The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-25
Glass Houses a d Other Possibilities,
FROM Hnrper's Mnnnzfne

Glass Houses q d Other Possibilities.
From HGrper's Magazine.
The future OF the glass Industry in the United
States Is enc uraglng, for it is oliy since the
war that the manufacture of polished plate has
grown up, and there are now running or buld-
ing enough furnaces to supply all that viii be
used in the country 1t is within the last ten
years that the Manufacture of cathadraI ana
rough plate has been thoroughly established
at first disputing and now controlling the home
market against England and Belgium The i'm
provemeut in window-SlaSs has also been great.
and there are workmen and manufacturers who
tninA Cney see Tue rising sun ot much be ter
days and much better American glass The
concentration OF capital in powerful concerns
must c -rtalniy Lead to changes in the system of
labor t1at are bound to insure more finished
product. new glass recently invented in Ger
many is said to add maryelously to the mower
of the microscope. A Yale professor announces
the invention OF perfect aromatic telescope
lens.
Legend tells of the lost invention of .mal-
leable Lass" Tiberius is said to have disc mr.
aged genius who found the secret by behead-
ing him, fearing the innovation would reduce
the value OF gold. 1t is also recorded that Car
dinai Richeleu was presented with a bust of
maieable glass by a chemist, who purposely
let it fall iuto fragments and mended it befors
his eyes with ham ner. The .ventor WIS
promptly rewarded by perp stu1llmprisonment.
lest his ingenuity should ruin the vested inter-
ests" or French manufacturers. But if glass
may not ape the metals 10 malIeabilitv il MAJ
initiate them in another respect lust as i'm
portant. A more fortunate Frenchman IN
de la Bastie) has within few years introduced
into Europe TRANSMITTED glass which.
he claims. may dispace cast iron. If if
fultills his expectations it will mark a new
era in glass, anu Re Old adage "aS brittle as
glass" VIII be superseded by a new one. ..as
tough as glass" By his process railway s,esn-
ers, fence posts, drain pipes. tanks, etc. ara
cast in mods, and so toughened by a bath in
oils as to be stronger than iron though much
lighter, and costing one-third as much But II
is questioned whetn n his results reach what is
aimed for the process. These undevelOpgd
toughening processes augur astounding chang s
IN tue future of glass Glass houses may
become the fashion and we would have to
reverse our proverb about them. for they would
be bombproof. Already transparent glass
bricks are made. Extending tle possibilities
OF glass little further why may we not
build the entire structure of glass? The
walls might be cemented blocks cast like
hewn stone but translucent, and of any color
one could thus inhahit huge pile of amber or
OF gigant gems. The windows could be multi
form, some of them telescope, bringing distant
things near, some with lenses or mirrors guild
ing the 10 used suns heat for culinary and
comfortable purposes, others straining out the
hght or chemic rays Tapestries, furniture and
utensils might be made of the universal material
Inc whole would be more enduraole than gran
ite No fire could harm it; lightning would shun
10 such dream, blossoming from this mirac-
ulous substance. may be realized by an Aladdin
whose lamp Is Of glass.