to take it is
to walk. Immediately at the foot is a
stone wall, the road turning to the left
at an acute angle. It would be Impossi
ble to guide the wheel so as to avoid
smashing into the wall, a disaster which
AN OLD STREET IN STRATTON
; has happened to numerous cyclist this
season.
j A peerfect string of little villages lead
on from here to Weymouth, each one of
them interesting and queer. The road
, turns into the noble esplanade of Wey
mouth, where there is much to amuse
the American eye and mind.
GEORGIA HART.
The Jewel Bedcckrd Ulove
The latest Parisian extravagance is
gloves set with precious stones —dia-
monds, rubies, pearls and emeralds—
I and, in fact, any gem whose natural col
or harmonizes or makes pleasing con
trast to the color of the glove is used.
Diamonds seem to be the favorite gems
used for this purpose.
The jewels are set in the back of the
glove, along the seam, and are hold in
place by means of a small nut attach
ment. Thus far only a few of the more
advanced women of the ultra fashion
able set have taken to wearing the dia
mond ornamented gloves, but the fad is
slowly but surely spreading.
The wearing of gems, according to
jewelers, has never been so widespread
and extensive as at the present time
While a year or two ago it was consid
ered bad form to wear any of the plain
est jewels, the other extreme will soon be
reached, and jewels will be worn In
ways never thought of before. The fad
of wearing diamond backed gloves has
| crossed tho channel, and a few of the
I more daring English leaders of fashion
have promptly had jewels set in the
backs of their gloves. American girls
will doubtless combine this fad with the
other one of wearing the stones appro
priate to the month of their birth.—Chi
cago Chronicle.
A Reminder
New father-in-law—Well. sir. the cer .
emony Is over, and now you are toe hus-
I band of my daughter 1 want to give you
I a little advice. What would you do ;:'
I you should wake up some night anil find
burglars In the house
Bridegroom—l should tell Mem tha'
my father-in-law forgot to give my wile
a wedding dowry and they'd go away.
—London Punch.
liOS ANGrEIiES HERAIVD: ST7NDAY MORNING. JTJNJB 21, 1896.
ASBESTOS, WHAT IT IS
AND WHERE FOUND
There is probably no production of In
organic nature about which there is so
much popular mystery and misconcep
tion ns asbestos. It Is vaguely under
stood that the principal claim of this re- j
markable product to attention is that lt
cannot be consumed by tire; not infre
quently the effect of the mention of as
bestos is to carry the hearer back to
the days when the people of the I'har
aohs wrapped their dead in cere-cloths
woven from the fibre, in order to pre
serve them, the body having been tirst
mbalmed. Romantic stories have also
come down to us of ancient demonstra
tions of magic in which asbestos has
played the leading part, but the real In
terest In asbestos centers in the present.
It Is of more importance to the human
race today than it has been In the whole
range of history. Asbestos twenty-five
years ago was practically not known in |
the laboratory of the chemist or miner
alogist. 11 now finds Its way in one form |
or another into every workshop where I
steam is employed.
To the question, "What is asbestos?" |
It is rot altogether easy to And an ans
wer. Geologists classify it among the !
eornblendes. in itself, asbestos is a
physical paradox, a mineralogical veg
etable, both fibrous ami crystalline, elas- i
tic yet brittle, a floating stone, but as ;
capable of being carded, spun and woven
as tlax, cotton or silk, lt is apparently
a connecting link between the vegetable
and the mineral kingdom, possessing
some of the characteristics of both. In
appearance it is light, buoyant and
feathery as thistledown; yet, in its crude i
state, it is dense and heavy as the solid
rock in which it is found. Apparently
as perishable as grass. It Is yet older i
than any order of animal or vegetable
life on earth. The dissolving influences '
! of time seem to have no effect upon it.
\ The action of unnumbered centuries, by
1 which the hardest rocks known togeolo
j gists are worn away, has left no percept
ible imprint on the asbestos found im
j bedded in them. While much of its
i bulk is of the roughest and most gritty
j materials known, it is really as smooth
to the touch as soap or oil. Seemingly
as combustible as tow, the fiercest heat
cannot consume it. and no known com-
I bination of acids will destructively affect
j the appearance and, strength, of,lts fibre,
I even after days of exposure to its action.
. It is, in fact, practically indestructible.
