Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-03-13
INVENTIONS In GLASS
FREAKS OF VITREOUs INGENUITY IN
THE PATENT OFFICE.
Glass Houses to Live In, Glass Clothing tn
Wear and Glass Colin tn Rest In ut
Lsst-Strnnge and Uncommon Devices
That Are Not Yet Publicly Known.

Last-Strnnge and Uncommon Devices
That Are Not Yet Publicly Known.
There is an inventor who is known at
the patent Office I'm Washington as the
glass man His name Is & W. Mclean Of
Now Bern, \. c., and during the last
few years he has obtained patents for n
surprising number of devices in glass
Among these is "a glass coffin, which is
guaranteed proof against decay and rats
80 long as no deliberate attempt is made
20 smash IL IL ought to last forever. An
other contrvanco IL staircase made
wholly of glass, steps, landings and newell
post being all of that material. Yet an
other is a glass barrel But perhaps the
most remarkable invention of the glass
man is billiard table of glass
The day may yet arrive when people win
live In glass houses. A patent has been se-
cured by 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. 1t Is claimed they
will exclude noise, being hollow. Further.
more. the inmates of glass house need
not be afraid of being under too close OBJ
seryatiOn by neighbOrs, inasmuch rs IL 10
not requisite that the bricks shall be trans
parent They may be of Opaque ground
glass or of any color that may he suitable
for decorative effect
Thus before many years have passed IL
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 to
a1..,l &
nonsense, but the fact is that beautiful
and most delicate fabrics are made out OF
spun glass. Nearly 20 years ago there was
shown at the Centennial exposition in
Philadelphia n bonnet composed entirely
of glass. 1t was "a love of a bonnet. The
flowers on it were glass, and SO were the
ribbons, which looked like the finest satin.
The patentee 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 u loom of ordinary pat
tern. Anybody may observe that Is thin
sheet of glass is somewhat elastic. The
threads employed in weaving are Of such
fineNesS aS To be perfectly pliable and not
at all brittle. With gown of glass would
naturally go pair of glass slippers.
a PittSburg man named Smith has in
vented "A process for making glass slippers
In mods They would not do very we'll
for dancing. There is no reason why
glass gown should rot be woven of rides
cent glass, 50 that the wearer would look
like an animated rainbow on a ballroom
lluor--onc dazzling simmer of ever chang
ing hucS. Until recently the manufacture
of irdesccnt glass was set down in the list
Of the lost arts. But in 1878 it was rediscov-
cred, and now il is 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
Cyprus 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 Of this ancient glass into lamine,
or flakes, which interrupt the light so as
to produce brilliant red, green, purple and
OF her rainbow cOlors.
The window blinds of the glass house Of
the future will be of glass, of course. That
il 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-
cclve "a 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 "A hol-
low minnOw of glass, coated on the inside
partly with a solution of gold or silver and
partly with a luminous paint
Glass bedsteads may be proof against
lightning and bugs but it is hardly TO he
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 adj
vantage of the glass mousetrap, according
10 the statement of the inventor, is that
eff one mouse enter the trap he may be
seen by Others who chance to 90 that way,
and they will be inclined to join the one
inside, especially when they observe that
he is nibbling "a choice morSel. Up To
date the glass mousctrap has not made il.
self popular, Notwithstanding the impor-
tant arguments in its favor, and of most OF
lIt OlItT utNlCtS utSCFlDtu III Is ulllOTlu-
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 squoezer which is
already familiar household utensil. The
inventor Of IL is said to have sold his rights
for $50, 600 One of the most remarkable
inventions in glass, by the way, was that
of Venetian named Joquin in 1866. He
noticed that the scales of fish called the
bleak gave Il milky hue to the water, and
that glass beads dipped into such water
looked like pearls when dried Suisse
quently the IDEA was conceived Of making
hollow beads of glass and lining them with
the peculiar substance from the scales of
the fish, and it is in this way that the so
called Roman pearls are now manufac-
turcd it is to this substance that the
iridescence of the scales of many species of
fishes is due. Washington Cor. Philadel
phia Times.
To Increase Rex Begonias.