Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-01-27

able, being better conductor of heat and
very much tougher ware. 1t Is some
what more expensive but cheaper in the
end Ia the consumer.
This is particularly true al lamp chin
neys, and one reason there Is so large a
breakage OF them land a most annoying
breakage II is( Is that so many are made
OF Lime Glass. and so fGw comparatively
OF the real Flint Glass.
Many people think "glass Is glass"
and do not know what to buy or what
kind OF chifnneys TO call for. One thing
can be depended upon, viz: that IL no
mention Is made, and even then sometimes,
the commonest kind of breakable Lime
Glass chimney will be handed over the
counter, and ten to one, by the time one
gets comfortably seated to read, away
goes the chimney.
There Is one glass mandatory In Pitts.
burgh, Pa, where the finest quality OF
glass Is made, especially for lamp chin
neys. and where their goods are known
this firm have very extended trade. The
firm Is Geo. A. Macbeth q Co, proprietors
OF the Pittsburgh Lead Glass Works.
On visit to their works about three
hundred men are found busy as bees, max
ing lamps chimneys at the rate OF from
| 1876 900 to 10000 per week. Their pro-
cess of manufacturing, and materials USED,
are both curious and'interestlng.
First, they use the pure white sand
| found In but few localities. which, when
thoroughly washed and dried, is almost
white as snow. Then the potash (purid
ed and the lead, in the form of oxide, per-
fectly pure are added to the sand and thor
oughly mixed until the batch resembles
ordinary sugar in grain, but is quite red
| in color. 1t Is now ready TO go into the
pots-twenty-four In number, made OF a
peculiar kind of clay, being from AZ to 40
inches In heighth and about the same In
width. These pots are closed at the tops,
to prevent the fire from injurlng the melt
ed glass, with the mouth on the side near
the top. The furnace being circular, the
pots when placed I'm position, and covered
with fire brick present their open mouths
only, and when looked at resembles hot
summers's sun.
When in this condition the pot Is filled
with the mixture above mentioned, closed
tight, and In about twenty-four hours 1t
is ready to work. A workman called a
gatherer dips his pipe into the melted
mass and gathers enough on its end TO
make a chimney. This he rolls on a
smooth iron plate to get evenly on end OF
pipe, when he blows 1t about the size or
boys top, and hands 1t to another work
man, who further blows it up, and pro-
ceeds to form the lower part OF chimney,
which fits the burner, which he does by
forming a small knob on the end OF the
new pear-shaped bulb, giving 1t sharp
stroke with his shears breaks the knob
off leaving small hole in the bottom OF
the bulb.
T.. L.. hoo taI hot in nd ha
lower end OF the chimney formed by the
blower whirliDg and spreading the glass
with a tool resembling sheep shears,
but larger and narrower blades. The
chimney Is now broken OF the pipes and
put into "snap" an instrument which
holds 1t as one would clutch an apple
firmly in the hand, and heated red hot
again.
The top Is finished by machinery in
vented and owned by this firm, making 1t
bell-shaped, and beaded on the top, from
the ordinary crimped or scalloped tops
made Of poor glass.
This form OF top has been closely i'm
itated and 1t has been found necessary to
afflx label and wrapper with special
mention of the name.
There is no process by which poor glass
can be made good, and all "iancy" pro-
cesses of "annealing" and "tempering" are
lost from the first or second time the
chimney is heated on the lamp.
The firm of Geo. A. Macbeth 81 Co,
make about one hundred and fifty different
shaped chimneys, all of this fine quality
of glass, and as some are so shaped that
the Pearl Top" cannot be put on, each
chimney is labeled with their trade mark.
Strangers visiting Pittsburgh would be
well repaid by a trip through lamp Chin
neys are the leading product, yet they will
find globes and great variety of other
lamp appliances