I Its Incombustible nature renders it a
1 complete protection from flames, but
beyond this most valuable quality, its in
dustrial value is greatly augmented by
its non-conduction of heat and electri
city, as well as by its Important property
of practical insolubility in acids.
Asbestos has been found in all quar
j ters of the globe. It comes from Italy,
i China. Japan. Australia, Spain. Portu
gal, Hungary, Germany, Russia, The
! (."ape, Central Africa, Canada. New
| foundland, this country and from South
] and Central America. The asbestos gen-
I erally found in the L'nlted States, espe
cially in Virginia, the Carolinas and
Texas, also in Staten Island, New Jer
sey, and Pennsylvania, is in appearance
I like fossilized wood. The veins range in
. length from a few inches to several feet,
j The fiber can be split off like soft wood,
the appearance being woolly, and w hen
separated it has no strength or cohes
ion. It cannot be spun nor even pulped.
At one time it was thought it might be
profitably used as a tiller in paper-mak
itiff, but wtually it is of no commercial
value, ;
Notwithstanding this wide distribu
tion of asbestos, the only varieties which
at present appear to demand serious I
| consideration, from a commercial point :
of view, are the P.ussian, the South
African, the Italian and the Canadian.
The principal claim possessed by the
Russian fiber to a place In this quartet
Is based on the enormous extent of the
deposits which have been discovered In
East Russia, beyond the I.'ral moun-
I tains, and Russian Siberia. So far. their
j spr-oim.-us have been of comparatively
poor quality. The yield Is used almost
entirely In Europe, where lt Is mixed
with the Canadian for spinning, mak
ing taper and othfr purposes where an
I inferior grade can be utilized,
j Before the development of the Cana
dian fields, the Italian asbestos was su
premo in the market. For nearly twenty
years Italy has been looked to for the
best (.trades of the fiber. From a point
ion the northern mountain slope of the
Rusa valley is tnVen th« floss asbestos
| fiber, the appearance of which In ga<
stoves is so familiar, in the same local
ity is found a fit c white powder of as
bestos, which serves for paint and other
I purposes. The mining Is carried on at !
a height of from 6000 to 10.000 feet above
sra level.
But the Italian asbestos Industry, once
so important, Is already on the down
; grade. The difficulties of mining are
I very great, nnd unduly increase the cost
or production. The asbestos Itself,
Ju Iged by the latest standards, is of In
l ferlor quality; It Is not easy to spin.
[ and tt does not pulp w ell In the making j
of paper. The best grade is ovtfemely |
. tl ■ Italian mines Is rapidly falling I
off. As a matter of fact, Canada con- |
tnlr.s the great asbestos region of the ,
world, in the sense that while its mines I
are practically unlimited in productive I
capacity, the product Is of a quality 1
1 which fully meets the requirements of
the newest and most exacting of the
innumerable uses that are daily being
found for it.
The process of manufacture is intense
ly Interesting, more especially from the
fact that as the industry is constantly
entering upon novel phases, new meth-
I ods of tn atment ai d special machinery
have to be devised. One of its special
uses is for wall plaster.
This in a new application which will have
ii distinct effect in modifying the prao
| tice of indoor plastering. Instead of the
ordinary tedious and elaborate prepare-
I tlon of studs and stips. and the use of
i Inferior and dust-creating mortar, with
Its after-scoring, which is necessary to
give cohi ston to the flnal coat of plaster
of Paris, a single coating of the asbestos
lis laid on. it has a glossy surface that
I will not crack, as. while firm, it is per
fectly flexible. It can be put on theraw
brick; and a room of which the walls
have been built in the morning can, be
fore night, have a smoothly finished
I Interior surface, shining like glass nnd
as hard as a rock. A kindred application
; of asbestos is now coming into vogue In
j the shape of uninflammable decorations
j for walls and ceilings. These are used
■ a great deal for the saloons of gteam
Greatest Bargains I
Ever Given 1
I Clothing, Hats 8 i
| Furnishing I |
| 4. Goods I |
Now Obtainable at lIBbMBhI §§
The Chicago I
Clothing Co. |
mmmmmmMimmmmiiMm the cause of this HHHniBmB H§
I —— I J^s
&g Great slaughter is due to the fact that we are going out of business and are compelled to turn our H *»»5
H stores over to our landlord in July. Cut this price list out and bring it with you for reference. H §|§jrj
§1 Alen's £0c Overshirts Men's 75c White Dress Shirts AA H jjwsg
m Cut down to L\)L ' Cut down to 4UC ■
I 5c 35c I I
P Aden's ?0c Neckwear |C r n g£g
S| Cut down to lOL Men's $10.00 All-Wool Suits QF 0 »<M
I Men's 3?c Web Silk Suspenders | - Cut down to | |||
1 Cut down to lOL Men's $I*.oo All-Wool Suits CO OC H
iWen's $1.2? Linen Percale Shirts iC n Cut down to tlpV.yD I* SSH
■ ' Cut down to 4t)C $
§| ~ , Boys' ?0c Riveted Rib Overalls TLT m SI&J
I 50C Cur down «o 25C 1 |j
lM For two efold dollars' worth of Good Clothing for one dollar in silver attend the Great Going Out of Business Sale r |
at : mtmmmm jS§
The Chicago I
Phmi P sßlock Clothing Co. I
125 and 127 N. Spring St. ||
ships. They are embossed in very beau- |
tiful designs, and can be treated with |
gold, varnish, lacquers or any other sub
stance for the enhancement of their or
r.amental effect.
