The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1887. A VALUABLE INVENTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1678, 4 October 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1887. A VALUABLE INVENTION.

In our issue of the 26th September we reproduced an article from the London "Globe" referring to an interesting experiment lately made m London with a novelty known as the asbestos paint. The proprietors of the invention claim that it renders structures painted with it impervious to the action of fire. To demonstrate this an experiment was made on a vacant piece of ground m the city. Two wooden structures resembling sentry boxes, one painted with three coats of asbestos paint and the other not painted at all, were nailed together filled with shavings saturated with kerosene and ignited. Both were speedily enveloped m flames and m a few minutes the unpainted structure was reduced to ashes while the painted one was perfectly uninjured. Now we consider this one of the most valuable inventions of the present age. The purposes to which it can be applied are obviously very numerous. Of course the principal one is the saving of life m the event of fire occurring m our theatres or public halls and the saving of property at the same time. But m the colony at any rate, there are a great many other purposes to which it can be applied. Look for instance, at our immense railway bridges, some of them upwards of a mile long, and erected at an enormous cost. One or two of these bridges have had narrow escapes. A fierce hor'wester operating on a live coal dropped from a passing engine would soon play sad havoc with any one of these huge structures involving the expenditureof largeamounts for repairs besides interrupting traffic for a time. Now as the experiment we have already referred to shows that the asbestos paint affords perfect immunity from fire, we think the Government would do well m protecting their railway bridges by its means. The cost would doubtless be considerable, but still it would not bear comparison with that of replacing the bridge destroyed, wholly or partially. The Parliamentary and other public buildings should also be painted with it on the score of economy. Had the Wellington Post Office been painted with it, it would have saved the Government something like Ihe asbestos paint was used to a large extent on the famous Inventories m London, and received special recommendation m honorable mention. If it has been deemed necessary or desirable to protect public buildings m London with this paint, where they are constructed of much less inflammable materials than m the colony, how much more necessary or desirable is its use here. In the interests of the taxpayers we venture to bring the matter under the notice of the Hon. the Minister of Public Works.