Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-01-06
PAYING THE PENALTY.
SiGHTLESS EYES REWARD
GLASS BLOWERS.
A Curious Trade In which the workmeD
Labor Assured That Success Means
u Fortune in Money and
Loss Of Sight.

The most curious and interesting
thing to see at Venice in London is
the furnace OF DR.. SalviatL Salviati
glass has world wide reputation. and
many travelling English have visited
the works at Murano where the glass
Is made. But this is the first time
that the process has been shown in
England The Salviati furnace at
Olympia is in modern Venice Enter
ing you find yourself in a semicir-
cllar room OF considerable sire with
raised tiers OF benches TO enable the
spectators to witness the manufacture
OF the glass. In tho center stands
the furnace which consumes daily
some three tons OF good British oak.
The furnace Is divided into different
pots each containing molten glass
OF some special color and the temper
ature'is about /. 40 degrees Fahren-
heit says the Chicago Tribune.
What Is the composition OF the
glass DR.. Salviati declares that he
himself does not know. 1t is a ieal-
ously guarded trade secret The Wis
itor may notice taciturn old man
who moves quietly about among the
workmen and disappears now aud
again into dark room mt the back
where the mysterious materials are
kept Sometimes he is to be seen
sitting outside. staring gloomily into
the shallow lead-lined canals made in
imitation OF those OF his own Venice
There" says DR.. Salviati. pointing
at him almost with reverence look
at that old man; he alone knows the
secret" 1t may be so; but that gran
lite sand from the Murano lagoon is
the basis Of the mixture is we'll
known. To this is added inter. soda
lime. oxide OF lead arsenic and many
other secret things TO give the ex-
quisite tinges OF amber sea green
and pink which are ore OF the chief
beauties OF the Salviati glass.
In front OF the furnaces are three or
four rough seats each furnished with
horizontal projecting arms co7ered
with iron. At these seats work the
brothers MISUNDERSTANDING Wit
torio and tietro-three OF Dr. Saliva
tbs most skilled workmen. They
asked much to come to England. and
it Is said that each may make from
fl2 to Els per day in addition to a
share in the profits upon the sale OF
the articles they produce.
Benvenuto Is going to make piece
OF glass--a flower vase supported on
a sea dragon. He has no pattern, no
gauge and his only tools are some
pincers aud scissors He takes long
blow pipe OF iron. dips it into one OF
the pots and withdraws it with a
quantity OF the glowing mass hang
ing to the end like honey on a stick.
Twisting the rod deity In his hand he
is at his seat in a moment and con-
stantly rolling the rod backward and
forward on the arms OF his seat he
begins to fashion the bottom OF the
stand with pair OF pincers. The
glass soon cools and has to be plunged
again into the furnace Again it is
Withdrawn and manipulated with "
traordinary dexterity. 1t takes shape
as by magic under the hand OF the
artist and becomes a round stand
with stem to support the dragon.
An assistant then takes it away to
keep it hot In another furnace
Now comes the dragon from another
pot A piece OF pink glass is pulled
out at length there is the dragons
body. 1t is bent quickly round. the
tail curling upwards and with in
credible swftness each touch nicely
calculated. the head is fashioned. the
mouth open breathing flame Here
comes the anne. II morsel OF red glass
from another furnace. put deity in
the opened mouth. and fashioned in
three or four touches into a long
pointed tongue. Then came the eyes.
the wings the legs and there is your
dragon. a marvel OF art wrought in
some six or seven minutes. So the
! piece is built up in sections each
| joined to the other by heat and the
work stands compiete--a miracle oil
design and color treated straight
! from the brain OF this 1.-the and hand
some Italian as true al artist as he
who paints p ctures makes statues
7 and builds churches.
But there Is n fearful penalty which
all these artists must pay. Blindness
comes upon them at middle age. The
glare of the furnace the fierce
radiance OF the molten glass burns
the eyes and at 40 or Whereabouts
they become blind. Benveuuto Faro
vier. though he scarcely looks more
than 30. can not even now see 10 read.
1t is fate these glass workers cheer
fplly face. They love their era t.
During the years OF youth and early
manhood they devote their lives 70
art to the production OF fragile
dreams OF beauty in glass which a
touch will pulverize and they are
content to go into the night and spend
their old age In darkness. For they
are rich and honored.