Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-09-04
INVENTIONS IN GLASS
FREAKS OF VITREoUs INGENUITY IN
THE PATENT OFFICE.
Glass Houses TO Live In, Glass Clothing TO
Wear and "a Glass Coffin to Rest In ut
Last-Strnnge and Uncommon Devices

Last-Strnnge ana uncommon Devices
That Are Not Yet Publicly Known.
There is an inventor who Is known at
the patent Office in Washington as the
glass man His name is & W Mclean Of
New Bern, y. c., and during the last
few years he hAs obtained patents for q
surprising number of devices in glass.
Among these is glass coilln, which is
guaranteed proof against decay and rats
So long as no deliberate attempt is made
10 smash IL II ought % last forever. An
other contriyancc il n staircase made
wholly of glass, steps, landings and newell
post being all of that material. Set an
other is glass barrel But perhaps the
most remarkable invention Of the glass
man is IA billiard table OF glass.
The day may yet arrive when people will
live in glass houses. A patent has been so.
cured Ivy another inventor for glass bricks
of a peculiar pattern. The material OF
which they are composed being first rate
nOnconductor these bricks will keep the
cold out of n dwelling built Of them, while
admitting the light. IL is claimed they
will exclude noise, being hollow. Further.
more, the inmates of a glass house need
not be afraid of being under too close OBJ
D
not requisite that the bricks shall be trans
parent. They may be of opaque ground
glass or Of any color that may be suitable
for decorative effect
Thus before many years have passed II
may be considered the height of luxury to
occupy a dwelling of glass. Glass bricks
of course are expensive People who live
in glass houses will be able TO afford 10
eli of I'll n1c 10
nonsense but the fact is that beautiful
and most delicate fabrics are made out OF
spun glass Nearly 90 years ago there was
shown at the Centennial exposition In
Philadelphia a bonnet composed entirely
of glass. 1t was "a love of bonnet. The
flowers on it were glass. and so were the
ribbons, which looked like the finest satin.
The patentce Of this process describes it as
suitable for the manufacture of neckties,
shawls table covers, etc
In fabrics of this kind very fine quail
ity Of glass is used. 1t is spun in threads
of exceeding delicacy, and Of these several
colors may be produced AT the same time.
They are woven in loom of ordinary pat
tern. Anybody may observe that a thin
sheet of glass is somewhat elastic The
threads employed in weaving are Of suoh
fineness as to be perfectly pliable and not
at all brittle. With "A gown of glass would
naturally go pair of glass slippers
A Pittsburg man named Smith has in
vented process for making glass slippers
In molds. They would not do very well
for dancing. There is no reason why q
glass gown should not be woven of rides
cent glass, so that the wearer would look
ike an animated rainbow on ballroom
hoor-one dazzling simmer of ever chang.
ing hucs. Until recently the manufacture
of iridescent glass was set down in the list
Of the lost arts. But in 1878 it was rediscov-
cred, and now il as a common commercial
article. 1t is made by exposing the melted
glass TO the vapors of salts of sodium. At
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New
York city, are exhibited 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
&yprus and elsewhere. Many of them
have a beautiful iridescence, but it is
the result of decay. Glass will rot like
anything else. and decay has split the
structure ofthis ancient glass into lamine
or flakes, which interrupt the light SO as
to produce brilliant red, green, purple and
other rainbow colors
The window blinds Of tho glass house OF
the future will be of glass of course. That
is another patent and the inventor sug-
gests that such blinds may be made of
whatever colors are desired. Baby in the
nursery perhaps will play with glass build.
ing blocks and at a suitable age he will re.
ce've Christmas gift Of a pair of roller
skates with glass rollers. Both of these
Ideas have been patented. When 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 hol-
Jow minnow of glass, coated on the inside
partly with "A solution of gold or silver and
partly with luminous paint.
Glass bedsteads may he proof against
lightning and bugs, but it 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 ad-
vantage of the glass mousetrap, according
TO the statement of the inventor, is that
If ope mouse enter the trap no may be
seen by others who chance TO go that way,
and they will be inclined to join the one
inside, especially when they observe that
he is aibbling a choice morsel." Up to
date the glass mousctrap has not made 10.
self popular. notwithstanding the impor-
tant arguments in its favor and of most of
the other devices described it is unfortu-
nately true that they have not proved prof
liable to the persons who contrived them.
This remark however, by no means APP
plies to the glass lemon squeezer, which is
already "a familiar household utensl. The
inventor OF 1t is said to have sold his rights
for ESQ, 900. One of the most remarkable
inyentions In glass, by the way, was that
of "a Venetian named JoqdIn, in 1866 He
noticed that the scales OF u fish called the
bleak gave milky hue TO the water, and
that glass beads dipped into such water
looked like pearls when dried. Suisse
queutiy the idea was conceived OF making
hollow beads of glass and lining them with
the peculiar substance from the scales OF
the FISH, and 1t is in this way that the so
called Roman pearls are now manulac-
cured. IL Is TO this substance,that the
sEidescenc5 of the scales of many species Of
fishes is due Washington Cor. Philadsl
phis Times.
To Increase Rex Begonias.
II you wish 10 raise number Of new
plants of Rex or other large lcafed be.