The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-01-21
The Age 6f Progress.

the Slemens process that IL can De
used for the ties of railways, is
verv easily capable OF verifcation;
and the incredulous public would
much prefer to read the details OF
the experiment actually demon
strating the fact. If glass can be
made to take the place of wood
for railway ties, the usefulness of
that beautiful crystalline substance
for a thousand other equally inn
portant and more noble purposes
is at once established. Temper
ed glass; we are told, ''can be OBJ
tanned in great pieces, gifted with
mower of resistance of which its
specific lightness, compared with
heavy metals, would not give the
least presumption. 1t can now be
used, notably in carpentry, for.
posts, jeists, ties and buttreses. 1t
combines the advantages of
strength and of incorruptihlllty IN
contact with all atmospheric agen-
cies. as well as with all chemical
factors, and, consequently, Is of
perpetual duration" And them
we are further assured that 1t Is
comparatively very cheap, being
now. at the outset, no more eX-
pensive than the same weight of
iron: and, as matter of course,
as the demand increases there will
be a decline in the price, until 1t
will not be long until it will be as
cheap as wood.
If this should be the case, there Is
no reason why its use should not
be extended almost without limit.
We may expect, then, that the
house and household utensils of
the future will be material mOdifi-
cations of the present style-lnh-
nitelv more durable, cleanly and
beautiful. House painting and
granting will take its place among
the outworn arts. The roof and
the various floors might be made
of glass, and even the walls might
be made of this material-double
plates securing a dead-air space OF
warmth In winter, and easily
changed to secure GOODNESS in sum
ner by converting the enclosed
space into a fue for the heated
air currents. We should ther
have buildings which, in the mat
ter of lightning, would be Perfec
ton. Such walls would he trans
lucent; while they would admit
the passage of light, they would
not permit objects TO be visible
through them, SO that while the!
would have all the advantages o
being perfectly lighted the!
would be imperviOus to imperti
nent observations.
Men could then not only live il
glass houses, but might throw
stones without fear of having thei
own domiciles shivered to atom
in return. For foundation wall
and basement floors nothing NOR
fitting can be conceived, excluain!
dampness, mould and rust; abol
ishing rats, mice, cockroaches, an
every species of insects SO al
moving to careful housewife!
But even If this tempered glas
should not come into use for tn
construction of entire buildings,
could be made to play an in
portant part in the matter
decoration. As is known, tn
substance can be colOred to an
shade of any hue; and in this var
gated form its ornamental use
would afford the architectural ar
ist a limitless field. For archie
for interior columns, panels, vii
dow-frames, cornices, center-piece
mantels, and all that SORT of fRis
1t would be capable of in6ni
diversity in form, color and artist
effort. And then, it is probab
that many of the projecting fea
ures of the exterior of buildin
porches, bay-windows, balconi'
etc; might be made of glass
any desired color, which, in Il