Document 3ekRaGb9yRg9w1BZNeDGe0LzE

FILE NAME: WR Grace (WRG) DATE: Unknown DOC#: WRG205 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: 0000 Transcript of Speech on History of Vermiculite with Handwritten Edits HISTORY OF VERMICULITE . VERMI'Cl/LI TE IS A NAME USED TO DESCRIBE MICACEOUS MATERIAL THAT EXFO LIA TES WHEN HEATED. IT IS HYDRATED MAGNESIUM-ALUMINUMIRON S I L I C A T E . ' THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, COLOR, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, AND DEGREE OF EXFO LIA TIO N VARY. V ER M IC U LITE, WHEN HEATED, EXFOLIATES BY EXPANDING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE CLEAVAGE INTO LONG WORM-LIKE P IE C E S . THE NAME "VERMI CULI T E 'r IS DERI VED FROM THE LATIN - VERMI CULARI - WHICH MEANS *` TO BREED WORMS". THE EXPANSION OF VERMICULITE OCCURS WHEN HEATED AND THE CONTAINED WATER IS CONVERTED INTO STEAM. THE OVERALL INCREASE IN BULK VOLUME OF COMMERCIALLY PREPARED VERMICULITE ORE IS 8 TO 12 TIMES THE VOLUME WHEN EXPANDED AS COMPARED TO THE PREPARED CRUDE ORE. THE OCCURANCE OF V ERM ICULITE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN FOUND IN ARIZONA, CA LIFO RN IA ; COLORADO, GEORGIA, MONTANA, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH CARO L I N A ,T E X A S , WYOMING AND V I R G I N I A . I MIGHT.HASTEN TO POINT OUT HOWEVER, THAT IN ALMOST EVERY INSTANCE ONLY TRACES, OR VERY SMALL DEPOSITS, OF VERMICULITE HAVE BEEN LOCATED, EXCEPT IN MONTANA AND IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THE OCCURANCE OF VERM ICULITE IN THE OTHER STATES THAT I MENTIONED HAVE FOUND TO BE OF SMALL TONNAGE, WHICH -7 a . ik -o ' WARRANT INVESTMENT. TO F+NS-ANO PROCESS M ATERIAL. WOULD NOT VERM ICULITE HAS BEEN LOCATED IN A U S TR A LIA , B R A Z IL , C H IL E , CUBA, -2- E T H IO P IA , JA PA N , KENYA, MEXICO, RUSSIA AND THE UNION OF SOUTH A F R IC A . AS WS UNDERSTAND I T , DEPOSITS IN THESE COUNTRIES HAVE ALSO BEEN SMALL IN S IZ E , WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOUTH A F R IC A , WHO DOES HAVE LARGE QUANTITIES OF V E R M IC U L IT E . MONTANA IS, OF COURSE, THE LARGEST PRODUCING LOCATION, SOUTH CAROLINA IS IN SECOND PLACE AND THE UNION OF SOUTH A FR IC A IN THIRD PLACE. .i ALTHOUGH V ERM ICULITE WAS FIRS T DISCOVERED, AND IT EXFO LIATING PROPERTIES DESCRIBED AS FAR BACK AS 182^, THERE WAS NO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION UNTIL 1915, WHEN A VERY SMALL AMOUNT WAS PRODUCED'NEAR SALI DA, COLORADO. DURING THE NEXT 10 YEARS COLORADO CONTINUED TO PRODUCE VERY SMALL AMOUNTS. VERMICULITE WAS DISCOVERED IN L I B B Y , MONTANA IN 1918. THE DISCOVERY WAS MADE BY A GROUP OF PROSPECTORS WHO WERE EXPLORING THE MOUNTAIN FOR OTHER MINERALS AND, AS THE STORY GOES, THEY HAD A CAMPFIRE AND THEY NOTICED THE PARTICLES OF V ERM ICULIT ORE EXPANDING AS A