The Portland daily press., 1881-12-19
Glass Houses.
The Brittle Substance Better for Building
Purposes than Stone.
rPittsburg Despatch.l

lflttspufS Despalcn'I
Perhaps not one builder or contractor in ten,
il told that the common grades of glass made at
the glass factories in this city have crushing
strength nearly four times as great as that cred
tied by experienced engineers to the strongest
quality of granite, would accept the statement
as true. Yet it is fact, and being SO, the query
as to why glass has not received more attention
from architects as a structural material natural
ly suggests itself. A reporter had talk with
several prominent glass manufacturers as to
whether blocks OF glass could be made in suitable
lengths and sizes and so annealed as to be util-
lied in the construction of building in place
of stone, they said that it could be done. Said
one of these gentlemen: "This question has
been considered by myself number of times,
and, although do not want to advocate the
absolute abolition Of brick and stone, yet in the
erection of art galleries, memorial buildings,
etc., structure composed of blocks of glass in
prismatic colors, would be unique, beautiful
and lasting structure. With the numerous in,
ventions which have come into use of late
years in connection with the production of
glass, the cost has been gradually going down,
while the quality of the fabric is steadily be-
coming better.
Zone objection which would be raised to the
durability of glass house, in the literal sense
of the Words might be that the blocks wou Id
not take bind, or adhere together with COM
mon mortar. This objection can be readily set
aside by the use of a good cement, and when
completed the structure will stand for ages,
barring extraordinary accidents. AS to the
cost of a glass house, it can be kept down to a
small percentage above the price of our cut
granite. In building with stone you have to
pay tie stone masons, and when it comes to
elaborate examples of carving, in Cornthian
pillars, coll0rS and capitals ETC., why, the work
is rather costly as compared with glass; when
the latter can be moulded into any shape or
FORM and the work accomplished in much less
time. am convinced that the time will come
when we shall such building erected. Scarce
ly day passes but what the sphere of glass as
an article of use becomes widened. In paris
of Germany and on one line in England glass
ties are being used on railroads, and thus far
have given satisfaction, combining all of the
requisites of wooden ties with the virtue of be-
ing susceptible to usage at least seventy-6ve
per cent longer than wood. Then by the Bas-
ira process glass articles are now being made
for common use which can be thrown on the
floor and will rebound like rubber ball Pro-
gress is also being made towards rendering
glass, which has ever been characterized as the
brittle fabric ductile, and to-day threads of
glass can be made that can be tied in knots and
be woven into CLOTH Were one disposed to
give play to fancy and fuse it into fact, house
| entirely composed OF glsss could be built with
| walls and roof and floors fashioned from melt
ed sand. Carpets of glass could cover the floors
| The most ultra aesthetic, sitting on glass chairs
| or reclining on glass couches, arrayed in glass
| garments, eating and drinking from glass dishes
| such one could realize that the age of glass
would have been classed with the then impossi-
BILE telephone and electric light, ard this state
| ment would have likely found its place in the
| Catalogue Expurgatoru