The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-03

a glass gown should not be woven of iri-
descent glass, so that the wearer would
look like animated rainbow on a BALI
room foor-One dazzling simmer of ever
changing hues. Until recently the manu-
facture of iridescent glass was set down
In the list of the lost arts. But in 1878 1t
was rediscOVered and now is a common
commercial article. 1t is made by expos
ing the melted glass to the vapors of
salts of sodium. At the Metropolitan Mu-
scum Of Art, in New York city, are ex-
hibited great numbers of bottles, plates
and other articles of glass which were
made and used long before Christ was
: born. They were dug up in Cyprus and
elsewhere. Many of them have a beautiful
iridescence, but it Is the result of decay.
Glass will rot like anything else and de-
cay has split the structure of the ancient
glass into laminae, or flakes, which in
terrupt the light, so as 10 produce bril-
liant red, green, purple and other rain
bow colors.
The window blinds of the glass house
of the future win be of glass, of course.
That is another patent, and the inventor
suggests that such blinds be made OF
whatever colors are desired. Baby in the
nursery, perhaps, will play with glass
building blocks and at n suitable age he
will receive a Christmas gift of a pair Of
roller skates with glass rollers. Both of
these ideas have been patented. W hen
he is old enough to go fishing he will
not dig worms in the garden, but will
be provided with artificial bait in the
shape of a hollow minnow of glass, coated
on the inside partly with a solution of
gold or silver and partly with a luminous
paint. The originator of this minnow
says that it is a brilliant object in the
water and calculated TO attract the atten-
ton of any fish that has a particle of APP
Glass bedsteads may be proof against
lightning and bugs, but il is hardly TO
be expected that glass houses should be
free from mice. The inmates could hardly
do better than to employ glass traps for
the capture of such vermin. The great
advantage of the glass mousetrap, accord
ing to the statement of the inventor, IS
that IF one mouse entered the trap he
may be seen by others who change TO go
that way, and they will be inclined TO
join the one inside, especially when they
observe that he is nibbling a choice NOR
sell" Up to date the glass mousetrap
has not made itself popular, notwith-
standing the important arguments in its
favor, and of most Of the other devices
described it is unfortunately true that
they have not proved profitable to the
persons who contrived them. This re-
mark, however, by no means applies to
the glass lemon squeezer, which is al
ready a familiar household utensil. The
inventor of it is said to have sold his
rights for $4,000
The most meritorious inventions do not
always obtain adoption. For example,
several good processes for making glass
bottles by machine have been patented.
But they are not used to any great ex-
tent because the trade of the bottle-maker
is conservative, and the workmen's un.
ions are against the Introduction of ma
chinery 1t is the same old story, which
has been repeated in almost every branch
of industry. Glass pitchers, handle and
all in one piece, are now being produced
in molds~ by pressure The upper part
having been formed in the mold, the lower
part of the pitcher is destined to the re-
quisite globular shape by forcing COM
pressed air downward through the neck.
The art of making pressed glass is an
American invention. Many centuries ago
buttons and such little things of glass
were produced by means of primitive
pinch-molds. But now this branch OF
manufacture has been brought to such
perfection that cups, bowls and other ar
ticles of pressed glass closely initiate the
costly cut-glass. The process is very sim
pie. A measured quantity of molten
glass being placed in the bottom of the
mold. down comes a plunger, which
forces the vitreous fluid into all parts OF
the mold. When cold the east" thus o.
tanned is taken out of the mold The la,-
ter, of course, may be of any shape de-
sired and of as elaborate a pattern. One
of the most remarkable inventions in
glass, by the way was that of a Venetian
named Joquin, I'm 1856. He noticed that
the scales of a fish called the bleak gave a
milky hue to the water, and that glass
beads dipped into such water looked like
pearls when dried. Subsequently the idea
was conceived of making hollow beads
of glass and lining them with the pecu-
liar substance from the scales of the fish
and il Is in this way that the so-called
Roman pearls are now manufactured It
is to this substance that the iridescencc
of the scales Of many species of fishes Is
aue,