RESULT OF THE HEAT OF THE F I R E . DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPOSIT NEAR LIBBY BEGAN IN 1919. THERE WAS A COMPANY FORMED BY THE NAME OF VERMICULITE AND ASBESTOS CORPORATION, AND FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, WHILE THERE WAS SOME WORK GOING ON, THERE WAS NO PRODUCTION,* IN FACT, THE F IR S T RECORD OF SHIPMENTS FROM L I B B Y , WAS TWO TONS SHIPPED DURING THE YEAR 1925. SOME OF THE OLDTIMERS HAVE TOLD ME 'IN . THE PAST - THAT FROM THE START OF ASBESTOS AND VERMICULITE CORPORATION THAT THEY SOLD MORE STOCK THAN VERMICULITE FOR THE FIRS T 10 YEARS. I AM INCLINED TO BELIEV E THAT THIS'SAME SITUATION PERHAPS EXISTED FOR MORE LIKE 15 YEARS, SINCE ONE MIGHT SAY THAT THERE WAS V IRTUALLY NO VERMICULITE PRODUCTION UNTIL 193^ -3- IN THAT YEAR FROM L IB B Y .T H E Y SHIPPED 9,000 TONS. THE FIRST EXPANDING PLANT TO BE DESIGNED AND ERECTED WAS ABOUT 1932 IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. A LOCAL C ITIZEN THERE PUT UP THE PLANT AND HAD A FRANCHISE AS A LICENSEE FOR A GIVEN AREA AROUND SPOKANE. I MIGHT MENTION, ABOUT 1930, A GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM CHICAGO HEADED BY A MR. A. T. KEARNEY AND TWO OF THE DECENDANTS OF THE FOUNDER OF THE ARMOUR MEAT PACKING COMPANY TOOK OVER THE MINING CLAIMS OF THE OLD VERM ICULITE AND ASBESTOS CORPORATION. THEY HAD CLAIMS ON ONE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE AREA WAS COVERED BY CLAIMS FROM A GROUP IN DETROIT, AND THE PEOPLE IN DETROIT WHO WERE INVOLVED WERE TWO OF THE ORIGINAL BROTHERS WHO FOUNDED THE FISCHER BODY CORPORATION, AND LATER SOLD OUT TO GENERAL MOTORS. THESE TWO GROUPS, THAT IS , THE GROUP FROM CHICAGO AND THE GROUP FROM DETROIT WERE, FOR ABOUT 8 OR 9 YEARS ARCH EMENIES. THE CHICAGO GROUP, ABOUT 19 39, PUT IN AN EXPANDING PLANT IN CHICAGO, AND ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE FISCHER GROUP PUT IN AN EXPANDING PLANT IN DETROIT. BOTH OF THESE COMPANIES, THE CHICAGO GROUP, KNOWN AS THE UNIVERSAL INSULATION COMPANY, AND THE DETROIT GROUP, KNOWN AS THE ZONOLITE COMPANY WERE ENDEAVORING A L L ALONG TO SET UP LICENSEES, SINCE NEITHER GROUP WANTED TO PROVIDE THE MONEY TO PUT IN THEIR OWN EXPANDING PLA NT? AS A * RESULT, A NUMBER OF PLANTS WERR CONSTRUCTED BETWEEN 1939 AND 19 3 7 .^.-; I KNOW DURING THIS PERIOD PLANTS WERE CONSTRUCTED IN ' CALI FORNI A, UTAH, KANSAS, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA AND M I ^ E S O T A . AS I MENTIONED E A R L IE R , THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF ANIMOSITY BETWEEN. THE P R IN C IP A L S OP THE UNIVERSAL INSULATION COMPANY IN CHICAGO AND THE ZONOLITE COMPANY IN DETROIT, AND ACCORDING. TO / ' -uA0 -Li- ] L" STORIES THAT I HAVE HEARD, ABOUT 1936, MR. KEARNEYA SET OUT TO MAKE A DETERMINED EFFORT TO BRING THE TWO GROUPS TOGETHER. AFTER