Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-07-25

and when your grandfather; performed the
important duty OF winding up his ticker,
just as the sun was sinking in the weat, he
would remove the outer covering, hang 1t
on his thumb, adjust the key, and then
solemnly and slowly tighten the spring for
another twenty-four hours' service. The
crystals of the bulls eye had to be very high
In the center because the post to which the
ter of an inch"
"Win you give me the process of manu-
faetureP
with pleasure. 1t should be understood,
In the first place, that the finest quality Of
glass Is necessary, and, In order TO make the
business profitable, the factory must be To-
Gated contiguous to rich bed of silica or
pulverized flint. I am now speaking more
particularIy-of the present time. The glass
Is taken from the ovens on the blow pipe,
and large globe, the siEs Of half barrel,
formed.
"When cool this is taken by the operator
and, with heated piece of thin iron, he
traces line around the globe and then
quickly lifts 1t above his head. The sudden
change of temperature causes the glass to
separate where the heated metal has been
in contact. This is continued until the en-
tire sphere has been made into hoops or
bands. These are then cut into squares
the sixs of the crystal Il is designed to pro-
duce.
1.-THE process is to place these squares on
wheel covered with buckskin, which is
made to revolve under q stationary rod, in
the end of which Is o diamond. This oper-
alton produces the disk. These are then
placed on blocks of soapstone, with rounded
tops, and put into q little oven at Q whise
heat, where they remain about q minute.
This softeus the glass, and It settles down
upon the sospstone, conforming itself exact
| ly to the mold. The crystals are now ready
for the grinders, who bring them down to q
sharp edge 80 that they shall ft snugly into
| the bezel.n
''How are the various styles of crystals of
the present time desighstedi"
| "First we have the Geneva, which is
slightly crowned and quite thin. Then the
patent Geneva, made In the same form, but
with q small polished space In the center
The bulls eye 10 high crowned, also with q
polished center. Then there In the thick
parallel. This is fat on top and very thick.
They have been in vogue for about twelve
years, and were brought out. believe, in
answer to demands made necessary by the
great popularity of the open face watch.
The edges are ground down 90 as to ct the
i chronometer bezel. They are very strong.
| and will stand q great deal of hard usage be-
i tore breaking. The miconcave has q very
slight swell, and is used mostly In ladies'
Il watches. The thick miconcave Ia for gem
cave is made heavy and ground out on the
under side and has fiat top. Then there is alec
the thin concave. which is almost fat. The
i Lunette Is oval or crowned, running In
height from 1 to 8. The Verge glass was
used largely in the old bull's eye"
"what are the diameters of the various
crystalsi"
"They run from o to "a, o being about the
size of ten cent piece and "a measuring Q
i 5.16 inchesn
The speaker here went to q drawer In q
cabinet and fshed ont q dusty package,
and upon opening IL showed the writer @
crystal almost large enough for a town
clock.
81 manufactured these myself" said he az
he held one of them up to the light. "They
are made of the finest glass possible to OBJ
tain"
"You were then in the manufacturing
businessp
ayes. In 1874 opened q small factory In
williamsburg, N. Y, and these glasses an
now showing You were part of my pro
duct. In those days q crystal was wortl
about a dollar, and I concluded they couls
, be produced in this country at a much lowe
figure. / broached the matter of starting
factory here, but all my friends spoke yer.
disparagingly of the project, saying 1t wa
, impossible to make a salabls crystal on thi
side of the Atlantic. / was not discouraged
went right sleng and carried out my propo
sition to successful conclusion, but KEEP
what was doing to myself.
"It soon began to be noissd about that
was underselling the market, and one of tn,
greatest wonders of the time was to know
! how i managed to do business at sucf
ruinous figures" and the old white hairet
dealer gave q little chackle as his memor,
went back to the days Of his happy venture
"How do present prices compare witl
those of the old timer
| "Why, can buy crystals now at 81
! grades. The mioonoave and their class rul
from 81. so to $2 gross and even higher"