The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1869-03-19
isow Common Nindow- Glass is
Made.
DY j. T TRuWBRlDGE.

There is another process, continued the /
.rnffr, "by which our common window glass
,lnade BY the way. il ever you visit Pitts
ureh III HeHnSN Iva ia, yuu must 60 INTO
N winGUwgia>S luctor.cs there; you will
ind them ver, curious. heir furnace, III
he fast place, iS buht in the ancient style;
t has 10 c~imn. v aud tie smoke from the
Irumluous coal they burn, pOurs out in
loud INTO the IOum. There aIe Oprnin: S in
hr roof for ii t. escape te. ough, and Il CON
nua druught OF t;ir from the doors cairies
upward, 80 it j. not 80 bad Tor the work
nan as Que would Ihiuk. BESIDES they do
rot begin to blow until the smoke Is all
burnt off
"Ilhtre are five pots on each side OF the
ururncp, aud you will see five men in row,
blowing ali III once, with regularity OF
lie of sUl,lier> exercising. Each gather
thirty or forty pounds Of metal in his pipe,
which Is very long and strong. They stand
III platforms to get room 10 swing tie glass,
is they blow it. The five men begin TO blow
,nd swing all together Euch blows great
Globe Of glass, which is stretched of gradu-
lilly hy the swinging motion into the cyland-
r.. or roller. us 1t is called, five feet long -
Chen the five rollers are swung up towards
the furuacp-huips, and five other soldiers
.prng forward with their guns, nS,-which Ill
mis- case are irOi bars, that they set upright
indcr the five blowing pipes To support them
while the rollers are beng lehei.ted IN the
rckS of The pots ! he blowers blow in the
necks OF the pipes with ell their hight then
Hap their thunns over the holes TO prevent
he air from rushing Oui again; in the mean-
while the enu of the roller is sU!lenrd, 50
1t last the uir, forced in and expanded by
he heat buists it outwawds. Tine glass Is
tHcn Il cylander open at one end Is Is
whirled in the heat until the edge become
true. then C!Uaght uway,-the five lr"n sup
)orls dropping to the ground with II stimuli
JaEeOus clang. The cylinder is then crack
al from end 10 end On one side by mcans U!
4 red-hot iron passed through it.
In an adjoining building is what is cali
ID the iuItening oven. The cylndtls
lr0ught there are lifted Oh he end of Il lever,
passed in through il circular Upcned Jua'
large enough 20 admit them, and laid OF.
lullpnHg stones on the Oyen bottom, with
ihe crack upHermUsl. The oven bottom is
ircular and it receives horizontally AS
tie glass sufteus, it separates ut the crack.
and lays itself down geLtIy and gradually on
tAe stone. The long cytander Is then fiat
sheet, three feet wide and Leurly five feet III
ieugth Taere are openings around tie sides
of The oveH; Ut one end the glass is pat in,
turuugh another Il workman sweeps the stone
iur il, Il third workman smOUths il down
with IL block us it comes round to him, and
Il fourth, Ut the last opening, which is close
10 the one at which it is put in, lifts the
,heet-purlly cooled by this time-upon
carriage in the oven. This lie does by means
Jf lever furnished with sharp, broad blades
at the ,ud which he work, III under the glass
Wuen the carriage is iul, it is run through
ln ann 'ailng oven beyond.
"rhe uppOsit eud of the annealing oven
opens Ito The cutting room. There the
carriages are pushed along Genital track,
Ind uuo drd al the stalls Of the cutters. -
! i'he cutter mas liable helore him. with meas
ure-narkS on The edges. lie lifts one OF The
sheets, lays il on the table, and cummruces
ruling it faster than Il schoui-boy rules his
STATE. His ruler is II wooden rod, five feet
ong aud his pencil point is Il diamond. -
| Every stroke is Il cut. Not that he cuts the
glass quite apart; indeed, he seems scarcely
tu make scratch. Yet that scratch has
the effect of cracking the glass quite through,
So that ii breaks clean off ut the slightest
! pressure. In lhIs way the sheets are cut up
! iuto panes ol the requisite size"
Il should think the Oiumouds would wear
out, said Lawrence.
Il remember replied the gralfrr, lone
olkman told me that single diamond
would last two or three years. 1t has fifteen
or sixteen different edges, and when one edge
is worn out he uses another south Ameri.
can diamonds, suh us he used, cost, he told
me, from six TO thirty dollars each; and,
when they are worn out for his purpose, lie
sells them for jewels 10 put into watches. -
lOur vung Folds for March.