NEGOTIATING FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS, IN 19 39, A MERGER WAS ARRANGED. BETWEEN UNIVERSAL INSULATION COMPANY AND THE ZONOLITE COMPANY.' THE NEW COMPANY WAS ThI n NAMED UNIVERSAL ZONOLITE COMPANY. AND THAT NAME CONTINUED TO BE USED UNTIL 19^5, WHEN THEY DROPPED'UNIVERSAL AND JUST CALLED THE COMPANY THE ZONOLITE COMPANY. I THINK IT IS INTERESTING .TO. NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WAS WORK DONE ON VERMICULITE DURING THE 1 9 2 0 'S , NO ONE AT THAT TIME REALLY KNEW WHAT USE COULD BE MADE OF THE M A TERIA L. IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 1925 OR 26, SOMEONE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD INSULATION MATERIAL FOR HOUSES AND OTHER STURCTURES. OF COURSE; AT THAT TIME THERE WAS REALLY NO INSULATION OF ANY TYPE ON THE MARKET. THE CONCEPT OF INSULATING BUILDINGS WAS NON- EXISTANT. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF VERM IC ULITE AS AN INSULATING MATERIAL PRE-DATED THE INTRODUCTION OF ROCK-WOOL, WHICH CAME ALONG IN THE EARLY 3 0 'S , AND OF COURSE, I-N THE LATER 30*S GLASS FIBER INSULATION WAS DEVELOPED. I THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THE ONLY THING THAT PRE-DATED ZONOLITE AS AN INSULATING MATERIAL WAS SAWDUST, WHICH WAS, OF COURSE, USED FOR MANY YEARS AS AN INSULATING MATERIAL IN ICE HOUSES AND THAT SORT OF THING. ACCORDING TO THE OLDTIMERS, IT WAS A REAL TASK t TO GET THE INTEREST OF ANYONE, INSOFAR, AS USING A 'M A T E R IA L TO INSULATE THEIR HOUSE. SOMETIME IN THE EARLY 3 0 'S THE GROUP IN DETROIT TOOK TWO TWIN HOUSES, INSULATING ONE WITH ZONOLITE, AND LEAVING THE OTHER UN-INSULATED AND THEY CARRIED THIS E X PERIMENT THROUGH AN ENTIRE YEAR. THESE TWO HOUSES WERE EMPTY AND THEY KEPT A RECORD OF THE FUEL COST. I DON'T RECALL THE SAVINGS AS A RESULT OF USING ZONOLITE, 8UT IT WAS VERY VERY S IG N IFIC A N T. THERE WAS SOME P U B L IC IT Y ON TH IS . THE LICENSEES AND THE EARLY PIONEERS IN THE BUSINESS IN THE 3 0 'S ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND PUT INSULATION IN PEOPLES A T T IC FOR L IT T L E OR NO COST JUST TO PROVE THAT THE CONCEPT WAS A SOUND ONE. I COULD NUMERATE MANY MANY STORIES I HAVE HEARD FROM SOME OF THE OLD PIONEERS IN THE BUSINESS, BUT I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THEM, OTHER' THAN TO SAY THAT GETTING ZONOLITE ACCEPTED AS THE F IR S T INSULATION MATERIAL A V A ILA B LE . COMMERCIALLY WAS TRULY A PIONEERING JOB. DURING THE EARLY LO'S VERMICULITE WAS USED EXPERIMENTALLY IN MAKING HIGH TEMPERATURE BRICKS AND REFRACTORY M ATERIALS. OF COURSE, WE WERE IN A WAR AT THAT TIME AND OTHER MATERIALS WERE SHORT. ALSO, DURING THE EARLY 4 0 'S SOME WORK WAS DONE N THE USE 0 F VERMICULITE AS A PLASTER AGGREGATE TO REPLACE SAND, AGAIN, THE SELLING APPROACH WAS THAT IT MADE A LIGHTER WEIGHT M A TER IA