The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-09
NEW USES OF GLASS.
Old Bottles Converted Into Material
for Paving.

| for Paving.
From the Boston Journal of Commerce.
John c. Covert our consul at Lyons,
writes the state department of some new
uses OF glass in the shape of pavement
for streets He writes:
| Early in October. 1898, a paving COM
pany of this city began laying on the
rue de la Republique a piece of pavement
| OF ceramo-crystal ceramic stone, or de-
vitrified glass During the months of No
| vember, and December of 1898 and thus
far in January, 1899. this pavement has
! been driven over during all hours of the
| day and night. 1t has stood as hard usage
| as any pavement could be subjected to
during that time, and is still in an ad-
mirable state of preservation, The glass,
or ceramic stone pavement, is laid in
! the form of blocks, eight inches square,
each block containing sixteen parts in
! the form d checkers. These blocks are
! so closely fitted together that water can
| not pass between them, and the whole
| pavement looks like one large checker
/ board. Like all thoIOughfares in France,
the roadbed slopes gently to the walk on
| each side. Some of the edges Of the
/ checkers have been broken off during
/ their three months service. counted
some twenty of them that have been
| slightly Clipped on the edges. II is con-
! tended and | think with justice, that
| this does not argue against the value of
/ the material as a pavement, and that any
kind of stone would have suffered just
| as much or more in the same time
Il visited The Ceramo-Crystal Manufac-
| turing Company's works yesterday, at the
| suburban village of Demi-Lune. about six
miles from Lyons. The factories cover
nearly 500 square yards of ground Work
is now stopped in them while additions are
being tnsde 10 the buildings in The shape
of second stories In the yards are many
! tons of broken bottles, which The super
intendent told me was their raw mater
| ial On the four sides Of large brick
smokestack are specimens of ceramo-
crystal for buildings and interior decora-
| tons, some of the pieces as smooth as
| highly polished marble others being
| rough, like cut stone and still others hav-
ing a surface like common brick [ in
close design for the front of a house,
! showing several of the patterns seen on
! blocks in and around the works.
The advantages attributed to this ce-
| ramo crystal by the manufacturers are:
| AS a pavement. il has greater resistance
than stone; ii is a poor conductor of cold.
! and ice will not form upon it readily; dirt
will not accumulate upon it as easily as
/ upon stone, and it will noe retain mi
! crobes; il is more durable than stone and
| just as cheap.
THE Central Architectural Society Of
France made a report recently on oera-
mic stone, of which l give brief synop-
/ sis: An officer of the society reported
that he had examined a square, suitable
as a pavement or floor for stable
courtyard, or factory; block Initiating
polished marble; block initiating Mosaic;
and panel with molding and ornamental
| ton. He said:
From the various forms in which this
material is presented, its use can, be read
! ilW 6pte rO1ippi for hOtb a nd
rative purposes.
ION careful examination it is found that
the Garchey ceramic stone is nothing but
glass brought TO a special molecular condi-
| ton. In a certain sense it constitutes a
new substance which resembles 1agstone,
granite or marble. The manufacturer as
sures US that with this material he can
copy any model that is presented.
This new product is obtained from
broken glass heated 10 a temperat ure of
1880 degrees and compressed in matrices by
hydraulic force. the physical transforma-
ton of glass is due to identification under
the Garchey process. The phenomenon OF
identification produces sort of dlssolu-
lion more apparent than real; for upon
chemical analysis, the devitrified glass pre-
serves the Identical composition OF natural
glass,
ut may be said. then. that devitriaed
glass possesses all the intrinsic qualities
physical and chemicaD of glass, except
the transparency while taking on an en-
Nirely different aspect. Furthermore, glass
! created under this new method is made 10
resist crushing, frost and heavy shocks.
and to stand usage
This subject is being discussed in the
| press and is receiv4ng general considera-
ton. An elaborate and exhaustive article
in the Revue des Deux Mondes for No
vember treated the question under the
l af
asserting that a large house constructed
entirely of glass would be an attractive
! feature Of the coming worlds exposition
in 1900. He said that glass could be used
| for tubes pipes, watts, tiles, smokestacks
| for factories and for buildings Double
glass walls IN a house would admit of the
| circulation between them of cold or warm
! air, thus regulating the temperature. las
| to the resistance of such a structure, il
would certainly be equal to that of the
most solid houses of the day, and
il is lighter and less expensive than brick
! The Garchey glass stone had hardly come
! into .dstence before a method of using
it, both simple and inexpensive, was re-
vealed BY the device of the American in
| ventor Golding.'
THE glass house, or the luminous pal
| acc, which it has been decided to build on
| the grounds of the 1900 exposition parts of
which are now being constructed. is thus
| described by the writer last quoted: The
| principal facade, in the form OF an i'm
mense portico. its roof surmounted with
spires and with a winged statue repre-
senting light will be supported by heavy
| columns The ground floor. reached by a
double flight of stairs, will be used as a
great exposition room. To the right and
left VIII large glass basins overhung by
grottoes Of glass. In the interior OF the
hal will be five large openings, IN which
viii be represented the five divisions Of the
ia