Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1860-01-19
IN NEW JERSEY.

ana Inc last named State Is peculiarly
adapted to one branch Of manufacture
that has attained a great development.
but has much yet to attain-the making
of glass. Sand. lime and resinous pine
wood for fuel are in the most convenient
proximity along the border of the pine
lands Of the south eastern half of the
State, and number of towns have there
sprung up, built, as it may be said Who'll
ly OF glass, but not, therefore, partcu-
larly exposed to danger from the throw.
ing OF stones. An energetic gentleman
or firm establishes glass factory as the
nucleus of one Of these towns. and the
enlargement of this alone. with the gath
ering OF two or three collateral or asso-
clated works. brings a population Of
thousand persons very soon. A hundred
and fifty to two hundred neat white
buildings, for workmen's residences. are
erected, and these, with the factories,
proprietors' residences, barns and out
buildings constitute a picturesque and
beautiful village. These villages are
somewhat superior to ordinary country
villages in their productiveness.
More than one of them sends to the
general markets quarter of a million
dollars worth of glass and lumber in a
year. gathering eight-tenths of this value
from its own locality also. Soda ash is
perhaps the only constituent of the man.
utacture imported, and for the present
reliance on an imported supply Of this
requisite for glass making we are indebt.
ed to the thoughtful and considerable Dol
icy now prevailing at Washington
policy thoughtful about Selling on every
golden egg within its reach. but gener
ally deeming it the best way to do so TO
kill the goose that lays them.
Winslow, Waterford, Glassboro, Mill
Vile and several other towns are wholly
or partially made up of such establish
ments as we have named, some of these
numerous local village like aggregations
including various other manufactures.
iron works, paint and chemical works.
&c. AS sample Of the exclusive glass
works Wirslow is superior instance.
and description of such works in some
detail may interest those VINO have not
visited them. Four large buildings. with
melting furnaces in the centre of each.
and tier of chambers for kiln dry wood
on at least two sides of each. constitute
the. central figure of the village. These
furnaces are in blast ten months of the
year. employing an average of three hun
dred and fifty men and boys for the glass
works proper, and in the winter hun.
dred and fifty additional as wood cutters
which last, however, are generally resi-
dents of the vicinity, some miles distant.
A glass blower requires two or three at
tendaEts, usually boys, and the class of
blowers is superior in rank to all others
Those blowing glass wares, except the
very largest, are not equal in rank to the
window glass blowers, the wares being
usually blown in moulds, end requiring
the least strength and skill. Window
glass blowers at Winslow average to earn
one hundred dollars a month, and one in.
stance occurred in which superior man
earned over three hundred in one month
and fifteen hundred dollars in one blast
of ten monthS-the payment of course
being according to the quantity blown.
The weight of the glass blown in single
piece is usually fifteen pounds, in a cylin
der form and half foot long; but in.
stances have occurred on this estate in
which thirty pounds have blown in one
piece, in cylinder nearly twice this
length. The glass workers are not the
most provident of workmen, and do not
often undertake to accumulate property,
or to own their residences. They are of
various nationaities, the larger number
being natives of the United States, and
descendants of those so employed in colo
NAL times. One case of large accumula
ton of money only is mentioned at Win
slow, though all the skillful might accu.
mulate if they chose, while the unskilled
never could.
Sixty per cent of the raw material for
glass making exists in the sand, and the
New Jersey beds are fine enough and
abundant enough for the worlds supply.
Soda ash and lime are the remaining
and such quantities of these
are required that the railroad is a neces-
sity for their transportation the few miles
they must be moved Sixty thousand
boxes Of window glass is the annual
freight market ward of this single glass
village, and half its value of gIasswares
Of various other kinds. A steam mill
cuts the better timber of the pine lands
cut over for wood into shingles and
boards, the annua! value of which is large.
Forty thousand cords of wood, two feet
long, or half this number counted at full
length, are required annually for fuel in
all the uses of the glass works, though
the steam mill, cutting all the lumber
and grinding all the grain, is fed only
with the refuse of the lumber cut into
shingles and boards.
Such are some of the incidents of the
force or armament of a glass
estate or glass town. There might be
most important items added, if ballast
from Hamburg and Havre were not SO
readily obtained in plate glass, and from
Liverpool in soda ash. The government
evidently prefers that only the glasswares
coarSer and more difficult of transporta.
ton, shall be made here, whatever our
natural advantages. 1t is an admirable
policy, free traders think. to pay our
money to Europe for what might be
bought at the same price at home, after
is manufacture should once be started
Thinking otherwise ourselves, we regret
hat the present fine glass towns of our
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