L, IT WAS INSULATING AND OFFERED FIRE RESISTANCE. THE FIR S T PLASTER JOB, AS I UNDERSTAND I T , WAS DONE or ON A CHURCH IN MONTANA IN THE &AR-LY--M3 ' S . DURING THE WAR SOME WORK WAS DONE IN HSPN, T-&*AS, AS WELL AS WASHINGTON, D. C . , AND PERHAPS SOME OTHER AREAS SUBSTITUTING VERMICULITE AS AN AGGREGATE IN. L I G H T WEIGHT CONCRETE. THE FIRS T MAJOR JOB WAS DONE BY A LICENSEE IN WASHINGTON, D. C . , BY THE NAME OF WALTER SIMPSON, AND THE JOB WAS THE PENTAGON. ABOUT THE SAME TIME, ANOTHER JOB WAS DONE IN ST. LOUIS I ' // -6- A**'- . BY A HAN NAMED FRANK JOHN. THIS JOB WAS A SMALL ARMS PLANT IN - ST. LOUIS. IN BOTH CASES, THE VERMICULITE F I L L WAS PLACED OVER STRUCTURAL CONCRETE. AT THAT TIME THEY DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A IR ENTRAININ G, SO THEY ENDED UP WITH A VERY DENSE MATERIAL THAT WAS D I F F I C U L T INDEED TO DRY OUT AND BOTH JOBS OVER THE YEARS CAUSED A LOT OF PROBLEMS. ONE OF THE PIONEERS IN THE ZONOLITE BUSINESS, A MAN 8Y THE NAME OF GLENN S C I E T T I E , WHO WAS QUITE AN ENTREPRENEUR IN HIS OWN RIGHT, CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF USING AN AIR ENTRAINING AGENT. THAT WAS REALLY THE BIG STEP TOWARD OUR BEING ABLE TO MAKE A SATISFACTORY CONCRETE. I GUESS ONE COULD SAY THAT UNTIL. THE M I D - A O 'S , P R A C TIC A L LY ALL ZONOLITE THAT WAS; SOLD WAS INSULATING F I L L , OF COURSE, THIS WAS S THE LARGE SIZE GRANUAL. TN THE LATE AO'S PLASTER 8EGIN TO CATCH ON, AND BY I9 A 7 , A8 AND A9, THE DEMAND FOR PLASTER AGGREGATE WAS ' SO GREAT THAT WE COULD NOT SUPPLY THE M A TERIA L. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IN 1950 OUR DEAR30RN PLANT SHIPPED OVER ONE M ILLION BAGS OF PLASTER AGGREGATE AND YET WE COULD NOT TAKE CARE OF THE DEMAND, AND IT LEFT THE DOOR OPEN FOR P E R L I T E , WHO WERE JUST BEGINNING TO EMERGE, COME IN AND WITHIN A PERIOD OF THREE OR FOUR YEARS THEY MUST HAVE PUT IN 50 OR 60 PLANTS WITH LICENSEES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AS A RESULT THEY TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF THE PLASTER AGGREGATE BUSINESS THAT WE HAD DEVELOPED. OF COURSE, A L L ALONG DRY WALL WAS ' GROWING AND NOW IT HAS VIRTUALLY REPLACED BOTH V ER M IC U LITE, PERL. AS WELL AS SAND, INSOFAR, AS MOST CONSTRUCTION IS CONCERNED. /T / " . -7 ... AS MENTIONED BEFORE CONCRETE WAS USED IN THE <+0 ' S WITH SOME SUCCESS* BUT THE MATERIAL WAS PLACED 8Y READY MIX COMPANIES AND NO ONE WAS REALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THE USE OF THIS M ATERIAL, AND AS A RESULT, BY 1950 OUR CONCRETE BUSINESS BEGIN TO DWINDLE, EVEN THOUGH IT NEVER HAD 8EEN VERY GREAT. I T WAS AT THIS TIME THAT WE DECIDED TO GO INTO THE SUBCONTRACTING BUSINESS IN ATLANTA, FORMING A COMPANY CALLED VERMICULITE PLACING COMPANY. I MIGHT REMINISCE JUST FOR A MOMENT AND T E L L YOU ACTUALLY