Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-12-31
INV ENTIONS IN GLASS
FREAKS or WTRGoUS INGENUITY IN
THE PATENT OFFICE.

There il al inventor who Is known nj
tho patent Office In Washington AZ the
glass man. His name is G W Mclean Of
New Bern. " c., and during tho last
few years hs has obtained patents for
surprising Number of devices In glass.
Among these Is a glass coffin, which Is
guaranteed proof against decay and rats.
so long as no deliberate attempt is made
to smash it II ought to last forever. An
other contrivanco IL a staircase made
wholly of glass, steps, landings and newell
post bSng all of that material. Yet an.
other is glass barrel But perhaps the
most remarkable invention Of the glass
man is "a billiard table of glass.
The day may yet arrive when people will
live in glass houses. A patent has been Sc
cured Ivy another inventor for glass bricks
If peculiar pattern. The material Of
which they are composed being first rate
honconductOr, these bricks will keep the
cold out of dwelling built of them, while
admitting the light. IL 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
scrvation by neighbors, inasmuch as it 10
not requisite that the bricks shall inc tSans.
parent. They may be of Opaque ground
glass OF OF auy color that may bs suitable
for decorative effect
Thus before many years have passed y
may be considered the height of luxury to
occupy dwelling of glass. Glass bricks.
Of course, are expensive People who live
in glass houses will be able To afford 10
weur clothes Of glass. That sounds like
nonsense bus the fact is that beautiful
and most delfcate fabrics are made out Of
spun glass. Nearly 80 years ago there was
shown at che Centennial exposition In
Philadelphia n bonnet composed entirely
Of glass. - was a love of bonnet The
flowers on 1t were glass. and So were the
ribbons, which looked like the finest satin.
Tho patcntoe of this process describes IL as
suitable for the manufacture Of neckAes-
shawlS table covers etc
In fabrics Of this kind very fine quail
ity OF glass is used. 1t is spun in threads
81 exceeding delicacy and Of these several
cOlors may bo produced Mt the same time.
They are woven in loom OF ordinary pat.
tern. Anybody may oS,crve that thia
sheet of glass is somewhat elastic. The
threads employed in weaving are Of suob
tlncnesS rs to be perfectly piable and not
at all brittle. With gown of glass would
naturally 90 = pair of glass slippers.
A Pittshurg man named smith has in
vented "a process for making glass slippers
in molds They would not Go very well
for dancing. There is no reason why
glass gown should not be woven of rides.
cent glass, 50 thai the wearer would look
ike an animated rainbow on n ballroom
foor-on0 dazzling simmer of ever chang.
ing hues. Cntil recently the manufacture
of iridcscCnt glass was set down in the list
Of the lost arts. But in 1878 ii was rediscov-
cred, and now il Is a common commercial
article. II IL mado by exposing the melted
glass to the vupOrs 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
WhicA WciO made ANA used long before
Christ was born. They were dug up in
cyprus and elsewhere Many of them
have a beautiful iridescencc, bat it is
the result of decay Glass will rot like
anything else and decay has split the
structure of tins ancient glass into lamine,
or flakes, which interrupt the light SO as
10 produce brilliant icd, green, purple and
her rainbow cplors
The window blinds OF the glass house OF
the future wall be of glass of course. That
Is another patcnt, and the inventor sug-
whatever coiors are desired Baby i'm the
nursery perhaps will play with glass build
ing block, and at suitable age he will re-.
ce've "a Christmas gilt Of pair of roller
skates with glass rollers Both Of these
ideas hays .,een patented. When lac is old
enough 20 gJ ....Aing, lac will not dig
worms i'm lla garden, but VII be provided
with artihcib' bait IN the shape OF a hol-
ow miunOw Of glass, coa;eu on the inside
partly will, q solution of gold or silver and
part ~ with luminous paint
Glass hcd~toadS may he proof against
lightning ana bugs, but il is hardly 10 be
expected ila.t glass houses should be free
rom Mice The inmates could hardly do
better than - employ glass traps for the
,apturn Of such ycrmin. Tie great ad-
vantage - the glass Hunsctrap according
ca he Statcmout of the iuycnt0r is that
II Ope mouse cnter the trap ho may be
seen b., others who chance TO 90 that way,
aud thcv viii be inclined to join the one
inside, especially when thoy observe that
he is Tibhliag "a choice morsel ~ Up u
data the glass mousCtrap has not made IL
self popular, Notwithstanding the impor
tant arguments in 1t, favor, and of most OF
the other devices Described it is unfortu-
natcly true that they have not proved prof
table 10 he persons vino contriycd them
This rcmark however, by no mean, ap
plies to tho gla~, lemon squeezer, which is
already "A familiar household utcnsi The
inventor Of 80 Is said 10 have sold his rights
Cor $50. coo One of the most remarkable
inventions in glass, by the way, was that
Of a Venetian named JoquIn, in 1905. He
noticed that the scales of a fish called the
bleak gavo milky hue TO the water and
that glass bad dipped into such water
looked like pearls when dried. Subsc-
que"tly the IDEA was conceived Of making
hollow beads of glass and lining them with
the peculiar substance from the scales ~
the FISH, anG It is IN thi, way that the so
calico Roman pearls are now mnnulac.
urcd u H. 90 this substance that the
..tdcsccnc,. 0l the scales o, many species Of
0sl.s is duo Washington Cor. Philadel
phiG Times.