, 1875-06-11

Tho ancient adtnoniti0n to occupants OF glnSa
i.ouHcB Ia in danger Of losng its force. 81. y.
dc Ia Daatie. o Erenct1mail has alreody nuc-
ceoded III mailing tho demolition Of that hitherto
fragile substance nattar OF small difficulty.
When sancera, platost and glasa dlbhes Of overy
description, not to mention watch crystals Anu
large plates Of window. glaAg. ar0 thrown about
a room III miscelfanoous manner, with greater
tlnmage to the floor tlan to tho missiles. tho In
quiry, Cannot g1nsH DO tnads practically un-
Greakab'o: becomes ono OF intoroAt.
All this and much more was done By. Prot.
Eglcstol,. Of the School OF s1ines, yesterday, at
Cooper Institute, with tho La Hastie giaaB. Ec-
fore beginning lliB experiments. tho Professor
assured his audience TINT, although ho had boon
engaged III experimenting upon tho substance,
al Tho request OF MessEa. laturlo and Do Ia
tant two months he was not got prepared to
rtaIo all tho properties OF tue Wontlerfn! glass;
The discovery. OF 1t might DO called the iuycn-
tiut,, Of H.. do 10 Dastie, was only made lint
autumn. but for tho last ten years ho has
devoted his time aud attention to tho
1natter, having during that timo tried over
1000 different bathBt tho peculiar properties Of
hlh glass being obtained by P'lnging ordinary
Glass, when ata Great hsat, into = e., bath COM
liar properties are toughnesB to MI almost III
credible degree, and non-conduction OF loat to
nu absolute degree. Further than t!ie heatug
aud bathing IN fatty subttanco (tho composition
Of which bath Ia Of course a secrct> there ap-
pears no difference in its manufacture IRON that
Of ordinary glass. aud yot tts whole molecular
construction is t.lnnront. When broken, az it
can OF couree be by nuttictont force. 1t rivals
tho traditional "one-ho1so shay" IN tho
totn1ness Of It's destruction, piece inchoa
square furnishing several hundred fragments,
each fragment pasadoxicaIly being an entiro
piece by lt.elf, With smooth edges. 70 that ono
might safely thrust bis hand Into barrel Of this
broken glass aud Withdraw 1t untn5u1ed. The
glasa exhibited yesterday was hardly a6 smooth
and clear ns might 10 necessary for Botup pnr-
poses, but Prot. Eg1cston stated that this dofcct
was owing entirely to tho crude means at nresont
provided for tho psocosa, anil net to any fault In
tho Eroccss itsolf. The oxporiIuants yesterday
wcro conducted III tho prcHouce of q largo nutu-
bcr Of spectators.
Ar preliminary, tho Professor throw few
pieces of rod glass. Of considerable thickness,
about tho room, which only cxcitad 4 suito
curs aud various otner glass ditilea Of moro
fragile Dimensions bouIdel unhroken from tho
hard floor, aud the slnlles rsrcoptibly dwinded;
and wien, In haudfuts, watch crystals aud long,
1nsinod whole d tountt Of applause broke from
MI prcecnt. Tho next experiment coublatca Of
testing tho strength OF Ordinary aul this patent
glass beneath steel wofghs cartridse-slapcl
aud tempered, dropped from different heights,
ounce ball falling Is fuches, while tho Ii Dastio
ElaBs Of N equal thickucss Was ouly brokeu'hy
tho samo ball falling 1 teet inches. or'inary
plate-g1asa Naa bsokon by 4-0unce ball ftrarped
from height Of fool! while the tctui'ereA 4'lSd
resisted tho blows Of tho weight until 1t n*n been
raised TO feet inches. a 1-pound weight ra-
auired to be raised feet to break pcco Of tl1is
wonderful glasa K Of Al inch thick. 70 domou-
st1to the advantage OF using this substance in
ine position and 2-oilnco ball allowed to fail
upon 1t perpondiculatly, as haflsGones strikc up
Oh BlnntinE roofs aud II wAs not until tho bill
fo!1 from height Of feet and had struck tho
namo SPOT thlrty-Bix silnea that It was broken,
demolished at 1 foet. Anothor experiment coa-
siatcd In allowing strip Of glass 3 inches wi.lo
md BIG Of an inch thick to project from
yso G inches, and placing Weights upon tho pro-
jectipg end 1u ihIs positlon t supported 40
mensiot1s sustained but 1Gil1 pounds. Tho noxt
experiment failed. 4 strip OF tue patent VI lars
10 inches In leugtl, . inches wido. aud 9-lil OF
an iuch thick, WAS btltlsod upon two ,uprights,
Ono hundred and eighty pounds wsre shus sus-
pended, ,we,,. tho glass still remaining uuDroken,
with no signs OF tn giving way, and there bcing
ITO more wcights on band. the experiment had to
be abandoned. Many similar e1perlmouta wero
heated and cooled without injury, and Que plato
was exhibited which Prof. EgIcsson said hal
remained upon tho range lu lis house, subject
to every very, change Of tenporatn.o, for eyer .
heated largo plato Of tie material In tllo
cent1e to 1900 degrees, aud still hold it con,-
fostably by the odgos In hts bare hands. \
photograph taken upon pirco Of tho glass WAS
likowiHe exhibited, and tho Immense ralne
OF tho article to photographers in enabling them
to preserve theiF negatives wAs shown. Spcci-
u,sus were also produced, colorc.i, stained, and
engraved. so that thore appears nothing for
which ordinary glass 10 used that cannot DO i,n.
1nond will not cus IT, but means for doing ~ arc
thought to 10 Of oasy discovery. Tho procuBs Of
manufacturing tho article Is also said to 10 With
III tho seope of auy oF.liusry workman. nlils tho
cost !. sad TO DO but pos cent additional iu .sa
manufacture.