Asbestos Magazine, 1929

Johns-Manville's notes

1. Feb. 1929, pp. 53-54 summary p. 35

   J-M last Fall instituted a Foreman Training Course at their Manville Factory. Consisting of eight lectures at the Hotel Asbestos, through Rutgers University. Subjects were: Responsibilities of the Foreman, Aids of Production, Standardization Costs and Their Relation to the Foreman, the Foreman's Relation to Employment and Labor Turnover, the Training and Education of Workers, Safety, a History of Industry. The cost of the course was shared equally by the Company and the 140 men. Later, foreman training courses were started at the Nashua and Waukegan Factories, and at the Mines.

2. Feb. 1929, p. 54 summary p. 36

   J-M, on February 1, completed the purchase of the Banner Rock Products Company, whose properties are located in Alexandria, IN, assuring a continued supply of raw material for the manufacture of Rock Wool, and placing at the command of Johns-Manville two plants, large rock deposits in Alexandria, and a dozen different products manufactured by the Banner Rock Products Company, chief of which is rock cork, a low temperature insulating material used in large quantities for the construction of refrigerators and the insulation of houses. Nearly 400 employees have been added to the organization through this purchase.

3. Mar. 1929, pp. 8-12 summary p. 36

   Obit. T. F. Merseles, Pres. of J-M (age 65).

4. Mar. 1929, pp. 27-29 summary p. 36

   "Asbestos - The Most Important Mineral" - During the War, asbestos was on the preferential list because it was essential to war making activities. Asbestos is "absolutely necessary" for brakes. "No adequate insulation has been made that does not contain asbestos." Lists many other uses.

5. Apr. 1929, p. 4 summary p. 36

   Progress in Amosite - "… Amosite cloth has been recently recognized and approved by the British Admiralty as being suitable for their requirements." "Amosite insulating material under the patented trade name of 'Capisolite' has also found increasing favor with the Italian Government and Shipbuilding Yards in Italy … for covering boilers … 6,000 tons of Amosite have been sold … present capacity of the mines is being taxed to the utmost. Heavy expenditure on new plant is being proposed to still further develop the amosite properties and it is hoped that ere long the output of the mines will not be less than 10,000 tons a year."

6. Apr. 1929, pp. 19-22 summary p. 36

   J-M Board elects W.R. Seigle Chairman to succeed H.E. Manville, who resigned. Lewis H. Brown elected President to succeed T. F. Merseles, deceased.

7. Apr. 1929, p. 52 summary p. 36

   Asbestos Deposits of Arizona is the title of Bulletin No. 126 published on October 15, 1928 (but only issued within the last few weeks) by the University of Arizona, Arizona Bureau of Mines. The book is written by Eldred D. Wilson, with an introduction on Asbestos Minerals by G.M. Butler, Director of the Arizona Bureau of Mines.

8. Apr. 1929, p. 53 summary p. 37

   J-M - several promotions/job changes noted.

9. Apr. 1929, p. 53 summary p. 37

   J-M's office of the Celite Corp. was moved from Los Angeles to Lompoc on Feb. 16.

10. Apr. 1929, p. 54 summary p. 37

    J-M election of officers and personnel changes - includes notice on pages 19-22 above.

11. Apr. 1929, p. 59 summary p. 37

    J-M announced acquisition of the U.S. and Canadian rights to manufacture and sell Transite Pipe (a seamless pipe made of asbestos and cement) under Italian patents. Special machinery for its manufacture is being built in Italy. Two units, with a capacity of 2 million ft. per year, will be installed at the Waukegan, Ill. plant. Preparations have already been made for increasing this capacity as needed.

12. May 1929, pp. 15-16 summary p. 37

    Keasbey & Mattison makes largest theatre curtain in the world, complying with the NJ law. Most states have adopted definite standards for such curtains.

13. May 1929, p. 27 summary p. 37

    Theatre Curtain Survey underway and should be completed by June. About 100 cities will be covered.

14. May 1929, p. 52 summary p. 37

    "Asbestos Has Many Novel Uses" is the title of an article appearing in an April 12 bulletin issued by the Dept. of Commerce.

15. May 1929, p. 54 summary p. 37

    J-M purchased the controlling interest in the Beton & Mollith Asbestos Cement Works at Moll, Belgium. It is planned to enlarge the plant to take care of European and South American trade, and to add textiles, insulating materials, brake linings, and other materials to the present lines.