Firemen clad in asbestos clothing and
masks, as are those of Bondon and Paris, :
can walk through the hottest flame with |
comparative impunity. Asbestos fire
proof curtains have reduced the mortal-
Ity of theater tires In a very appreciable
degree, in torpedoes, the dilHiculty of
dealing with the charges of wet gun
cotton Is overcome by enclosing them in
asbestos, the employment of which has
also, in a great measure, brought the ,
dynamite sin Q to its present efficiency. •
Asbestos is n.~ide into a cloth available
for aeronautical purposes. A balloon
made of this uninflammable material
escapt B one of the most terrible dangers
to which an ordinarily constructed bal
loon Is liable. Probably one of the first i
applications of asbestos in this country |
was to roofing. To buildings covered |
with this material the shower of sparks I
from a neighboring conflagration in- ;
volves no danger. The fact that wood- j
work can. by its use, be ipade uninflam
mable has come to be an Important fac
tor in the Insurance of buildings.. One
of the largest branches of asbestos man
ufacture is that of, sectional cylinders
for pipe coverings, for retaining the heat \
of steam and other pipes, felt protective j
coverings for boilers, frost-proof protec- j
t ions for gas or water pipes, and cemeet ;
felting, which can be laid on with <i
trowel, for the covering of steam pipes, |
boilers or stills. In some of these eases
where it is only necessary to retain the !
heat, the- asbestos is mixed with other j
substances; but where the protection
must be fireproof as well, only asbestos |
is used. The utility of such covering is |
well illustrated in the heating system of
railway cars. The main pipe from |
which the individual cars draw their re- j
■pecttve heat supplies by side mains, i
would lose a large proportion of its ca
loric from the rapid motion of the cars
through the air. An interesting innova
tion in this class of manufacture is as
bestos sponge. It is not generally known
that Bponge has Kreat power of fire re- I
sistance. The discovery was made acci- :
{ dentally not long ago, and the result was
I that a consignment Of scraps of sponge
I picked up on the southt m coasts was
I ordered for expi rlmental puoposes. The
I sponge was finely comminuted and mix
led Intimately with asbestos fibre. The j
I combination was found so successful i
I for any covering which had to be fire- |
i proof as well as heatproof that the ma
, terial has become standard. Being full
I of air cells.lt necessarily makes an excel
j lent non-conductor. Another very exten
sive department in asbestos manufac-
J ture Is that of packings. Of these there !
j are an infinite number of forms. In these j
! days of high-pressure and ocean records, j
i it is of supreme importance to marine J
I engineers that they should
; and packing materials upon which abso
! lute reliance can be placed. In order to
I meet modern exigencies every posible
I form of packing has been constructed,
! particularly with asbestos and metallic
i wire, and with asbestos and rubber cores
I for gland packing. The making of as
| bestos paper varies from the building up
] of the thickest millboard to the produc
j tion of writing paper which, from its mi
i destructibllity, is invaluable in case of
tire for preserving charters, policies,
I agreements and other important docu
ments.
