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

vas capahle q the requisite teHacttS. tt
rub the Slippery surfaces over each other
nay. so fine sense Of touch wus requisite
that even mans hand had scarcely sens
siveness enough for the work; hence fe
males were, and still are, employed
As our painstaking informant spoke, he
pushed open door, and we beheld sighl
hat made Mr.. Bessie wipe his spectacles
md ourselves imagine for moment that a
scene from an oriental story-book was ma
gically revealed TO us; so elegant aud
graceful were the attitudes into which i
bevy Of some fifty femaes-many Of them
of fine forms and handsome features-werf
throwing themselves. Now
with arms extended, they pushed the plates
70 one verge of the low tables, stretching
their bodies as far as possible; then, draw.
ING back. they stood erect, pulling the plate
after them; then, in order to reach the OPP
poslie edge of the plane, they stretched
themselves out again to an almost horizon
tai posture. Tho easy beauty of their
movements, the glitter Of the glass, the
brilliancy Of the gaslights, the bright colors
If most Of the dresses. formed coup d'eii
which Mr.. Bessie epjoyed great deal
more than Mrs. Bosse, had she been there,
might have qnite approved.
The fairy scene is soon, however, to dis
9ppear. Mr.. Blake. the ingenious mana
ger Of the works, has invented an artificial
lemale hand. b. means of which, in comb
nation with peculiar machinery, glass
smoothing can be done by steam. The
asst process is polishing This art is
oractced in spacions room glowing With
red. Every corner OF the busy interior is
j. rnhicund as dutch dairy. The floor is
red. the walls are red. The ceiling is red.
Inc pillars are red, the machinery is very
red. Red glass is attached. bv red plaster
II Paris. 10 red movable tables; red rubbers
# red felt. heavily weighted with red leads.
are driven rapidly over the red surface.
Little red boys, redder than the reddest of
red Indians, are continually sprinkling on
The redeemed glass. The rouge (m9stened
crocus. per oyyde Of iron.) which converts
the scene of their operations into the NEST
gigantic Of known Rubrics.
When polished. the glass is taken away
10 be examined A body Of vigiant scru
tineers place each sheet between their own
ewes and strong light: wherever scratch
" flaw appears. they make mark with o
piece Of wax. II removable, these flaws
are polished out by hand. The glass is
then ready for the operation, which ena-
bles .ihe beauty to behold herself The
spreading of the quicksilver at the back is.
however, separate process, accomplished
elsewhere. and performed by perfectly
distinct body of workmen. 1t is a very
simple art.
The manufacture of plate-class adds an
other of the thousand and one instances Of
The advantages Of unrestricted and unfet-
tered trade. The great demand occasion
ed by the immediate fall in price conse-
quent upon the new tariff produced this eff
feet on The Thames Plate Glass Works
They now manufacture as much plate-g glass
Der week as was turned out in the DAYS Of
The Excise, in the same time. by all the
works in the country put together. The
Excise incuhi ciogged the operations Of the
workmen, and prevented every sor, Of i'm
in the manufacture. They put
their gauges into the metal (nr mixed ma
terials) before it was put into the pot. They
overhauled the paste when il was takenon,
of the fire, and they applied their ioot-rues
10 the sheets after the glass was annealed.
The duty was collected during the various
stages of manufacture halfa dozen times.
and amounted to three hundred per cent.
No Improvement was according 10 law.
aud the Eyciseman put bis veto upna eve
rv attempt Of the sort. In the old time,
the mSsierious mixer could not have ever
cised bis secret vocation for the benefit ofhis
EMPLOYERS, and the demand for glass was
So small that Mr.. Bake's admirable polish
INC machine would never have been in
vented Nor could p|a,e-glass ever have
aeen used for transparent hooriag, or for
i hundred other purposes, to which il Isl
now advantageopsly and ornamen,alIy ap
Piled.
Thanking the courteous gentleman who
aad shown US over the works. we left Mr.
Bessie ia close consultation with the man
lger. As, in crossing the yard, we heard
he word .sodan frequently lhunderei
orth, we concluded that the Johnsonian
vsnl,er WAS. endeavoring To complete
some transaction in that commodity. which
Ne had previously opened with the director
Bat il is not in our power to report deci-
,ively On this head, inr our attention was
directed to two concluding objects.
First, 10 n row Of workmcn-the same
we had lately seen among the fires and H. |
Iaid glass-good- humoredly sitting with
perfect composure, on log Of timber, out
the cold and wet, looking at the muddy
.reel, and drinking their beer, as il there
we're no such thing as Temperature known.
Secondly, and lastir, TO the narrow passs
res or caves underneath the furnaces, into
which the glowing cinders drop through
rrstings. These looked, when we descend |
ID info them. like long Egyptsn street
m dark night, with fiery rain falling
Ia warm divergent chambers aud crevices,
he boys employed in the works love to
,ide and sleep, on cold nights. So slept
De FoE's hero, COLONEL JACK. among the
shes of the rlass-house where he worked. |