New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-06
GLASS AND THE TARIFF.
NEW FACTORY UNDER THE MCKINLEY
BILL.

The making of glass in its various forms is
one Of the greatest and most important industries
in the United States. The consumption, III the
form Of bottles, jars. tableware window-llghts
and mirrors, is enormous, and the increase oil
consumption from year to year has been marvel
lous When glass was first made in the world
no one knows, 1t did not, however, come INTO
general use before the middle of the seventeenth
century; though previous to that date a few
houses of the wcalthiest people had glass windows
and church edifloes were lighted with glass as far
back as the eighth century.
The making of glass in the United States was
attempted at an early day Mention is made
Of a glass factory at Jamestown, Virginia, as
early as go, and of another at Salem Mass, as
carry as 1910. The first glass works OF known
success were established by Germans in what is
now the city of Quincy, Mass, in 1850. In 1850
glass was being made in New-Hampshire and IN
Connecticut, as is shown by the diary KEPT Dy
General George Washington at that time. Since
that date 1.-THE making of glass in some of its forms
has been one of the great industries OF the United
States, although during all the years past the
importations of glass, especially of the better
qualities oi plate and crown, have been large
Until within few years very little Of the superior
grades of glass was made in the United States
On the other hand, the manufacture of common
window glass and glassware has for many years
been large in many of the States.
Glass is a compound substance, containing about
75 per cent of Silica IL per cent of soda or potash
and IA per cent Of lime. In different xmas Oh
glass the proportions Of these ingredients are
varied. Some grades contain o small amount OF
lead OF zinc. The best plate-glasS is now being
made from silica, soda-ash and lime, in about the
proportions first named above; but varied some
what according TO the experience and fancy or
each manufacturer. The three principal lngredl-
,nts are found in unlimited quantities in the United
States
For many years the FIee-Traders of this coun-
try have claimed that the higher grades OF glass
could never he made here, ON account OF lmpurl-
ties which they claimed existed in the raw ma
terial of the United States. Notwithstanding TINS
claim the purest and best sand for manufacturing
glass yet discovered in the whole world was many
years ago found in Berkshire County, Mass. Ex-
ports of this sand have for years been made to
The Old World on account of its great purity. Be-
sides that one factory in the city of Syracuse is
zach day turning out 200 tons OF as good soda-aSh
as can be procured anywhere on the face oil the
earth; and the very best of lime can be MADE from
a thousand quarries scattered all over the United
States
Why then should not the enormous quantities
of every kind of glass consumed by the people oil
this country be manufactured by our own people
facturers cannot successfully compete with the
makers of glass in any other nation on the face
Of the earth-that is, the higher price paid for
labor in this country. From 80 to 90 pr cent
Of the cost Of all glass used in the United States is
labor. Indeed the cost of the really raw material
in any piece of glass is so small as TO be hardly
worth mentioning Pure sand, lime rock and
soda-aSh the latter being manufactured from salt
and lme) have almost no value except that
which has been given them as the result of work
Work, which forms such large part of every
kind and description of glass, costs the manu-
facturer of the United States never less than IS
per cent more than it does the manufacturer in the
Old World and in many instances twice and three
times as much 1t is to provide for this increase
in the cost of work that tariff long ago
levied on all glass shipped from abroad
into the United States. The Mckinley bill in
creased the duty on several kinds of glass simply
for the purpose of protecting and building up the
manufacturing of this article in the United States
especially the higher grades. The good results of
that law are already being felt in the United
States in the increased activity of manufacturing
The first factory in this country for the max
ing OF plate glass was established IN Berkshire
County, Massachusetts, in 1853. Since then
various attempts have been made in different
places to establish extensive works for the manu-
facture of American plate glass. There are now
seven plate glass factories in successful operation
in the United States The eighth concern Of that
kind is just being completed at Irwin Penn. The
writer OF this article, for the single purpose Of
discovering what the Mckinley bin is doing for
this industry recently visited the Irwin works.
The company at Irwin, recently formed, began
to erect its works in October last, under the name
of the Pennsylvania Plate Glass Company Irwin.
town located the main line of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, twenty-oue miles east Of
Pttsburg, built what is intended to be one Of
the perfect factories for the manufacture
of plate glass in the entire world. The fuel
for this great establishment Is natural gas, and
was donated TO the company for ten years by
the people of Irwin for the purpose of securing
the location of their works in that place. The
company also receives for the same purpose free
water for three years.
FURNACES AND MELTING POTS.
Al the potts. ce-bocks, stones, tuyeres and
stOpperS and all the necessary appliances which
are made Of fire clay, are manufactured there at
its own works. The material for making these
utensils and furnaces is shipped from Missouri,
and is said to be fine quality of fire clay
can be anywhere found in any country. The
large melting pots, which are to hold the molten
glass are made from particularly fine grade of
raw fire clay. burned fire clay and shells from
the old pots, all ground together and
then burned in very hot furnace.
Each pot is built of this mixture entirely by
hand, the workman putting on one handful of
material after another, and building in that way
from the beginning 60 the finish. One Of these
pots weighs 1900 pounds. Each one will hold
from 100 to 1900 pounds Of melted glass
Plate glass when first cast is usually 5-S of an
inch thick and weighs 1-2 pounds to the square
foot The company has in its employ man by
the name of John W. Wilson, who has the best
record known for making long-lived smelling pots
lie made one pot which stood for 122 MEETINGS,
and has made several that have wtthstood 100
MEETINGS, while the average life Of such pots
does not exceed % 10 80 MEETINGS. lie has an