The Red Cloud chief., 1889-07-26
A MEDLEY OF

A MEDLEY OF MARvELS.
The Processes Employe1 In the Mating oi
Flint Glass.
Flint-glass Is the general term for all
the multifOrm utensils and ornaments
(apart from windows and dark bottles)
which make glass an Om~nipresent bless
ing in modern life. Thedistinctive Pc
culiarity Of aint-glass is the presence in
It 0flead. which imparts a brilliancy un-
like that Of most other glass. The
lack-luster surface of all the old objects
Of glass made before the English inven-
ton Of a lead formula is noticeable.
Lead oxide was originally used only in
most expensive glass prepared from
calcined fiints. But gradually 1t has
crept into many grades. down to the
most common materials for household
and fancy wares. and for all transpar-
ent bottles. giving them all a finer lus-
ter than was otherwise obtained until
the recent invention of lime glass. And
the cOstliest Of all glass, that used for
optical lenses and imitation gems. still
gains its extraordinary weight and re-
fractive power from lead. The hOnOrs
of skill in fint-glass production are
broadly divided among the nations.
England taking the lead in the crystal
or purest fint-glass used for cutting;
Italy Venice) in colOred designs more
brilliant than any made in the days Of
the republic. when lint-glass was not
known; Switzerland in imitation gems;
Germany in cheap vases; France in lens
disks; and America in pressed glass
and cheap tableware. Recently q
cheaper iint-glass has been introduced
into American pressed ware. in which
lime is substituted for lead. yet which
retains much of the luster and clear.
ness Of lead flint
Flint-elass is either blown, nodded
or pressed. and frequently all three
methods may be seen together in the
same establishment.
A fint-glass factory Is . most enter.
tanning medley Of marvels. As you
enter the great building that surrounds
the huge chimney the first impression
is that you are in q human snt-hill
rumbling with in0rdinate activity. Or
perhaps the sensation 10 better de-
scribed - a plunge into q p~urgatorial
chamber Of Industrious demons. In
the center the openings in the gigantic
dazzle you like glaring eyes
from q soul Of fire; but the glow comes
from molten glass in the dozen
about the blaze. Scores
Of workers. boys. youths and men.
in restless confusion. It looks
rs II every one were running about on
some impish deed Of his own fancy.
But stand still and watch closely, and
you will Q it is all . great system of
human clOck-wOrk. each movement fit
ling nicely into the whole effect. The
men at the furnace. who seemed at
first to be devils thrusting pitchforks
into the blazing depths to toast their
are only gathering metal on
heir puutiea When q sufficiently
lump has been collected the man
wanders of with it. You think he will
certainly burn some n with that
ball of fire, they are all bust
ing about him so necessarily. But
him carefully and you see him
hand the tube to an older man,
Who blows the glass into a large globe.
Ind sits down to play with it at a bench
which has a horizontal iron bar on
'ach side of him to roll the tube on.
Back and forth he rolls it like a toy,
md the glass keeps curiOusly changing
Is shape. He has made q hole in the
lobe and has enlarged it into a SYM
opening. and now the glass is
cooled 50 that he ian do nothing more.
Will anybody in all that hurrying
:rowd help him? Instantly a young
nan appears, and without . word he
lolds up to the cool glass his long tube
Nth a disk Of red-hot glass on the end.
which fastens to it. The man at the
'ench scratches the globe. jars it. and
t leaves his bar. Oh the other man
uns with it to the ''glory-hole." where
he broken end is quickly heated again
nt0 sOftness. Then he hurries back
nth it to the bench man. who renews
lis play. A couple of minutes more
nd suddenly you perceive that he has
made a perfect lamp shade, which a
'trOke detaches from the iron rod into
small bed of sand. A small boy car
les it of on q stick to the annealing
furnace, and now the gatherer is on
land again with q fresh lump of metal
o begin the process again. Turn to
he next man sitting at his work. and
TOu notice him finishing q smaller
into a lamp chimney. shaping
he top by q mold. Here is . man
himself with a small bunch of
oft glass on his rod. You are sure he
an have no serious purpose in turn
ng and bending it into those ridicu-
Gus shapes. Quickly q boy seizes it
rom him, and you a not trace him.
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