16. May 1929, p. 54 summary p. 37

    The Foreign Division of J-M has been reorganized by dividing it into districts and sales territories. The three districts created are: European, Latin American and Far East.

17. May 1929, p. 54 summary p. 37

    The Hixon Peterson Lumber Co. of Toledo, Ohio, and its chain of twelve yards has recently been secured as full line distributor of J-M roofing and building materials.

18. May 1929, p. 54 summary p. 37

    A new addition to the J-M line is Sanacoustic Tile, a sound-absorbing finish, to which the Company has acquired the exclusive manufacturing and sales rights. The finish was developed by C.F. Burgess Laboratories, Inc., Madison, Wis., and was formerly known as Burgess Sanacoustic Tile.

19. May 1929, p. 54 summary p. 38

    Another comparatively new feature of J-M building material service is House Insulation which consists of particles of rock wool blown into the space between the outside walls and the interior plaster by a specially-designed machine.

20. May 1929, pp. 54-55 summary p. 38

    The purchase of assets and properties of the Weaver-Henry Mfg. Company of Los Angeles was announced on March 1. The company manufactures asphalt composition shingles and roofings and will be operated by J-M as a separate and distinct organization. The entire personnel of the Weaver-Henry Corporation has been retained. The plant is thoroughly modern and covers four acres.

21. May 1929, p. 55 summary p. 38

    Another recent acquisition of J-M is the purchase of the Preformed Asphalt Products Company, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio. The plant was put in operation early in April. The products include asphalt joints, blocks and planks.

22. May 1929, p. 55 summary p. 38

    The recent rumor regarding the possibility of a merger between the Johns-Manville Corporation and American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation has been denied by the officers of both companies.

23. May 1929, p. 59 summary p. 38

    J-M's Chairman, W.R. Seigle, is visiting Germany, France and Belgium to study general business conditions in connection with the expansion of J-M's activities in Europe.

24. June 1929, pp. 4-8 summary p. 38

    German Asbestos Industry - In 1913, exports amounted to about 75% of total production, but through the war, export possibilities were greatly reduced. Consequently, sales were more difficult. Germany has more trouble than ever purchasing raw fiber at satisfactory terms and conditions, especially from Canada. Russia may become an important supplier to Germany in the near future.

25. June 1929, pp. 11-13 summary p. 38

    Arizona Asbestos - Mainly deals with the Regal Mine.

26. July 1929, pp. 2-4 summary p. 38

    "Naval Asbestos Demand Grows" - Naval architects planning the new light cruisers estimate that of each of the 10,000 tonners, 94 tons will be asbestos. The 34,000 ton aircraft carriers Lexington and Saratoga include 1,400 tons of asbestos. In all new naval construction, asbestos-composition switchboards (asbestos ebony pictured) has replaced slate and marble. The entire combatant force is to have all such boards replaced by asbestos-containing material as soon as possible. "… the Navy is becoming asbestosized almost completely." (Pictures asbestos-insulated pipes on a destroyer). The Navy is obtaining its new speeds in light cruisers "only because it can use asbestos in high-pressure steam packings." We have been compelled to develop not only metal to contain these mighty steam pressures but packing which could economically conserve both heat and pressure. "Asbestos, without substitute, or at present, any argument, is the only product found capable." "Packings of asbestos are under practically constant test and development, and samples of all types of such packings are under constant investigation at the Naval Experiment Station at Annapolis. The specification requirements on all types of packings are especially rigid, …" "Packing must be suitable for use with superheated steam; other types must be used for hot water; others for refrigerating machinery, etc. All three are classified by the Bureau of Engineering and only those that show they will withstand the severest service conditions are used. Manufacturers who are interested in this class of equipment should provide themselves with copies of all such specifications and use them as models." "In naval tests no personal bias is allowed to prevail. To be acceptable a product must be inherently good. It has to stand or fall on its own merits, and these are determined solely on the results of its tests. If two or more products give equally good results, then, unquestionably, the cheaper one is the most satisfactory." "The Navy, besides switchboards and packings, uses quite large quantitites of fibrous paints, roofing cements, asbestos floor coverings, asbestos shingles, pipe coverings, millboard and high temperature cements. Asbestos brake linings are also important on the Navy's supply lists."

