THIS AGE OF INGENUITY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 84, 29 July 1942, Page 2

THIS AGE OF INGENUITY

I Highways of salt are now being built as tin: result of experiment:; by the Internationa! Salt ('ompany of I tliaea, N.Y, The salt, is either mixed witii or inserted between layers of the road material and rolled to a (inn surface. 1L draws moisture from tiie air and at the Same time reduces the film of moisture around each particle of clay, so that the clay packs down harder. Once the salt has erystall'sed 011 the surface the road sheds water during a rain and does not become slippery or muddy, it resists Ira (lie abrasion to a marked deg-ee. Salt roads can be built lor around'doO dollars a milt, whereas ].)()() dollars is the minimum cost for a mile of asphalt road. A highly, successful one, connecting Lthaca with its new airport, lias been in use for the past two years. Spurred on by bridge expert Ely Culbertson, the plasties industry has produced play'.ng cards made oi Lumarilh, a cellulose aeetate material. The, new cards look exactly like any other cards, but they are indestructible. They will not crack when bent, stain, nick or mark, and are moisture-proof and washable-. One pack, used for 1 .>.,000 dearsshowed not a sign of wear.

Fire proof wood has been developed by a New Jersey manufacturer who impregnated red oak and maple in pressure tanks -with ammonium salts whi?h. when hot, release com-bustian-smothering gases. The treated wood is almost as easily tooled as ordinary wood, and takes varnish well. Testers from the National Board of Fire Underwriters created conflagration conditions in large chambers fired by gas nozzles. Although untreated walls went up in flames, the treated wood did not burn at all. When exposed to intense heat for long periods, it charred deeply, but did not produce appreciable flame or aid the spread oi combustion. . A new glass-walled factory at Corning, N.Y., is to make spun-glass? wool, which has now boen brought to sui'h a state of perfection that it can compete with other textiles. Glass wool can be .spun on standinrd textile looms, and the resulting fabrics are lire proof. In the glass houses cf future, the housewife may wear a glass dress, have glass curtains, walk on glass rugs, and sleep on glass- mattresses. A new metal awning is; made of narrow sheets of thin material hinged together on their long horizontal edges. When it is closed the see--ions fold together at the top of the window. Aluminium, copper, and. rustles;; steel are used, sometimes painted in solid colours or stripes. The under side is usually finished in aluminium paint in order to reflect the maximum of light into a room. The fixtures are ol rustless bronze. The great advantage oi metal awnings _is their long life, coupled with the I act that they may be left up all year round without damage.