The Penn's Grove record., 1885-12-05
THE G OF A
An Important Discovery Which Mas
Revolutionize Architecture.

An important discovery has recently
been made in the manufacture Of glasC
winch bids fair to revolutionize that nrt
as compile ely as the character of the
iron trade has been changed in its
methods by the introduction of pro-
cesses for making steel cheaply On q
large scale. 1t Is IN effect that any
desired degree of hardness, within Q
rather wide range, may be communities
ted to glass, and that 10y very simple
msans. 1t Is nothing more than tie
equable distribution OF heat through Il Q
mass and then an eqnable cooling. Tue
discovery is credited to Frederic Sic
mems.
The difficulty of heating and cooling
glass ut an equal rate throughout IS the
great stumbling-block that has stood in
the way OF success. Without this the
material was liable to crack or explode,
a familiar illustration Of which II fur
ished In the breaking OF atumbler when
hot water is poured iuto 1t, the danger
of fracture increasing with the thick
ness'of the glass. The application Of
radiant hest the first half 1t
the difficulty, and the second is opviated
by surrounding the edges with o mate
rial that prevents the heat from leaving
them more rapidly than that from other
portions. By placing the glass between
plates of suitsbly-prepared metal the
softened substance o be embossed
with any wished-for design, and after
leaving the mold it is four or hvo times
as hard as ordinary glass, being in fact
so firm" in its substance that the dia-
mond fails even to scratch 1t. Hence
1t must be made to exactly the size and
shape wanted, hut after having been so
made II is at least three times as strong
as ordinary glass of the same thickness,
and appears to be even less liable 30
give way on account Of flaws than is
cast-steeI. Castings have already been
made Of floor plates. grind stones. pull
leys, railroad-slekpers, etc., and 1t is
believed that its use q be indefinitely
extended to many OF the uses OF wood
and metal in the arts, and especially IN
the building trades.
Nothing ls said of the cost of the new
glass. which is a most important point
in determining the extent 10 which 1T
will be employed for the purposes above
noted. But at the first blush it would
appear to be capable OF heing produced
much more cheapIy than its equivalent
in iron or steel. 1t consists of about
fifteen per cent. of potash, seventy-dye
per cent. Of sick (sand). smaller guam
Titles of lime and alumina, and traces OF
other material. All of the articles
named except the first are literally ''as
cheap as dirt" and potash is not very
costly; while the quantity of fuel re-
CURED Is probably less than that needed
to reduce the ores of iron to the metal-
lie form. Hence it II not impossible
that many of those now living will SEQ
the time when people will reside IN
| glass-houses, and not be more afrala of
throwing stones than if they tsnansed
structures made of ordinary bricks
mortar. 1t needs no great stretch u
the imagination TO look forward n ianc.Ad
to q new era directly resulting from nix
discovery. Man has successfully passe 1
through the stone age. the bronze
period, the iron age, the golden age.
more recently the aga OF STEEL has
dawned upon us I'D 1t has been pro
posed to name this tbs age OF paper.
Next in order may come the age Of
glass and then?