Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-25
A FLINT GLASS FACTORY.
TIs A MOST ENTERTAINING MED
LEY OF MARvELs.
What Flint Glass is, and How It Is
Misunderstanding Scenes Among the
Workmen.

IT
Made-Striking Scenes Among the
Workmen.
Flint glass is the general term for all
| the multiform utensils and ornaments
Capart from windows and dark bottles)
which make glass an omnipresent bless
ing in modern life. The distinctive pc
cufarity of flint glass is the presence init
of lead, which imparts briliancy unlike
that of most other glass. The lacklustre
surface of all the old objects of glass made
before the English invention of a lead for
mula is noticeable. Lead oxide was
originally used only in most expensive
glass prepared from calcined iints. But
gradually it has crept into many grades,
down to the most common material for
household and fancy wares, and for all
transparent bottles giving them all finer
lustre than was otherwise obtained until
the recent invention of lime glass. And
the costliest of all glass, that used for op-
teal lenses and imitation gems, still gains
its extraordinary weight and refractive
power from lead. The honors of skill in
flint glass productions are broadly divided
among the nations, England taking the
lead in the crystal or purest flint glass
used for cutting; Italy (Venice) in col
ored designs more brilliant than any made
in the days of the Republic, when flint
glass was not known; Switzerland in imi-
tation gems; Germany in cheap vases;
France in lens disks; and America in
pressed glass and cheap table ware. Re-
Gently cheaper flint glass has been in
troduced into American pressed ware, in
which lime is substituted for lead, yet
which retains much of the lustre and
clearness of lead flint.
Flint-glass is either blown, moulded
or pressed, and frequently all three meth
DDS may be seen together in the same es-
tablishment.
| A fint-glass factory is most entertain
ing medley of marvels. As you enter the
great building that surrounds the huge
chimney the first impression is that you
are in human anthill rumbling with in
ordinate activity. Or perhaps the sensa-
ton is better described as plunge into a
purgatorial chamber of Industrious de-
mons. In the centre the openings in the
gigantic furnace dazzle you like glaring
eyes from a soul of fire; but the glow
comes really from molten glass in the
dozen ''monkey- pots" about the blaze.
Scores of workers, boys, youths and
men throng in restless confusion. 1t
looks as if every one were running about
on some impish deed of his own fancy.
But stand still and watch closely, and
you will see it is all a great system of hu-
man clock-work, each movement fitting
nicely into the whole effect. The men
at the furnace, who seemed at first to be
devils thrusting pitchforks into the blaz'
ing depths to toast their victims, are
only gathering metal on their punt.
les. When a sufficiently large lump has
been collected the man wanders off with
it. You think he will certainly burr
some one with that burning ball of fire,
they are all bustEng about him so inces
sanity. But follow him carefully ano
you see him silently hand the tube to ar
older man, who blows the glass into s
large globe, and sits down to play with
it at o bench which has horizontal iror
bar on each side of him to roll the tub,
on. Back and forth he rolls it like toy
and the glass keeps curiously changing
its shape. He has made hole in the
globe and has enlarged it into symmetri
cal opening, and now the glass in cooled
so that he can do nothing more. Will
anybody in all that hurrying crowd hell
. him7 Instantly q young man appears
and without word he holds up to the
cool glass his long tube with disk o.
red-hot glass on the end, which fasten
:, to it. The man at the bench scratches
the globe, jars it, and it leaves his bar
Off the other man runs with it to thu
"glory -hole," where the broken end il
, quickly heated again into softness. Thel
he hurries back with it to the bencf
man, who renews his play. A coupl
', of minutes more and suddenly you per
:. ceive that he has made perfect lam
shade, which a stroke detaches from tn
= iron rod into small bed of sand.
small boy carries it off on stick to tn
; annealing furnace and now the gathere
= is on hand again with fresh lump 0
metal to begin the process again. Turl
to the next man sitting at his work, ant
you notice him finishing smaller charg
into lamp chimney, shaping the top b
o a mould. Here is man amusing him
: self with small bunch of soft glass O.
his rod. You are sure he can have n
L serious purpose in turning and bending
d into those ridiculous shapes. Quickl
It boy seizes it from him, and you canno
d trace him. 1t has gone over to fame
d vase, where it was needed to comlpet
y the ornament. So each bench has il
ie own little task of skill, and keeps IT
y peating it over and over, and each boy {
Is the multitude there are two or more
r every rnan) has his own particular Quite
t. He pops Up always in the momer
4. and place where he is needed
'e All the workers are busy as the
S wits can make them, for they work b
the piece, and the number of things mad
le determines their wages. They al
st grouped into sets or ''shops" of three I
y four, who work together, and share prof
a. together on well-understood grade I
$, division. Generally four constitute
lp shop, the most skilful workman Ct
l. blower at the head, the gatherer
r young fellow next, and two boys, OF
handling moulds or tools, and the 9TH
carrying the products to the annealin
q. oven. The only way to learn the gla
tu E.ala in +h,.o.,c.la lonce