The World of J-M (1969)

The Johns-Manville Advertising and Public Relations Department made this film in 1969; the narration speaks of "J-M men and women". It is a tour of recent J-M work and products around the world, among them Celite filter aid used to clear the sacrificial well at Chichen Itza, insulation on the Saturn rocket and Apollo spacecraft, pipe and ceilings at the 1968 fair in San Antonio, Co-op City, Transite pipe at Newark airport, and new roofing, carpet and flooring lines shown at the J-M Design Center in Mountainside, New Jersey.

What it says about asbestos and health

Nothing.

About this copy

Our copy is a transfer of a print from Johns-Manville's own film archive (box 04-03387), shown in full, 18:08 long. Produced by the Johns-Manville Advertising and Public Relations Department.

Transcript

A machine transcript of the soundtrack, not yet checked against the film; names and technical words may be wrong.

As man views his planet from our moon for the first time, spinning in the vast darkness of space, new meaning is given to the common destiny binding the family of man together. This distant view of our Earth is ageless. Beneath the layers which shroud it, three and a half billion men and women pursue their lives and strive to build a better world. This is part of that story. This is a story of discovery and change. and the accomplishments of thousands of J-M men and women in recent months. It's the world of J-M Our world has seven seas and seven continents.

On all of them, results of the labor of J-M people may be found. Before we look into the future, let us reveal a mystery of the past. A thousand years ago, there flourished in North America a civilization whose buildings and history are all that remain. To scholars, the Mayan civilization of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has always been fascinating. Today, our knowledge is enhanced by the recovery of priceless artifacts from this foreboding sacrificial well at the ancient city of Chichen Itza. Scientists knew for many years that within this well, 180 feet across and 115 feet deep, the remains of human sacrifices and treasures of gold and jade were hidden for centuries but the water as deep as 45 feet was so dark and laden with dirt that visibility was limited to inches it proved impossible to pump the well dry so scientists decided to treat the well as a giant swimming pool pump out nine million gallons of stagnant dirty water filter it and and return it to the pool.

Johns-Manville contributed to the success of the project through its Mexican affiliate, Diatomita San Nicolas. The results, achieved with Celite filter aid powder, were no less than miraculous. Not only did divers get good visibility, but crystal clear underwater pictures were taken in the well for the first time. Hundreds of artifacts were retrieved by the expedition from the bottom of the well. unbroken pots, figures, and fragments of gold, jade, and copper, all dating back more than a thousand years. As expedition leader Norman Scott said about the use of Celite for clearing the water, such a degree of clarity could not have been possible without it. From the distant past to distant space, a leap in time and distance that staggers the imagination.

Cape Kennedy, Florida, December 22nd, 1968. the moon, 238,000 miles and three days away. J-M is there. In fact, J-M people are there. J-M people whose role in providing protection for our astronauts dates from the beginning of the US space program. The Saturn launch vehicle stands ready for takeoff. Seven and a half million pounds of thrust.

Power equivalent to that of half a million automobiles stretched from Seattle to New York. Atop the launch vehicle is the command module in which the astronauts make their journey. These mammoth rocket engines are insulated with 135 J-M Micro-Quartz insulating blankets encased in Inconel foil. It's sensitive telemetry and control equipment protected by micro its windows set in frames insulated with Min-K, its outside directional antenna protected by layers of J-M fiberglass and reflective foil. Additional J-M fiberglass insulating mat, microfiber web and flexible Min-K protect important elements of the service module and the lunar module in which astronauts will later descend to the surface of the moon. Already an Apollo spacecraft has rendezvoused with the moon.

For 20 hours, three American astronauts orbited 60 miles above the lunar surface. Their valiant journey at Christmas time was viewed by millions throughout the world. This film of the surface of the moon also shows man's first view of his distant Earth. As astronaut Colonel Frank Borman described it, the good Earth, blue and beautiful, an oasis in the vast darkness of space. Then, at 89 hours, 19 minutes, 13 seconds into the mission, a critical moment, the moment when behind the moon, the astronauts reignite their rocket engine to thrust them out of lunar orbit and on their homeward journey. Within the spacecraft, duties to perform, scientific observations to make, and reports to give those watching below.

