The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-01-21
THEY EMPLOY 600 MEN.

An Industry That supports 5000 People.
Under the reputation which our beautiful
city has enjoyed for half century, that of
being the center Of culture, refinement and
wealth Of this great country, the fact has
somehow been lost sight Of that we are a
manufacturing center of no mean or imag,n-
airy pretensions. Our two great industries,
glass and tile have sprung to the front in
the past few years with an amazing rapidly,
and still there are more to follow.
1t is, however, of the glass industry that
we shall treat in the present issue, and we
are warranted, by statistics carefully col
leeted, in saying that it gives employment to
600 men and sends from our doors nearly
100000 worth Of manufactured material
every year. That this product can and will
be increased is not a matter of conjecture,
but it is possibility too real for unbelief
Our facilities for the manufacture of glass
are too we'll known by the public at large to
bear extended reference. Ever since the
summer Of 1868, our city has been the rec.
ognised center Of tract Of glass sand and
coal absolutely unlimited in quantity and
and s7owedly superior in quality to any un-
der the wide heavens. Hundreds of millions
of tone of the finest glass sand in the world,
suited as we'll to the manufacture of the
finest plate glass, as to the amber beer bottle,
underlies our streets and door yards, and
extends from the Fox river to q distance
west beyond the reach of the eye, and south
and north for many miles, varying in 'hick.
ness from rs to $50 feet. As an example of
the supply, the Window Glass Co. has taken
hundreds of tons per year from enc quarry
on the Reddick place, and has excavated a
place less than 200 feet in diameter and 25
feet deep, and their works are now the larg.
est of their kind in America.
Our facilities for fuel are unsurpassed.
East, west, north and south of us the coal
underlies the surface of the earth for miles.
Black Diamonds, for the county is fast as.
Stunning the aspect Of one great coal mine.
In some instances the fifth strata has been
unearthed, and experiment tends to show
that four veins are common.
But to return to the original subject We
have within our limits FIVE great glass facto-
ries, employing 600 men and boys, represent
ing ever 81 900 600 in wealth. and exporting
100000 worth of manufactured glass in
bottles, chimneys, and window glass each
year.
The Ottawa Window Glass Co. was organ
lied and began operations in 1868, with what
is now known as the Central Factory. Year
by year the business increased, until five
years later, in 1878, the West House was
erected, doubling the capacity. Business
was on the increase, and the bottle industry
coming to the front in 1880, the management
placed the East House in position in the fall
Of 81. After making bottles one year, the
company saw that the rapidly increasing
demand for heavy glass for show cases and
larger windows, was creating room for
another great industry, and the fall of 80
saw double thick glass blown in the East
House. It was operated with coal until 81,
when Mr.. Catlin, being impressed with the
appearance Of gasmelted glass, built ga.
generating plant of the most perfect design,
making ga. from slack, the only plant of its
kind in America. The gas is conveyed from
the generator 20 the melting furnace by
two-fOot pipe, enlarging to three foot pipe
upon entering the factory. Leaving the con.
duit it is stored in a reservoir under high
pressure, and from it through four fues to
the furnace. A pair Of levers are used to
throw the gas from one side to the other,
going through the two right hand fues
and the two left hand fues. alternately,
every fifteen minutes, thus heating both