HOW WE MADE THIS DECISION. A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME OF B I L L MARRIOTT AND I WERE IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA ENDEVORING a * A-- ZONOLITE CONCRETE *8 F I L L TO S E L L A CONTRACTOR THERE ON USING t l w ' Y OVER 12 BARRACKS BUILDINGS. THE CONTRACTOR, WHILE INTERESTED IN THE M A T E R IA L , SAID HE D ID N 'T WANT ANY PART OF . PUTTING THAT STUFF ON THE ROOF, AND THE ONLY WAY HE WOULD CONSIDER- ITS USE WOULD BE IF WE WOULD PUT IT ON. BEING YOUNGER AND H AVING' ' L/t , ll MORE NERVE THEN THAN I HAVE TODAY, I TOLD H IM "A tR IG H T , WE TAKE THE JOB IN P L A C E " . MARRIETT KNEW A L I T T L E MORE ABOUT PLANS THAN I DID, MADE THE TAKE OFF,. OF COURSE HE USED THE FLOOR PLANS RATHER THAN ROOF PLANS AND THERE WAS A 6 FEET OVER-HANG, WHICH WE NEGLECTED TO FIGURE, AT ANY RATE, WE TOOK THE JOB - THEN WE WONDERED HOW IN THE WORLD WOULD WE GET THE MATERIAL MIXED AND UP TO ROOF, BUT WE HAD A COMMITMENT AND WE HAD TO D E LIV ER . .ABOUT THAT TIME I HEARD OF A MACHINE KNOWW^ASA MIXER MOBILE. I LOCATED ONE UP IN AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA AND WE QUICKLY PURCHASED SAME. THIS WAS USED ON THE CHARLESTON JO B , WHILE WE D ID N 'T MAKE ANY MONEY, IN FACT, LOST SOME, WE LEARNED A GREAT DEAL - WE HAD A S A T IS F IE D CUSTOMER - AND WE WERE IN THE CONTRACTING .B U S IN E S S . I HAVE OFTEN SAID THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM IS TO CREATE ONE AND BY TAKING THE JOB AS WE DID ON THE S P O T , , WE CREATED A PROBLEM AND THEN OUR JOB WAS TO SOLVE/ IT . it '' ^ AFTER USING THE MIXER MOBILE FOR A YEAR OR MORE WE FELT THERE MUST BE AN EA S IER WAY TO GET THIS MATERIAL MIXED AND PUT ON THE ROOF SO WE BEGAN WORK WITH PUMPING THE ZONOLITE CONCRETE MIX. THERE WAS A FIRM HERE IN ATLANTA WHO HAD A SMALL !< MOANO PUMP THAT THEY USED FOR PUMPING BUTTER. WE PURCHASED A S IM IL A R U N IT , / - ^ BOUGHT A THREE-QUARTER TON 1947 DODGE P IC K -U P TRUCK AND MOUNTED BOTH THE Mt^ER AND THE SMALL MOANO PUMP TO THIS VEHICLE WITH A POWER TAKE-O FF AS THE DRIVE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE HAD LOTS OF PROBLEMS, BUT IN DUE COURSE OF TIME WE WERE ABLE TO PUMP 10 OR 12 FEET IN THE A I R . BY. THAT TIME WE HAD AN APPLICATOR SET UP IN SOUTH CAROLINA BY THE NAME OF STANLEY SMITH, WHO WAS INTRIGUED WITH THIS IDEA AND KNEW ;*A GOOD MACHINE SHOP IN COMUMBIA RUN BY A MAN BY THE NAME OF MR. DOLAN. HE CAME OVER AND SAW WHAT WE WERE DOING AND DESIGNED,AND? WITHIN 6 MONTHS OR SO, B U ILT A PROTOTYPE PUMP, WHICH WAS KNOWN AS THE DOLAN PUMP, AND QUITE A NUMBER OF THESE WERE SOLD DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS AS WE SET UP NEW APPLICATO RS. ' lN THE MEANTIME, A THEN ZONOLITE APPLICATOR BY THE NAME OF B I L L STRC IN ARKANSAS BECAME INTERESTED AND, AS A RESULT, STARTED TO DEVELOP