Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Miles asbestos curtain in Cleveland, which I did, hangs badly and big dents kill my picture. As it is a woven wire asbestos there is no remedy – they should never be folded, always rolled.” There were many different ways to construct a fire curtain for the theatre, with a wire substrate being one.
The demand for asbestos curtains dramatically increased after the 1903 Iroquois Theatre tragedy. As theaters implemented additional steps for fire prevention, asbestos curtain orders increased for at Sosman & Landis. There were a variety of ways to manufacture and install fire curtains as the time, but only one way to ship – rolled. All asbestos curtains demanded careful handling to avoid damaging a painted scene. In 1909, an article in the “Democrat and Chronicle” commented on the installation of a Sosman & Landis asbestos curtain at the Temple Theatre in Rochester, New York: “The asbestos, or fire curtain, will be the first to be placed so as to avoid wrinkling and the beautiful drop curtain will be the last thing” (25 October 1909, page 10).
Today, we hear asbestos and cringe, with many people demanding its removal, regardless of how beautiful. In 1913, reading the word “asbestos” on a drop curtain meant safety.
So what is this dangerous substance that caused once comfort and now causes concern? Asbestos.com (sponsored by the Mesothelioma Center) notes, “Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals composed of thin, needle-like fibers. Exposure to asbestos causes several cancers and diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Although asbestos strengthens and fireproofs materials, it is banned in many countries. Asbestos is not banned in the United States.” The main problem is that when asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, the mineral fibers can become trapped in the body. Trapped asbestos fibers can cause inflammation, scarring and genetic damage to the bodies cells.
In 1913, however, asbestos was considered a common and useful product. There were even asbestos pockets in men’s suits, allowing them to tuck away burning cigarettes. Nearly all of the asbestos mined in the United States came from Vermont and Virginia, although a little came from Wyoming. The finest asbestos was considered to be from the Grand Canyon of Colorado and Arizona. In 1913, asbestos was advertised as “the most important fire-proofing material known” and was in great demand for commercial and home use (Lead Daily Call, Lead, South Dakota, 14 Oct. 1913, page 3). The “Lead Daily Call” reported, “Its fibrous structure adapts it to a wide range of applications, from woven fabrics such as theatre curtains and articles of clothing to various forms of asbestos shingles, stucco, plaster, “lumber,” and other building materials that render structures thoroughly fireproof. Its lightness, strength, durability, and insulating property against heat and electricity give it special advantages for structural uses in cars and electric motor subways…The most common use of asbestos paper, millboard, pipe covering, and lagging to enclose heat pipes, furnaces, and locomotives in order to prevent loss of heat by radiation. As a non-conductor of heat it may be used not only in the preparation of fire proof safes and vaults, but also cold storage and cooling structures. Houses made of asbestos materials or coated with asbestos throughout are not only warmer in winter, but cooler in summer. In recent years, asbestos has been used successfully as a filler in high grade paints. The finest asbestos thread yet spun carried a small percentage of cotton and runs over 2 miles to the pound.”
Here is one article that put it all in perspective for me. On October 25, 1913, the “Ottumwa Tri-Weekly Courier” published “Just a Few Helpful Uses for Asbestos About the House” (Ottumwa, Iowa, page 4). It is well worth reading for historical context.
“In your list of household conveniences have you included a sheet or two of asbestos.
You’d be really surprised to known how valuable this is about the house. There are thousands of uses to which it may be put to save work and worry.
You see, asbestos is such a splendid non-conductor of heat that it equalizes and lessens considerable heat, thus preventing things from burning when it is intercepted. In addition to this it is non-combustible, which still further adds to its desirability as a household accessory.
In the kitchen, the laundry, the dining room, the bathroom – practically in every room in the house it may be used.
The housekeeper as cook can lay a sheet of asbestos over the gas burner and plate a kettle of jam upon it. The heat will be so modified as to lessen the opportunity for the scorching of the food. If the bread in the oven is in danger of burning black upon the bottom, the cook can slip a sheet of asbestos beneath the pan. If the heat is too intense above the loaf the protector is laid over it. The modern fireless cooker, designed to hold to heat within a box, may be lined with sheets of asbestos to resist the escape of heat from the enclosed buckets of hot food.
Baking day does not monopolize the asbestos, for Tuesday sees an asbestos iron rest to protect the cover of the ironing board from scorching. An ingenious housekeeper covered a large pan with asbestos, attached a handle to what had been the bottom and inverted it over the irons being heated upon the gas stove. The result was that less gas was required, for all of its heat was conserved for the irons and not wasted in heating the kitchen The style of flat irons with removable handles, depends for its special efficiency upon asbestos linings for the detachable outer shell.
The housekeeper may place around asbestos mats upon the dining table under hot serving dishes to protect the polished table top beneath from being marred by heat. Better still, she can buy or make a large sheet of asbestos to lay beneath the table cloth. These can be purchased made to order to fit the table exactly. There cost is several dollars, varying with the size and with the quality of binding and covering. Sheet asbestos can be had cheaply at the hardware stores, and a clever and economical housekeeper can contrive a non-conducting silence cloth for herself.
As a matter of fire protection asbestos is invaluable. Tacked to the ceiling above the furnace, it guards the floor above from overheating or igniting should the furnace become defective. Where coal heating stoves and ranges are used and must be set near a wall it is best to have an asbestos covered board set behind them. When a stovepipe passes through a ceiling to warm a bedroom above (a common thing in old-fashioned houses) a sheeting of asbestos should encircle it whenever it would touch combustible surfaces.
If you have a hot furnace the plumber will probably paste one thin layer of asbestos around the pipes to conserve their heat. A thick layer or two separate layers will prevent heat wasting even more efficiently. One thrifty householder, who is chary of all unnecessary expense, pasted asbestos thickly all over the outside of his furnace proper. He had never seen this done before, yet tried the experiment, and reports enthusiastically that the saving in his coal bills of one year made it worthwhile. Formerly he had been wasting heat upon the cellar air. A man who followed his example had the asbestos bound to the furnace cylinder with wire hoops instead of paste.”
To sum up the fondness for asbestos in 1913, many newspapers included the following quote that year: “All the world’s a stage, but it lacks an asbestos curtain.”
To be continued…
