Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1855-06-14

We sped on under the guidance of one of the
handsomest men, conductor, New England
can boast of, and not the less courteous is Mr..
Chadwick, who apprised us of our arrival at
Lenox. 1t is always TO me very awkward to
arrive anywhere. feel the more so, if, as
upon this occasion, | was void of interest,"
But the moment we landed, such greeting
as Mr.. Richmond, the superintendent of the
works, gave us, made Richard himself again.
His cordial squeeze betokened an earnest well
come; and although we were from home,
we soon found ease and plenty at our lodg-
ings. Nothing even mid Berkshire hills, was
wanting; and whether their imports were
made via New York or Boston, neither Mayor
Smith nor Wood would have questioned the
originality of the packages
Alter little rest we were invited to take
stroll to the Lenox Iron Furnace, the devour-
ing flames of which, we were assured, would
remind us of the place we 'read of Sure
enough we found it so !; and were highly en-
tertained BY the description and modus oper-
andi of making, under the superinte ndence of
its accomplished manager, Mr.. Pettee, some
of the finest iron in. Massachusetts,
Old Berkshire is rich in its productions of
not only talented and beautiful ladies', but men
and minerals, as we soon learned on our visit
to the glass works. We there found assem-
bled some two or three hundred ladies' and
gentlemen, awaiting the first casting of this
novel as well as important branch of manufac-
lures. AS some notabes from the supreme
court, including the chief justice, were ex-
pected, we had half hour on our hands be-
fore their carriages would arrive, that we i'm
proved in looking through the various depart
ments. First we were conducted 10 the cay
house, two story building so feet square, in
which pipe clay from Germany is ground to
flour, then kneaded by being irod out by the
bare feet, then moulded, compressed and kiln
dried, for the construction of the furnace and
pots. From there we went into the factory,
which is so by ITO feet and 60 feet high this
contains the furnace, l3 by IL feet, within
which are pots, each opposite door; this
furnace is fed at the ends by a nurse, whose
constant duty is to put in a stick of wood as
often as he can pass from one 10 the other,
and this is kent IN constantly day and night
1t is called 'shearng.' Near the furnace is
the table of cast iron, 6 feet by fifteen, and
inches thick, on which the casting is done ;
also travelling table of similar size on trucks,
which does the carrying from the former to
the ten rapacious ovens, II by 35 feet, all un-
der attached roofs to, and the mouths within,
this building. A large reservoir, overfowing,
of pure spring water, with an engine attached
attracted attention, occupying one corner of
the building; out Of this we passed into an
other, in which were six or eight drying ovens,
containing six cords of wood, each for fuel !;
we were then taken through the annealing
house, two stories, SO BY so feet; from there
to the cutting and packing house, so by 25 !;
then TO the general reservoir, occupying an
entire building, and had pointed out to us six
neat two story dwelling houses for the opera
tives, stable, &c., with goodly sight of
some two thousand cords of wood which is
sawed by steam. The whole view of the
premises, some nine acres, forms one of the
most picturesque manufacturing establishments
that can be found in this country, combining
beauty and convenience for an extensive glass
mandatory, built for that purpose by Hon.
w. A. Phelps, the only whig in our State
legislatWe, under the superintendent of SEN
eca Pettee, Jr., Esq.
The guests having arrived, we repaired TO
the factory, which was filled with ladies' and
gentlemen from miles around, and the process
of making glass we were shown. In the mix
ing room the proper portion of sand (from
Cheshire,) soda, ash, lime and arsenic were
put together, which make batch; that is put
into the pots, and in about eight hours is melt
ed then it is ready for casting, the sight that
we were about to witness. The operator first
commenced to skim the scum from the pot
that done, up comes man Sith an immense
fork on wheels, that he inserts in the door ol
the furnace and removes it he is followed BY
one with huge clasp on wheels, that encir-
cles the pot, takes it from the furnace, when
it is seized by crane, swung over the cast
ing table, capsized upon it, when the metal
by ponderous rollef, is rolled out into the
required sheet, some by 12 feet square,
The same men return the pot and fill it in the
furnace, while others, the roller being re-
moved. come up with the travelling table, and
although the sheet is still in a white heat, i
is stiff enough to be showed upon that table
which again is backed up to an oven of the
same temperature, into which it is agair
showed, and when the eight sheets from the
eight pots of metal are cast it is sealed up and
allowed to anneal Each cast requires abou'
three minutes to pot, and during the whole
operation not a loud word was spoken, saving
the applause of the guests. After the glass
becomes properly annealed it is taken from
the oven, cut into proper sheets, and sent to
market. Nothing could exceed the coo.nes,
of the workmen, who, with Salamander cour-
aga, handled these pots Of glowing metal IN.
der the intensest heat, and where one mis-.
move would not only endanger the loss of theil
metal, but perhaps their lives also. Every
thing passed off easily and pleasantly, and such
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