The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-02-20
MADE OF GLASS.
Wearing Apparal, coftus, Flsh Bait and
House furnishings Among the Num-
her--Glass Houses Future
Possibility.

the patent Oftice IN washington as tne
Glass Man. His name is c, W. Mclean,
Of New Berne, n. C., and during the last
few years lie has obtained patents for
surprising number Of devices in glass.
Among these is glass coffin, which
is guaranteed proof against decay and
rats. So long rs no deliberate attempt
is made to smash it, thought to last for
ever, Another contrivance is a stair
ase made wholly of glass-steps, land
ngs and newell posts being all of that
material. Yet tanotheris is glass barrel.
But perhaps the most remarkable in
vention of the Glass Man is billiard
table of glass.
The day may yet arrive when people
win live in glass houses. Apatent has
been secured by other inventors for
7lass bricks of a peculiar pattern. The
material of which they are composed
being first-rate non-conductor, these
bricks will keep the cold out of a dwell
ing built of them, while admitting the
light. 1t is claimed that they will ex-
clude noise, being hollow. Further
more, the inmates of glass house need
not be afraid of being under too close
observation by neighbors, inasmuch as
it is not requisite that the bricks shall
be transparent. They may be opaque
ground glass, or of any color that may
be suitable for decorative effect.
Thus before many years have passed
ii will be considered the height of lux
ury, perhaps, to occupy dwelling of
glass. Glass bricks, of course, are ex-
pensive. People who live in glass
houses will be able to afford to wear
clothes of glass. Nearly 20 years ago
there was shown at the Centennial ex-
position in Philadelphia bonnet COM
posed entirely of glass. 1t was love
Of 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 neck
ties. shawls, table covers, etc.
In fabrics of this kind very fine quail
ity of glass is used. 1t sspun in threads
Of exceeding delicacy, and of these
several colors may be produced at the
same time They are woven in a loom
of ordinary pattern. Anybody may
observe that. a thin sheet of glass ;s
somewhat elastic. The threads en-
plovedinweay;no are of sucb fineness as
to be perfectly pliable and not at all
brittle. With a gown of glass would
naturally eo a pair of glass sinners
Not like Cinderella's. Oh. moi Cinder-
ella did not wear glass sinners Her
sinners in the original French story
were of oyair.s which means fur. yair
and ayerren meaning glass are nro.
nounced exactly alike. Hence the cor
ruption.
A Pittsburgh man named Smith has
invented a process for making glass
slippers in molds. They would not, do
yery well for dancing There is M
reason why a glass gown should not he
woven of iridescent glass. and its
wearer would look like an animated
rainbow on ballroom foor-one daz.
zl;np simmer of ever-cbano;pg hines
Until recently the manufacture of
iridescent glass was set down in the
list of the lost arts. But in 1878 II was
rediscoyered. and now Il is a common
commercial article II is made bv ex.
posino the melted glass tn the vanors ~
salts of sodium. At the Metropolitan
museum of art are exhibited great num.
bers Of bottles. mates and other articles
of glass which were made and used
long before Christ was horn Tbev were
dug up in Cypress and elsewhere. MANY
of them have a beautiful iridescence
but 1t is the result of decay Glass will
rot like ANYTHING else and decay has
split the structure Of this ancient glass
into laminae or fakes which interrunt
the light SO as to produce brilliant red.
green, purple and other rainbow colors
The window-blinds of the glass house
Of the future viii be of glass. Of course
That is another patent. and the in
ventor suggests that such blinds NAV
be made Of whatever colors are desired.
Baby in the nursery perhaps will play
with glass building blocks. and at a
suitable age he will receive Christ
mas gift of a pair of roller skates with
..iio n4l u