Asbestolith Manufacturing Company
ASBESTOLITH MANUFACTURING COMPANY
ROBERT CLIFFORD BURNSIDE, WHO
is at the head of the Asbestolith Manufac-turing Company, has from the first of its incorporation under its present name been presi-dent of the company.
Asbestolith is made after a formula which was brought to this country by an Alsatian in 1897, and afterward was manufactured with the aid of a new York banker. Mr. Burnside later became interested in it, and later, purchasing the other interests, incorporated it in 1902. He had previously been interested in a granite company, starting in 1892. He supervised the construction of the Grant Tomb on Riverside Drive, the granite work of Senator Clark's house on upper Fifth Avenue, the Clark Mausoleum, the Smith Memorial in Philadelphia, Bowling Green Building, Dun Building, Commercial Building, Cable Building in New York City, and others all over the country.
Upon acquiring the controlling interest in Asbestolith, Mr. Burnside made a series of ex-haustive tests to prove the formula and to discover any possible improvement. This brought
about a greater and more scientific exactness in the product and included tests of the quality of materials and a standardization of the processes of manufacture. Asbestolith was the first composite flooring introduced in this country, and as developed under Mr. Burnside's management has remained at the fore as the best of its kind. Various other compositions have been placed on the market, but none which can compare in merit or in durability with Asbestolith, which has been proved, by test of samples removed from ships' decks after having been used for eleven years, to have lasted without deterioration of the material.
Many of the leading buildings of New York and other cities and towns have floors covered with this material, as well as sanitary base, wainscoting, trim, stairs, etc. It is absolutely fireproof, impervious to heat, cold and dampness; is clean, sanitary, noiseless, and elastic. When finished it presents a continuous. F I n e-g rained, smooth surface, which never becomes slippery.
One of the most important uses of Asbestolith is as a covering to ships' decks. It can be applied to any wooden or steel surface, does not clip or pit, or tear loose from the base, and the method by which it is laid and finished hermetically seals the entire surface, effectively excluding all germs or dirt and therefore preserving it most effectively for many years, without rust, corrosion or any deterioration of the covered surface. Asbestolith is being used in the ships built by or for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and has been sup-plied to ships of the principal lines, and to the most important shipyards where the new vessels are being built. In fact, its marine work done for the United States Shipping Board, the United States Navy, and the merchant marine has become an increasingly important part of the company's activities. Mr. Burnside, who is still actively at the head of the business, is aided by Mr. J. H. Mul- chahey, as manager of the business; Mr. T. C. White is superintendent of the company's works.