As the spacecraft approaches the Earth, perfect planning and precise navigation pay off. The astronauts return to the Earth's atmosphere through a narrow corridor three degrees wide to a safe splashdown in the South Pacific, a joyous return and a hero's welcome. As the world watched and waited, its prayers on Christmas Day dwelt on these three men in the emptiness of space. space. Here on Earth, Pope Paul VI made a journey on Christmas Day, south from Rome to the heel of Italy, to the giant steel mill recently completed by Italsider at the city of Taranto. Here, amid giant furnaces and heating stoves of this industrial complex, he said Christmas mass for several thousand steel workers. J-M International people were proud of their role in the construction of these giant furnaces and heating ovens, all of them equipped with J-M insulating fire brick, plus Superex and fiber chrome insulations.

Man celebrates the march of civilization by displaying his achievements, his culture, his arts and sciences on a grand scale. In 1968, the confluence of civilizations in the Americas was celebrated at HemisFair. In the heart of San Antonio, Texas, celebrating its 250th anniversary, 25 nations and hundreds of other exhibitors played host to the world on the 92-acre site. HemisFair was topped by the 622-foot Tower of the Americas, tallest in the Western world. Beneath it, 7 million visitors thronged the fairgrounds between May and September. Many of the dramatic buildings, especially those within the $13 million Civic Center, remain after the close of the fair to serve the people of San Antonio.

Exhibits and pavilions throughout the fairgrounds were completely air-conditioned, thanks to Johns-Manville Temptite pipe, which carried chilled water, as well as low-temperature hot water, to every building on the site. More than a dozen pavilions featured Johns-Manville materials in their construction. The Tower of the Americas, the Convention Center, the Telephone Pavilion, and the Tourist Information Center all had J-M acoustical ceilings. J-M insulations were used in all of these buildings, as well as the United States Pavilion, the Theatre, the Pavilion of the State of Texas, the Pavilion of Canada, and the Coca-Cola exhibit. exhibit. Including the 25,000 feet of Temptite pipe, which lies beneath the fairgrounds, a total of more than seven miles of J-M pipe products went into HemisFair. These buildings, constructed to celebrate the accomplishments of man in the Americas, are but a few of the dramatic structures completed in recent months in which J-M's broad variety of building and and flooring materials may be found.

Across the nation, in New York, Co-op City rises on a 300-acre site. The tall towers of this complex of 35 apartment buildings will house some 60,000 people. This complex will include six schools, shopping centers, and eight large parking garages. Co-op City is the largest middle-income housing development in the world with 15,000 apartments its cost 294 million dollars throughout the project J-M Micro-Lok metal lock and Thermobestos pipe insulations a dramatic application of J-M's Bel-Air roofing Blossom Music Center new summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra seats an audience of 4,600 beneath this canted 560-foot arch. The vast roof area features 80,000 square feet of Bel-Air, strong and durable, with the aesthetic appeal of natural wood. At the foot of the Rocky Mountains lies Denver, Colorado, the site chosen by United Airlines for its Advanced Technical and Air Crew Training Center.

Throughout this modern building, dedicated to safety in the skies, J-M Transitop Paneling, Fesco insulation, and asphalt roofing. Micro-Aire ducts were specified for the heating and air conditioning systems. Serving the world of aviation is the role of several J-M divisions. Not far from the metropolis of New York City lies its third major airport in Newark, New Jersey. Here, J-M Transite Pipe, two miles of it, lies beneath the entire complex to carry water, sewage, storm stormwater, and electrical cables. And the runways on which modern jetliners take off and land are stronger and safer through a new J-M development, one which has already proven itself on roads, highways, and bridges.

Here at Toledo's municipal airport, a jet is airborne smoothly from asphalt asbestos surfacing. This material increases useful life of the runway surface and helps reduce skidding in adverse weather. For the jets themselves, one of a family of new fiberglass filter tubes manufactured at Waterville Tech Center. These filter tubes are similar to those developed for the paint, chemical, food, and oil industries. They assure that aviation fuel burned by giant jet engines is clean and free of foreign matter. Each filter tube undergoes rigorous testing in this special installation.

