The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-12-30
Glass Houses.

cIudpo nOb Ollo DullutI VI COlUIdCG-
or in ten, if told that the common
grades of glass made at the glass fac
tories in this city have a crushing
strength nearly four times as great as
that credited by experienced engineers
to the strongest quality of granite,
would accept the statement as true.
Yet il is fact, and being so, the query
as to why glass has not received more
attention from architects as a structur-
al material naturally suggests itself. A
reporter had talk with several glass
manufacturers on the subject, and in
answer to an interrogatory AS to wheth-
or blocks OF glass could be made in suit
able lengths and sizes aud so annealed
as to be utilized 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, a
structure composed of blocks of glass
in prismatic cOlOrs would be unique,
beautiful, and lasting structure. With
the numerous inventions which have
come into use of late years in cOnnec-
tion with the production Of glass, the
cost has been gradually going down,
while the quality of the fabric is stead
lily becoming better.
"One objection which, would be rails
ed to the durability of glass house,
in the literal sense of the word, might
be that the blocks would not make a
bind, or adhere together with common
mortar. This objection can be readily
set aside by the use of good cement,
ind when completed the structure will
stand for ages, barring extraordinary
accidents. AS to the cost of glass
house, it can be kept down to small
percentage above the price of our cut
granite. In building with stone you
have to pay the stone masons, and when
it comes to elaborate examples of carv-
ing, in Corinthian pillars, collars 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 accom-.
plished in much less time. L am con
vinced that The time will como when
we will see such a building erected.
Scarcely a day passes but what the
sphere of glass as an article of use be-
comes widened. In parts 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 being susceptible to usage
at least seventy-ive per cent. longer
than wood. Then by the Bastra pro-
cess glass articles are now being made
for common use which can be thrown
ON the floor and will rebound like a
rubber bail. Progress is also being
made towards rendering glass, which
has ever been characterized as the brit
tie fabric, ductile, and to-day threads
of glass Can be made that can be tied
in knots and woven into cloth. Were
one disposed to give play to fancy and
fuse it into fact, a house entirely CON-
posed of glass could be built with walls
and roof and floors fashioned from
melted sand. Carpets of glass could
cover the floors. The most ultra es-
thetic, sitting on glass chairs or reclin-
ing on glass couches, arrayed in glass
garments, eating and drinking from
glass dishes, such one could realize
that the age of glass had come. Yet
nearly all of this fifty years ago would
have been classed with the then i'm
possible telephone and electric light,
and this statement would have likely
found its place in the Catalogue Ex-
purgatOros.' '"--Phu. Des.