Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-27
GLASS HOUSES.
The Brittle Substance Better for
Building Purposes than Stone.
PitS6lrq Despatch.

Perhaps not one builder or contractor
in ten, if told that the common grades of
glass made at the glass factories in this
city have a crushing strength nearly four
times as great as that credited by expert
enced engineers to the strongest quality
of granite. would accept the statement
as true. Yet it is a fact. and being so,
the query as to why glass has not re-
ceived more attention from architects as
a structural material naturally suggests
itself. A reporter had a talk with several
prominent glass manufacturers on the
subject, and in answer to an interrOga-
tory as to whether blocks of glass could
be made in suitable lengths and sizes and
so annealed as to he utilized in the con-
struction of building in place OF stone,
they said it could be done. Said one of
these gentlemen:
This question has been considered by
myself a number of times, and although
l do not want to advocate the absolute
abolition of brick and stone, yet in the
erection of art galleries, memorial build
ings etc, a structure composed of
blocks of glass in prismatic cOlOrs would
he unique, beautiful aud lasting struc-
| ture. With the numerous inventions
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 becoming better.
Zone objection which would be raised
to the durability of a glass house, in the
literal sense of the words, might be that
the blocks would not take bind, or All
| here together with common mortar This
objection can be readily set aside by the
use OF a good cement, and when com
pleted the structure will stand for ages,
barring extraordinary accidents As to
the cost of glass house, it can be kept
down to a small percentage above the
cost of our cut granite. In building with
stone you have pay to the stone masOns,
and when it comes to elaborate examples
of carving, in COrinthian pillars. collars
and capitals, etc, why the work is rather
costly as compared with glass, when the
latter can be moulded into anv shape or
form, and the work accomplished in
much less time | am convinced that
the time will come when we shall see
such building erected Scarcely a day
passes but what the sphere of glass as an
article of use becomes widened In parts
Of Germany and on one line in England
glass ties are being used on railroads,
and thus far have given satisfact ion,
combining all Of the requisites of wood
en- ties with the virtue of being suscepti
BILE to usage at least seventy five per cent.
longer than wood. Then by the Bastra
process glass articles are now being made
for common use which can be thrown on
the floor and will rebound like rubber
ball. Progress is also being made towards
rendering glass. which has ever been
characterized as the brittle fabric, due
tile, and to-day threads of glass can be
made that can be tied in knots and WOW
en- into cloth. Were one disposed to give
play to fancy and fuse it into fact,
house entirely composed of glass could
be built with walls and roof and floors
fashioned from melted sand. Carpet 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 a 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 impossl.
bic telephone and electric light, and this
statement would have likely found its
place in Catalogue Expurgatoros.