Between the time aviation fuel is shipped from the refinery to the time it is pumped aboard your flight, it is filtered five times. With more than 14,000 commercial flights in the U.S. every day, this new application has a dynamic market potential. From Denison, Texas, another striking development, one which is also a result of space-age technology. It's called Flexstrand. It's It's the most exciting development in pipe in a quarter of a century. Designed to serve the irrigation market, it's composed of fiberglass, graded silica aggregates, and polyester resins.

It's filament wound in 20 feet lengths on giant mandrels. It's virtually unbreakable and flexible. It's resistant to chemicals, acids, and moisture. Flexstrand is lightweight, yet strong, will not corrode. Like other J-M pipe products, Flexstrand is expected to make significant contributions to controlling pollution and conserving the nation's water resources. With growing concerns centering on pollution control, J-M research is seeking solutions to this major national problem.

Here's one answer. Spillguard is, in effect, a floating fence. Composed of compressed asbestos rubber sheet and foam flotation material, it holds in floating oil and debris. Ideal for controlling oil spills, floating pollution, and protecting beaches and recreational areas, it's been demonstrated successfully in Puerto Rico, Maryland, and California. Federal pollution control officials, the Coast Guard, and the Corps of Engineers agree with industry that Spillguard's potential is highly promising. Its performance off Santa Barbara, California last February was rated the best of any product used.

Here's another product brand new to Johns-Manville. Carpeting for residential and commercial applications. Already in production, the new J-M carpet line features 16 qualities with a total of 147 colors. All are manufactured in the facilities of J-M's Crown Tuft Carpet Company. They are produced with exclusive jet bond backing, the revolutionary hot melt polymer process which securely bonds secondary and primary backing for greater strength and improved dimensional stability. J-M carpeting is available in a wide range of styles for numerous applications.

A vital factor in the development of new products is outstanding design. Here at the J-M Design Center in Mountainside, New Jersey, a variety of exciting new building materials is emerging. The most dramatic development in roofing shingles in a generation, Townsend. It's all new, new colors, new materials, asbestos, fiberglass, and thermoplastic asphalts. its casual natural look is the result of unique edge detail plan to look unplanned the result a graceful long free-flowing roof line with random intervals to prevent monotony or lack of interest Townsend carries a Class A fire rating highest awarded by underwriters lab its Its J-M Seal-O-Matic feature has been proven storm-tight in actual exposure to hurricanes. For ceilings, here's a family of J-M acoustical materials. New, exciting designs.

Sea Swirl, Orient, Directoire, Scandia, Golden Web, and Simplicity. More and more people are looking up to J-M Ceilings. Soon you'll be walking on a major new development in resilient flooring. It's called applied Terraflex. Architects, designers, and decorators consider it the most flexible new product in the flooring field. While retaining traditional long wearing and low maintenance qualities, these asbestos cement products are now downright beautiful.

For the architect, Stonehenge provides provides the same design flexibility of products as marble and stone at half the price. And there's more on the way. Here are a few of the exciting new Permatone colors for Flexboard, transitop, and thermostone interior and exterior panels. Kitchens and bathrooms are getting a new look too, thanks to J-M's Melamite division at Lawrence, Massachusetts. New in the Melamite line are two exciting textured surfaces which capture the beauty and richness of stone as no other laminate can. Here in this display center near Boston, J-M Avocado Quartz Melamite for the look of polished marble.

Here's a new product from J-M which reflects years of experience in the development of electrical insulations. It's Quintex, a flexible inorganic dielectric. It's features of strength, stretch wearability, and efficiency give greater freedom of design and significant cost savings. Quintex is available as thin as three one millionths of an inch. It's ideal for coils and electrical transformers such as this 440 volt unit. Small or large, J-M products serve man's most vital needs. unlocking mysteries of the past or probing the frontier of the future making life more comfortable making our world a cleaner and safer place to live these and hundreds of other J-M developments give thousands of J-M men and women throughout the world a vital sense of purpose and service.

As our globe seems to diminish in size, our view takes on new perspective. We view the world of Johns- Manville, a world dynamic, dramatic, ever-changing.