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

s lueiaction' OF the sand and ashes. Was
glass found out by accident?'
Luckily, a ray Of school day classics en-.
aghtened a corner Of our memory, and we
mentioned the well-known story. in piny
that some Phnnicisn merchants, carrying
saltpetre to the mouth of the river Belus.
went ashore; aud placing some Jumps Il
The cargo under their kettles to cook food
The heat OF the fire fused the niire, which
ran among the sand of the shore. The
cooks hhdlng this nnlon 10 produce a trans
lucent substance, discovered the art of mn.
king glass,
| That said our other companion, bold.
'og bis hat TO prevent the wind from blow
lugit aboard the Grapesend steamer (which
| was not to start for ten mnutes.) .has been
the stock tale OF all writers on the subject.
from piiny down To Ufe; but, Sir Gardner
/ Wilkinson has put it on, Of the power ii
tutnre authors 10 repeat it. Tha indeiati.
gable hannter of Egyptian tombs discover
ed minute representations Of 2 ass blowing,
painted On tombs q the times IF Orsrtasin
the First, some sixteen hundred years be
fore the date Of Pliny's story. Indeed, h
glass bead, bearing the name Of king WIN
lived fifteen hundred Years before Christ.
vas found 10 another tomb by Captain
lienvey, the specific gravity Of which is
precisely that of English crowu-eiass.'
You seem 70 know all about it!' es.
claimed the loud voiced man.
Being director of pIate,e!ass eonps,
| ny, | have made il my business to learn all
that books can teach me on the sabiecs'
Il should like TO see glass made!' said
the vociierous admrer of Dr.. Johnson, 'es,
peci9lls plate glass
t. this the other replied, with ready po
ilteness,
II yeor wish be very strong. and you
ha,ea hour Ia spare, sha'l BE happy ID
how you the works t. which ain going
th9Se of tie Thames Plate Glass eonp3u4
They are close bv.'
.1'he factis.' was the reply. 'aIrs Bosslc
| U'm sorry u say Mr.. Bessie l. an iayalial
expects me doen to 6raye>eal 10 tea; bal
IN hour wont msttcr much.'
ID you, sit.' said ;ho civil gentleman
ddressing me.
Ny desire was equally strong, aud the
ne1t hour equally NY own; for. IS tn
| friend, whom negligent pabiic had driven
@ emigration. was npt ta sail anil the next
morning. il did not much matter whether
lnok ms last fArewelI Of him At Gravesend
aary OF late that evening.
Tracking our guide through dock gates.
a.er narrow drawhridges, along quays;
now, dodaing the rigging of ships; now
lirip9ing over cables, made taut' to rings:
uow, falling foul Of warping-pests (for il
was getting dusk;) one minute leapine
over deserted timber; tho next, doubling
stray casks; the next, winding among The
srrangcst ruins Of dismantlsd steamboats,.
| for which regular hospital seemed estab
| lshed Ia that desoate region Of mud an
water; then, emerging into dirty lanes, an6
turning the corners of foofess houses; VI
iashed an exciting game Of Follow IN
| Leader, at a pair oi tall gates. One oi
these admitted us into the precincts II lbe
sauthernmost Of the six manufactures d
plate glass existing iu This country.
| The frs, ingredient in the making oi
glass, 10 which we were introduced, was
contained in q goodIg row Of barrels in fal
tap, marked with tbo esteemed brand OF
I'Truman, Hanbnry, Baxton g. Co. 1t j.
| he well-known feTmcnied extract o! ma't
nd haps, which is, ii seems, nearly as ne
reSaary 10 the production Of good plate
glass, as flint aud soda. Ta iiquety The
| llsuer materials hy means oi tire, Is, II
truth, dry work; and our ciceronc explain
ed, that seven plnts per day, per man, OF
Myssrs. Truman llanhury. Blxton an
Cumpsug's entire, has been found, af'cr
wears Of thirsty experience, 10 he absolute
| II necessary 10 m3isten human clay, hour
lly baked at the mouths Of blazing furnaces
These furnaces emit a heat more intense
than the most perspiring Imagination can
conceive. or the staunchest thermometer
Indicate An attempt to ascertain the de-
gree Of heat was once made: pyrometer
! "a thermomsier Of the superIative degree.
ar fire neasurer,) was applied to thc
throat of furnace--lor every furnace h7s
its mouth, its throat, and its flaming
tongues; but the wretched Instrument, al
ter five minutes scorchinr. made al eAp
ring effort to mark thirteen haHdred degrees
aborc boiling point, cracked, was shlvered
jin,o bits, and was finally swallowed up hN
the insatlable element whose proceeding,
it had presumptuouSly attempted to regis
ter.
Having, by this time, crossed yard, we
,tood ON the edge Of foul creek Of The
Thames. so horribly Shiny that crocodile.
If an alligator, or any sca|y monster Of The
Saurian period, seemed much more likely
10 be encountered in such a ncjghborhond
than the beautiful substance that makes
our modern rooms so gli,iering and bright,
our streets SO dazzling, and our windows al
once so radiant aud SO strong.
Sin order to understand our process thor
oughly.' said the oblging director ot the
seven acres of factory and the four hun
lred operatives we had come to see, I'VE
must begin with the beginning. This,
picking up from heap handful OF 'ht
finest OF fine sand--the glilteriug pounce,
in fact, with which our toretnthers span