AND BUILD PUMPS, AND HAS DONE SO EVER SINCE. IN >THE LATE 40*S AND EARLY 5 0 'S WE HAD A PRODUCT CALLED ACOu;'r P L A S T I C , WHICH WAS USED FOR C E IL IN G S . IN ABOUT^.THE M I D - 5 0 'S SOMEON CAME UP WITH THE IDEA* THAT THIS COULD 8E A VERY GOOD FIREPROOFING MATERIAL* 'SO: WE RAN TESTV AT UNDERWRITERS ' IN CHICAGO, AND IN 1957 WE STARTED TO S ELL OUR ACOUS TI CAL MATERIAL AS A FIREPROOFING PRODUCT WE HAD MANY" HEARTACHES BECAUSE THE BINDER WAS BENTON I T E , AND OF COURSE BENTONITE.REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF WATER, SO WHILE WE COULD PLACE THE- MATERIAL AND FIREPROOF THE STRUCTURE, WHEN THE MATERIAL DRIED OUT SOMETIMES WE WOULD HAVE CRACKS 2 AND 3 INCHES WIDE, PAR TICULA RLY IF THE MATERIAL WAS PUT ON IN GREAT THICKNESSES. IN 1960 WE DEVELOPED WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS MONO-KOTE AND IN ESSENCE WAS THE SAME COMPOSITION AS MK-3 THAT WE SOLD UP UNTIL THE TIME OF THE BAN IN CONNECtlON WITH ASBESTOS. A V*'*" ^ ^ * i . * * ' .* I MENTIONED EA RLIER THAT WE HAD A GREAT SURGE IN THE USE OF VERM IC ULITE AS A PLASTER AGGREGATE IN THE LATE <+0' S AND EARLY 5 0 ' S. THIS WAS A GREAT BEN EFIT TO ZONOLITE BECAUSE i f U T IL IZ E D AND GAVE US A MARKET FOR THE SMALL S IZ E ORE. BY 1955 OR 56 AS A RESULT OF THE DECREASE IN THE PLASTER BUSINESS, AND THE STRONG IMPACT THAT P E R L IT E HAD MADE IN THE PLASTER MARKET, OUR PLASTER BUSINESS HAD DWINDLED TO A VERY LOW EBB, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED US A REAL BALANCE PROBLEM IN CONNECTION WITH OUR ORE BECAUSE WE WERE ACCUMULATING_ VAST Q U ANTITIES OF 13 SIZE WITH NO MARKET`DABOUT THIS T IM E , GLEN S P C I E T T I E , WHOM I REFERRED TO PREVIOUSLY AS HAVING DEVELOPED THE AIR ENTRAINING AGENT FOR CONCRETE, CAME UP WITH A PATENT WHICH INVOLVED THE COATING OF VERMCIULITE WITH ASPHALT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT W A TER-REPELLENT. AS A RESULT OF THIS,.. WE INTRODUCED MASONRY F I L L IN 1957 . I MIGHT ADD THAT IT WAS, I ' M S U R E,S IM ILA R TO' THE S ITUATION THAT THE EARLY PIONEERS FACED IN REGARD' TO SELLING PEOPLE ON THE NEED OF USING INSULATION IN A T T IC S . OVER THE YEARS THE CONG? BLOCK INDUSTRY HAD CONVIENCED ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS THAT BECAUSE -.*. - > . \ ^ ... t V iji V'-**>' ",.-t *. '. , S- *. < VS.'"V * * ' ' ; -J. * '+*i- - '-J** *t ; .'- - j - '- - 10- - . .; . . ,, THE IR WALL HAP' A HOLLOW CORE IN IT>THAT I T WAS A VERY GOOO INSULAT ING M A T E R IA L / AND IT tWS A MOST D I F F I C U L T JOB TO CONVIENCE THE f S PE C IFY IN G TRADE THAT .i f WAS ECONOMICALLY WORTHWHILE TO F I L L THE CORES OF'CONCRETE BLOCKS AS' W ELL AS C A V ITIE S IN CAVITY WALL CONSTRUCT WE HAD TO. DEVELOP AND CONDUCT- TEST^TO PROVE THE VALUE OF USING ./..... , . 