This chapter on hot water heating systems and piping was prepared by Professor F.E. Giesecke (Director of Texas Engineering Experiment Station in TX) for the The American...
An Asbestos Hat
This article is from the Handbook of Construction Techniques circa 1960s. It reads:
Keeping A Cool Head
"After experiencing severe headaches for several days while wearing his metal safety helmet in the hot sun, Ray Vaught, a foreman with E. E, Barber & Sons of Texarkana, Ark., came up with a cool idea to take the heat off his head. He put a 1-ft-square piece of 3/16-in.-thick asbestos cloth inside his helmet as an insulator. The marked difference in temperature between a lined and unlined helmet was clearly evident by touch. By strapping a thermometer inside an asbestos-lined helmet, Ray found that the temperature inside was as much as 20 deg. cooler than the temperature outside. It wasn't long before everyone on the job has adopted his idea for keeping a cool head."
Yikes!
Thanks to Howard Ek for sharing this article from a time when we were not as aware as we are today.
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