The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-07-10
ABOUT LAMP CHIMNEYS.
Millions of Them Broken Every Year
Where Tliey Come From.

Nearly 5000, 900 of lamp chimney
are smashed every year in this cit,
and at least 100000 bits of glass ar
thrown into ash barrels, streets, alleys
cutters. sewers, etc. Yet people vent
ure out in thin-soled shoes, children il
bare feet and horses without any pro
lection on their hoofs.
Stranger still, one seldom hears Of
an accident arising from the presence
OF these bits OF glass.
The street sanitary regulations of
the city fortunately do much toward
Obviating such accidents, and most OF
the broken and cracked chimneys arc
deposited in ash barrels and find their
way to the dump. where they are gath
cred up by rag-pickers and sold to
junk dealers, who, in turn, sell the
scraps, which are known as "cullet, -
to the glass works at 40 cents per 100
pounds.
The dealers in chimneys dispose OF
their broken stock, which is about 5
per cent of that carried, in the Same
manner.
The breakage of lamp chimneys
represents the consumption of that
article. The lamp-chimncy business,
therefore, is of considerable impor-
tance to the public.
There are innumerable STYLES OF
lamp chimneys on the market-large,
small and medium sized; long, short,
round, fiat and twisted; thin, thick,
narrow, broad, square, globular, seal
loped, colored, spotted, ETC., from the
baby chimney, inches tall by inch
In diameter, to the great big fellow. II
inches tall by AZ inches in diameter,
used on the largest lamp in the market,
which throws 360-candle power light
and costs from 10 cents to 81 per dozen
wholesale. They even manufacture
combinations of chimney and globes.
while every year brings into the mar
let half dozen or more of new styles
OF chimneys. Every new lamp requires
a special chimney
Nine-tenths of the chimneys mado
IN this country are manufactured in
Pittsburgh, while most of the balance
are made at Steubenville, o., while IL
very few are made in the natural gas
regions.
The majority of small ones are i'm
ported. Wherever the material in a
lamp chimney is of greater cost than
the labor the chimney is imported, and
vice versa
All the shapes used in this country
are OF American design, but are man.
ufactured abroad and brought here
and sold at much less than they could
be produced here. 1t is labor that fig
ures in the cost of manufacture more
than material.
The odd shapes are all nodded.
while the ordinary shapes are blown
and are made of lead glass and lime
glass, both in this and the old country.
There is q feature that the casual OBJ
server would not notice in selecting a
amp chimney with square top. Two
of almost identical appear
ance are placed side by side, one of
which commands higher price A
lose observation shows that the ton
md bottom OF the one is rough, while i
he other is polished and smooth,
The smooth one possesses double the
OF the rough one. The
ough one is cut off and cooled, while +
he other is polished. Only the best
Iuality of glass can be polished this
way.
People make a great mistake in inn 7
ginning that d heavy chimney is more
urable than u thin one. This is not
no fact. The thin chimney is far
lore durable because of its expansion
nd contraction being more regular.
The -breakable chimney, which
made chiefly in Illinois, is nom
reakable in name more so than in
eality, though it is much more dura-
lie than the ordinary chimney. Tho
Inference in the price however, does
OF warrant its purchase on the score
economy, h nce very few are sold.
he best grade of chimney is known as
lie pearl top, which is made like any
her chimney, but while hot has q
'imped ring welded to the top, while
10 ordinary crimped top is me rely
aced in arnold and shaped while hot.
These chimneys are much less liable
break than the others, and are con-
lered well worth the one-third moro
price. The great demand to-day is
+ fancy tops.
There are also great many Chin
Us now used on gas burners. On !,
shelves of a iirst-class lamp store /
n be found fifty separate and distinct I
lies OF lamp chimneys, while every
ocery in the country handles them,
'stly the common grades. :
The life of a lamp chimney is as s
certain as that of man. An ex- ,
nsive one is as liable to break as s
IN as cheap one, as there are many q
lses calculated to crack or shatter g.
I'M other than fall or contact with
other body. A draught of air, a n
mp chimney. u splash of water or a n
h blaze will any of them terminate is
himney's usefulness in short order. +,
cincinnati Times-Star. w
He Was Excused. n,
n,