't-v'-*-- < MASONRY F I L L v I K HEAVY WEIGHT BLOCKS.AND IN LIGHTWEIGHT BLOCKS AND IN CAVITY WALLS* WE S P E N ^ A . ` fc . v '- * , ' THOUGH A T THAT TIME * I N 'T H E GREAT YEARS DEAL OF TIME AND MONEY, AND EVEN ' ' . O F . 1957 AND 1958, I DON'T THINK I ' M EXAGGERATING WHENM SAY T1-JAT 25% OF OUR- SELLING E F F O R t ,T I M E WAS : - ' iA: ' x: ' ..r-''V,*'-' ' ` ~: v>#* /. DEVOTED TO MASON RY:> I L L , BECAUSE I T WAS C R IT IC A L THAT WE DEVELOP "t - " 1A' MARKET THAT WOULtX- CONSUME THE SMALL SIZE ORE. EVEN WITH- ALL OF ' . . <r*- t* . . zfa"*** THIS EFFORT/ t- REMEMBER VIVIDLY THAT IN 1958 WE SOLD Lgoa'TtmN <?/*, . - . . W=feO BAGS .OF MASONRY F I L L IN' THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY. II *.V "i. '; - I SAY; THE1 EASTERN PART. OF .THE. COUNTRY. BECAUSE AT THAT TIME A L L OF :y THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY WAS HANDLED BY LICENSEES^ ND I ' DO NOT HAVE A V I V I D RECOLLECTION OF JU S T WHAT THEY DID, BUT I ' M SURE I T WAS. EVEN MUCH LESS. I THINK I COULD SUM IT A L L UP BY SAYING THAT - BASED ON MY OBSERVATION AND AS A RESULT OF TALKING TO MANY OP THE-QLDTIMERS - 'TH IS BUSINESS OF BU ILDIN G ZONOLITE OR VERMICULITE 'WAS REALLY' .A PIONEERING TASK - AND IT TOOK A S P E C IA L TYPE PERSON TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ENDEAVOR. ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION - USE: " . .. Co\./Z. : THAT WERE DEVELOPED F O R .V E R M I C U L lTE WRERE3Y ENTREPRENEURS WHO WERE W ILLING -TO STIC K THE I & NECK OUT AND TRY NEW THINGS. IT WAS NOT AS A RESULT OF WORK DONE IN RESEARCH AND IN THAT AREA. 1 COULD GO ON AN s S' S. ' ' -11 ... v \ , ON ANO T E t L YOU A l O T OF THINGS THAT' WE. TRIED THAT WERE FA ILU RES . I f LL CANE JUST INTO RELATE ONE. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT . ` " .. ' THE 8USINESS. WE HAD A CALL FROM.A I HAD WHEN ` *i GARGAGE IN I FIRST ' CARTERSV' GEORGIA FROM A.MAN WHO WAS LOOKING FOR A MATERIAL THAT WOULD ABSO! GREASE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A REAL NATURAL AND I RUSHED UP THERE WITH SEVERAL-BAGS OF MA TERIA L, LEFT IT WITH HIM - ANO A FEW DAYS LATER HE CABLED ME AND SAYS ''YOU KNOW THAT DAMN STUFF ABSORBS GRE/ BUT YOU GOT ANOTHER PROBLEM, HE SAID THE PROBLEM IS I F YOU WALK Of IT AFTER I T ABSORBS GREASE - YOU ARE TAKLNG.YOUR L I F E L.'-' BECAUSE I TRIED- I T AND QfiG$6NE NEAR K IL L E D MYSELF" IN YOUR HANi E L L , SO MUCH FOR THIS L I T T L E RESUME' OF V ERM IC U LITE BUSINES I JUST L IK E TO CLOSE BY GOING OVER WiTH YOU B R IE F L Y - SOME OLD DA I THINK YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING. THIS IS A BOOK THAT I ACCUMl OVER THE YEARS THAT DOES GIVE (PERHAPS) MORE FACTS AND FIGURES Of' THE BUSINESS IN THE EARLY STAGES THAN ONE COULD FIND ANYWHERE ELf .3LmJL - /W - P - & u J V '&' A 2^i ^ ' " ' .* 2C l's*b IsV i # S T J ^ l? ^ " & (P'. <Ti\