The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-05-29

| "Su'N htN "iia HRlt Ny lue ny, we haVt
some capital carbonate coming from ea
Mary Anne, that We could let You have u,
low figure; j qniek-liine, four; nitre, one
and h4lf; broken glass, tweuty.six. Thf
iocior calculates, if remember rightly,
that Of the whole, thirty parts Of this com
pound runs to waste in iusing, so that sey.
enty per cent. becomes, Oh an average,
glass;
That is all very true,' was the answer;
but our glass is, we dalter ourselves, Of i
much better color, aud stands aunealing
oetter. than that made from the ordinary
admzture, from which, however, ours dit.
iers bat -only, think, in be relative
qualities. In that lies The secret
Mr.. BossIe expressed great anxiety 10
behold an individual who was possessed ot
i secre, worth several hundred year. paid
| weekly. Romance invariably associates
Itself with mystery !; aud we arc not quite
'are from the awful way ia which Mr
Sassle dropped his voice 10 soft whisper.
Int be did not expect, on entering the
| chamher Of pre-Yitfiad chemicals, 10 hod
n individual clothed lihe the hermit in
| 'Rasseas,' or ming'iag his elements with
the wand Of lIermes Trismeg4,is. He
iooked as il he could hardly believe hi.
spee,aeles, when be saw a plain. respecta-
ble-loohing, inditierenttempored man. not
whit more awe.aspiring more dusty
than miller on a msrket-day.
We DO uu, insinnate that Mr. Bessie en-
!aasored to pluck OCT the heart Of the ml $
terv.' though nothing seemed to escape the
focus Of his spectaeles. BIt although here
as. in separate heaps, the sand aud sod
nd (saItpetre and lime and ca7les. or bro
zen glass; while there, 10 huge trough
these ingredients were mixed up (ike bro
| ken' ia confectioner's shop ready to Be
pushed through trap 10 fl the crucible OF
stomach Of the furnace; yet, despite Mr.
Bassie's sly investigations aud soanrous ia-
lairies, he left lhe ball Of .eIemenls' as
wise as he had entered
Passing through variety Of pisces in
which tho trltnratian, purification, aHd
cleaning Of the materials were going Oh.
sc mounted to an upper starY thai remind
ID US oi the ward in which the cunning
captain Of the Forty Thieves. when be was
disguised rs an oil merchant, stored lis
pretended merchandise. It vas flied witt
rows aud fows Of great clay iars, satneihing
jko barrels with their heads linacknd ont.
Eich had, instead Of hoop. ma iudented
aqnd round the middle, for the insertion Of
The iron gear, bv which they were, in due
time. TO be lifted into and ont Of the raging
(nruaces. There were two sizes; enc aboa,
four feet deep. and three feet six inches il
Iiameter, technically called pots and des
tined To receive the materials for their first
swetering. The smaller vessels {carctteS)
we're of Tie same shape, bit only two feel
six inches deep, and two feet in diameter
These were the crucibles n which the Vi
reous compound was to he fired second
ime, ready FOR casting. These vessels are
bmh--for that j. really the process; and i
requires twclve-mouh to build onc. so
gradually mast it settle and harieu, an& So
slowly must il he pieced together, or tbs
frnace would Immediately destroy il--at
Stourhrilge clay, which is the purest aud
aas, siliripns vet discovered.
we have now, said MIR. BoGslo wiping
bis spectaclcs, and gathering himself up
ar load Johasouian period, 'soen the raw
nateri,Is ready 10 be submitted to the mr.
ion of the fire, aud we also beheid the YES
els in which the vi'rifcstion il to take
3ace Let Us therefore witness the actu
ii Ijqnefaclon.'
In obedience 10 this gran3iIaqaen; wish,
We were shown into TIE hall of furnaces.
Ii was sight indeed, A lofty and enor.
nous hail, with windows in the high walls
open to the rainy night Down the center,
fearful row Of roaring furnaces, white bet:
look at which, even through the chnks
"a the iron screens before lhotn, aud mask
I'd, seemed TO scorch and splinter the yer
breath within one. At right angles with
this ball. another, an immense building Ind
itself, with uaearihly-Eooking instruments
hanging on the walls, aud streWn abopt, asI
If for some diabolicaI cookery. In dark
corners, where the furnaces redly glim
norad on them, from time To time, knots oi
swarlhy, muscular men, with nets drawn
over their faces, or hanging from their bats
'oniusediy grouped, wildly dressed, scarce
Is heard to matier amidst the roaring ot
.hc fires, and m, seriously coming and 60,
lng. like picturesque shadows, east BY thu
terrific are. Such tignres there mus
nave been, once upon time, IN some snch
scene, minis,ering 10 the worship ut 1re
nd feeding the alters Of the cruel god Win
victims. Figures not dissimiar, alas
there have been, torturing and burning,
even in our Savior's name. But, happily
those bitter days are gone. The senseiess
world is tortured for the good Of man, anc
made to take new forms 10 bis service. Up
N the rack, we stretch the ores and metals
IF the earth, and not the image oil the Gre
ator OF all. These fires and figures are the
gents OF civilization, and not oI deadly
persecution and black murder. Burn fires
and welcome! making a light in England
that shall aot be quenched by all the monk
sh dreamers in the world!
We were aroused by sensation like the
sudden application OF hot mask to the
ronntenance. As we lnstiDctlveIy placed
i hand over our face to ascertain how much
L 4 II ~ II ft4rFt