Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-24
ITS FAME UNIVERSAL.
The Big Glass Tanks st Jeanette
Surprise Many Visitors.
MANUFACTURERS VISIT THE TOWN.
An Intellectual Feast Followed by Lunch
and Speeches.
VIEWS OF IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS

Jeanette, which has extended to all parts
of the United States, will now become
universal. A visit was paid to the town
yesterday by several representatives OF
European glass houses, and they came away
dumfounded. With them was party Of
Pittsburg manufacturers most of whom had
akind of an idea that Chambers s. Mckee
had little experimental tank from which
they were securing little results. When
they were in the factory their minds
instantly changed, and they began to see
the magnitude of the establishment. They
were completely paralyzed, and came away
with an entirely different idea than they
had before.
A special train left the Union station at
IL o'clock yesterday morning for Jeannette
with merry party of gentlemen represent
ing the manufacturing interests of this city
and the glass business of the country. The
party was in charge of II. Sellers Mckee
and James A. Chambers. Trainmaster
Culp and Conductor McGuigan took care of
the tram, and the former personally accom-
panied the party to its destination and re-
turn. Upon arriving at Jeanette the train
was backed down one of the sidings and the
party landed night inside the extensive
works. After landing they started on a
sightseeing expedition, and what they did
not see of the glass business cannot be wit
messed in the world.
INSPECTING THE TANK.
The first place visited was No. 8 tank,
where the glass is mixed and melted. The
process of mixing was an object of interest
to the party. The tank has a capacity of
$50 tons of melted glass, and is equal to
seven pots. AT the rear OF the tank is an
opening into which is thrown the mixture
for making glass. A long filling in"
shovel and two men, with another man to
lower and raise the tank door, does the work
of u men in pot-furnace factory. By the
employment Of the long shovel, which is
worked on a pivot by the two men, the
services of a master, teasers and batch
mixers are dispensed with. In
stead Of shoveling the mixture into the
tank, the men shovel into the "flling-i in"
shovel. When the latter is filled, the tank
door is opened and the shovel pushed into
the tank. One turn of the shovel dumps the
load, and after pulling out the empty shovel
1t is ready for another load. The mixture is
hauled and dumped in front of the door by
man and mule. The latter, by the way,
is the only animal about the place. Horses
and wagons to convey the product from one
department to another, or from the factory to
the railroad station, is unknown, on account
of the admirable facilities the firm have for
handling their product.
INTO THE LOWER REGIONS.
The visitors spent considerable time look
ing into the tank through piece of colored
glass. All they could see was a motionless
body of molten glass as placid as the waters
of still lake. The sides and ceiling of the
tank were reflected on the sea of glass as if
the latter had been mirror. General Man.
ager George E. Moore explained to the Wis
ltors that the thermometer registered about
2,S00 degrees inside the tank, and the place
where the party stood was about $50. After
imparting this cheerful information he
volunteered to lead them down into a sub
way under the tanks. The fat men in the
party hesitated, while the others dotfed their
coats and descended into the lower region.
The roar otthe gas, the hot air as it came rush.
ing through the tubes, and other unearthly
noises caused many of the visitors to think
OF Dante's Inferno, and wonder if the scene
before them was anything like hereafter
The stay was not protracted one, and the
visitors hurriedly made their exit out of the
pit and into the blow house. Here were
dozens of men and boys blowing long cylin-
ders of glass, and preparing 1t for the flatten-
ing department. Some of the cylinders were
3Sx56 single strength, and from 3Ox5O to 56x
20 inches double strength. Leaving the
Turkish BATH. department, the visitors
were conducted to the hattening house and
cutting room. The building is 450 feet long
by $50 deep. In the cutting department the
room has been so arranged that the light is
in front OF every cutter, an advantage few
possess.
BIG STOCK ON HAND
Going into the warehouses, the visitors
were astounded at the immense stock of
glass the company has on hand. In one of
the houses there were stored between &c, 900
and $4,000 boxes OF glass. To one side of
the buildings is long railroad siding upon
which Is treight cars can stand and De
loaded at cne time. After passing through
all the warehouses, the crowd was taken to
thenew tank building. Three tanks are
now in operation, another is being built and
ground will soon be broken for two more
The grinding and playhouse was the next
place. In this department the heavy stone
slabs to be used in repairing the tanks are
made. About 4, 300 blocks, each weighing
about 450 pounds, are stored in the house.
The mixture room, where the sand, salt
cake, charcoal, etc, are mixed together,
was the next place ofinterest and after seeing
everything, the party went to inspect the
the departments of interest seen here was q
small flint tank. 1t resembled pudding
furnace in q rolling mill, and unlike the |
continuous tank, it has to be reflled every |
Saturday night. The product of this tank |
is used in the manufacture of lamp chim- |
neys. After inspecting the blow department |
of this flint house, the gentlemen passed into |
the asserting and packing rooms. Here ev- |
eryone in the party was presented with |
souvenir in the shape of engraved glassware. |
Nearly every visitor was presented with a |
pair of large pressed glass fruit dishes. The |
product of the flint house is about 26 cars |
per week.
GOT TIRED LOOKING.
There was so much to see that the party |
actually got tired looking through the diff |
terent departments and halt was called. |
1t was decided to refresh the inner man, and |
the visitors again climbed on board the cars,
By ride of 27 miles and a two hours
tramp through the factories the appetites of
the party were sharpened, and 1t did not
take many invitations to get the crowd
around the festive board. Mine Host
Schlosser, who can put up lunch fit tor
the gods, and make a man wish to live to
eat, had taken possession OF two cars. In
one of them he had long table loaded
down with everything dainty in the way of
edibles, and the latter soon began to disap-
pear. When the cigars were passed around
the speech making began. Mr.. Chambers
acted as host, and the first speaker on the
list was James r. Rice, of Chicago. Mr..
Rice has been engaged in the glass business
for 80 years, and is the veteran among the