27. July 1929, pp. 6-8 summary p. 39

    Asbestos Yarn - describes British and American standardization (sizes, weights, etc.).

28. July 1929, pp. 16-18 summary p. 39

    "Manchuria and Asbestos" - Japanese article describing asbestos deposits.

29. July 1929, p. 54 summary p. 39

    J-M - Personnel changes noted. Misc. news. Formation of J-M Int'l. Organization of German company with branches in England, France and Belguim. Belguim company purchased in Feb. Albany sales office moves to another building.

30. Aug. 1929, p. 59 summary p. 40

    Cooperative agreement between American Standards Assoc. and U.S. Bureau of Standards should greatly advance commercial standards.

31. Sept. 1929, p. 20 summary p. 40

    The thermal insulation testing lab at J-M's Manville factory is regarded as one of the most completely equipped private labs in the U.S. for investigative work pertaining to all classes of insulating materials. Research at this lab has resulted in the improvement and standarization of many important insulating products.

32. Sept. 1929, p. 20 summary p. 40

    Thetford - "The Grey City". "We sit down in Thetford for a few minutes, … and a fine grey dust is noticeable on our clothing." "This dust covers everything in Thetford … grey dust settles over all the roads, turning even the grasses a greyish hue." More than 10,000 have their homes there.

33. Sept. 1929, pp. 28-29 summary p. 40

    Suggestion has been made in Africa to formulate an Amosite Asbestos Assoc. to market amosite.

34. Sept. 1929, p. 54 summary p. 40

    The title of the railroad and government department of the J-M has been changed to the Transportation and Government Department, and a new sales organization plan has been put into effect. This department comprises sales and engineering service to railroads, airways and airplane manufacturers, government, electric railways, and motor coach lines and motor coach manufacturers. Lists officers, sales managers, etc.

35. Oct. 1929, p. 6 summary p. 40

    Thetford - "The City of Dumps" - The dumps of Thetford are so immense as to assume a sort of grandeur - huge mountainlike heaps, half a mile or more, with small "railroads" on top. The dumps are ever growing larger. Day by day dump cars run out on top of the dumps and deposit the finely ground serpentine, the residue of the mill rock after all asbestos fibre has been extracted. "One wonders how far the dumps will extend in time to come. There must be millions of tons of material already in these dumps. Even were a use found for the finely ground stone, we could not conceive of any use so vast as to remove them altogether; indeed it would take a very large demand to keep even reasonably ahead of the daily deposits made on them." "No - the dumps will probably remain as long as Thetford itself, and longer." "In time to come the whole town may be located on the top of the dumps, as the pits encroach more and more on the present townsite."

36. Oct. 1929, pp. 27-28 summary p. 41

    Pipe covering should not be less than 3/4" thick, but many speculative builders are asking for 1/2", forcing the manufacturer to make these items. The U.S. Bureau of Standards is investigating.

37. Oct. 1929, p. 53 summary p. 41

    Officers/Directors of J-M Int'l. listed.

38. Oct. 1929, p. 53 summary p. 41

    "Johns-Manville Corporation has entered into a contract with the Insulite Company to purchase insulating lumber for use west of the Allegheny mountains. There has been no merger of these interests despite reports by overzealous newspaper reporters."

39. Oct. 1929, p. 54 summary p. 41

    J-M personnel changes/promotions listed. J-M formed a "Quarter Century" Club consisting of men employed by the company for 25 years or more (present membership = 70). A pledge was made to each member that only the President could discharge any member of the Club from the Company's service.

40. Nov. 1929, p. 53 summary p. 41

    A new Inspection and Control Dept. at Manville was launched Sept. 1, covering all manufacturing operations and organized for the inspection of raw materials, goods in process and finished goods from physical and chemical points of view.

41. Nov. 1929, p. 55 summary p. 41

    Forbes Nov. edition has article on Lewis H. Brown.

42. Dec. 1929, pp. 19-20 summary p. 41

    PA Dept. of Labor and Industry has developed new regulations for building construction. Asbestos curtains were specified for school auditoriums, theatres and movie theatre stages.

43. Dec. 1929, p. 20 summary p. 41

    Asbestos curtains being used in electric welding.