To the electrical engineer asbestos Is
! absolutely indispensable. Many parts
lof electrical devices and machinery and
i wiles through which the electric current
i passes become heated, and were it not
j for the electrical insulation and heat-
I resisting qualities which asbestos pos-
I sesses, the apparatus would be com
\ pletely destroyed, particularly in the
case known to electricians as "short eir
[ cutting." For such purposes it has ben
i found advisable to combine asbestos
I with rubber and other Ktims, and this
I combination Is now used universally for
| not only electrical, but also steam and
I mechanical purposes.
| A Considerable part of an asbestos fac
i tory is devoted to weaving, the asbestos
j being first drawn into thread for that
I purpose. Here B,qra'irt in an apparently
j endless diversity, There is the fireplace
curtain-blower, which, with an auto
matte spring-rolled attachment, takes
I the place in the frame of the fireplace
of the less sightly sheetiron blower; and
! filtering cloths for many purposes, from
straining molten metal to clarifying
saccharin juices In boet-root-sugar re
fineries. A cloth is made for straining !
and filtering acids and alkalies in chem* I
j leal laboratories. This is specially use- |
i ful when the liquid to be treated is of a
I caustic or strongly acid nature. The
filter can be thrown in the fire, and after
the residua] matter has been consumed
the web is as good as new. For filtering
purposes generally asbestos has a
unique adaptability, and in tropical
! countries it is held In grateful estima
! tion as a cooler and purifier of water.
] The newest departure in the asbestos
i field is the construction of electrother
mlc apparatus. The heating- effect of the
electric current Is utilised by embedding
the wire In an asbestos sheet or pad.
The pad is used by physicians and nurses
for maintaining artificial heat in local
applications, and Is said to be already
largely used in hospitals. Another ap
, plication of the same principle is to car
heaters. A sheet Of asbestos, with the
embedded wires, is clamped between 1
two thin steel plates, and the portable
heater thus provided, or a series if need '
• be, is connected to the car circuit quickly
and easily. It gives an oven and healthy
. heat and can be so regulated as not to
■ overh«at the car.—George Hcli Guy In
■ New York Post.
NOTES OF THE DAY
English popular songs are at present
heaid a great deal In Paris cafes.
The height of the rook of Gibraltar Is
estimated to be 1437 English feet.
Every civilized nation of the world,
. even China and Japan, now has a
weather bureau.
The natives of Africa gorged them
selves with watermelons as early as
2500 B. C. The fruit grows wild all over
the country.
. "Whenever the invention admits of a
' model, the inventor Is required to fur
'■ nlsh it. of a convenient size to show
, properly and to the best advantage
the workings of the device.
1 I At an inquest in London the other
• j day twelve of the fourteen jurymen who
i I inquired into the death of a man named
Robinson were named Smith and the
other two were named Jones and Brow n.
Many spirituous drinks are made from
I the banana. Banana wine Is obtained
iby pressing the fruit through a sieve,
| after which lt is made Into cakes, dried
In the sun and dissolved in water when
wanted for use.
The Abnaki Indians of New England
used to manufacture a kind of liquor
from the tops of fir trees, which they
boiled and put into casks with molasses.
The contents of the casks were allowed
to ferment for three days.
In the new Siberian railway which
Russia is pushing with the utmost vigor
through that part of her domain there
I will be about 200 railway stations. The
i rolling stock will comprise 2(i00 locomo
i lives, 3000 passenger traffic cars and
36,(100 wagons.
The residents of Great Neck. L. 1.,
who have been bothered by "tough"
' picnics on Sundays in past years, have
I subscribed a purse of $600, which has
been given to the officers of the steani-
I boat Idlewlld not to make a landing at
Great Neck on Sunday this year.
The invention of a new calculating
machine in France has demonstrated
its triumph by practical work. One of
the remarkable results achieved wan
when 6,222,333,444 was multiplied by
8,888,1 i 1,224. The an5wer—*65,304,791,«
723,086,975,456—appeared on the regis
ter in less than three seconds.
Bicycle snatching Is a new form ot
crime developed in Paris. A lady was
riding some distance ahead of her hus
band near the Port Maillot recently,
when two men stopped her, pulled her
off her bicycle and were making oft with
the machine when her husband caught
up with them and had them arrested.
The range of the human voice Is quite
astounding—there being about nine
perfect tones, but 17,592,186,044,515 dif
ferent sounds; thus fourteen direct mus
cles, alone or together, produce 16,383;
thirty indirect muscles ditto, 173,741,"
823, and all in co-operation produce the
number we have named; and these In
dependently of different degrees of in
tensity.