The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-11-23

I
Tine. Mr.. VIM. A. West, of Dry Run,
Pa, says: "we have had one of the Will
cox & Gibbs seving Machines in nse
over five years, and it has not been a
tday out of run ming order in that time.
'we'would not exchange it with our
neighbors for the Wheeler & Wilson, or
Grover & Baker, thought have nothing
to say it disparagement of them"
The soath wheeling Glass Works
Warm Walk Through Thsm-A
Few Thiags seen and Heard.
We paid q visit, yesterday, to the
Oldest glass works in this part OF
the Countrywide South Wheeling
Glass Works, conducted under the
irm name of John II. Hobbs,
Brockunier- & Co. These extensive
works were established in 1874 by John
L. Hobbs and James Barnes, and after
ward passed into the hands OF John II.
Hobbs and James F. Barnes. In 1862
the works passed into the hands of the
present frm-Messrs. John II. Hobbs,
j. L. Hobbs, C. w. Brockuaier, and
William Leighton, the former gentle
man being the general manager.
The amonnt of business done at these
works is immense, they having every
facility and every improvement that
can be had, no expense being spared to
turn out the best work in this business.
Connected with the estate, convenient
TO the works, are one hundred and
thirty acres of coal. They use two
thousand bushels of coal per week, on
one years average.
These are the only Works in this sec
ton that manufacture flint, ruby and
colored glass. Mr.. Leighton, one of the
the firm, first introduced the ruby and
colored glass in this part of the country.
Cut and engraved glass is manufactured
extensively. They are now putting up
"lays" for more extensive manulac-
ture. The quantity of lamps made is
wonderful to behold-enough, it would
seem TO light the whole country. They
manufacture more lamps than any
other concern in the West. Then there
are glasses of every description, toys
of every invention, and glass ware of
every conceivable sort. 1t is surprising
the number of hands single glass
must pass through before lis finished.
An ordinary goblet or "tumbler," passes
through eight hands before ready for
sale; and "footsd" lamp must pass
through eighteen hands before finished.
In the works are three furnaces-one
with capacity of ten "pots," another
nine pots, and the third five pots. The
ten and nine pot furnaces are now run
ming. Each pot contains two thousand
pounds of metal, and from twenty-five
to thirty pots of metal are worked per
week. One or two sometimes more)
new pots are put in the furnaces every
week. This work is very laborious and
a very difficult job-indeed, the hard
est work connected with the glass
business. 1t is necessary for foreman
to have healthy lungs, for he is COM
PEELED to do some "heavy" talking as
well as hard work-and we thought
Mr.. james Hobbs, the foreman, was adj
mirably adapted for that position. He
almost frightened us out of our small
wits; and the very fire in the monster
furnace obeyed his voice. He dropped
something hot near us--We mOred from
where we WASP
The Company manufacture their own
pots, lead, anu kloulds. They get their
sand from Massachusetts, and st. Louis,
which must be II fine article.
There are ut present one hundred and
thirty persons engaged abont the works.
The wages made by fiuishers, pressers
and blowers, are good, they making
from seyenty-fve to one hundred and
twenty-five dollars per month. They
are paid by the piece, or, as they term
it, by the "move,"a "move" occupy
ing six hours.
These gllss men have some very ex-
pressive names about their works
"Snapdragon, for instance, which con-
veys an idea of something terrible; but
it is simply an iron instrument to crap
pie hot glass. Another name attracted
our attention-"Glory-hole," wi ich is a
furnace that gives u fire polish to the
article manufactured but we have not
time to enumerate the many interesting
things we saw and heard.
In conclusion, we would advise a des-
perately licked man to visit some Glass
Works when a new "pot'' is being placed
in the furnace. He can see and feel how
hot it is. He can contemplate the end
he is approaching. He can take peep
into the future. "For 1 say unto You
that the place whittier thou goest is
heated seven times hotter than a fur
mace" Throw mortar around us!