The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-14
a MENDING FACTORY.
Heaps of Worthless Fragments of
Glass and China Are Annually
RECONSTRUCTED.


RECONSTRUCTED
Boston, May 12-Buried in the heart az
the quiet residence portion of Boston In
the oldest little factory in the world.
Ihere, In a little alcove overlooking Gov.
Waieotts mansion and adjacent dwell
ings of fashionable Back bay. unbeknown
TO many of its nearest neighbors is a re-
construction factory, a tiny laboratory
where heaps of worthless fragments Of
glass and china are annually RESPONSIVENESS
ed into hundreds of thousands OF dollar.
III the form OF beautiful vases, highly
priced statuary, and other precious brio
a-prac of stone or vitreous material.
from the outside you would never reco9
nlze che little factory; for the single vim
dow, though fronting the street is AT tha
top OF line old mansion. and is bordered
bylVy without and a trailing vine within
back of which are lace curtains.
A glanca into the interior after Iahora-
tory hours would scarcely suffice even
Sherlock Holmes 20 tell it's true character:
LOT al that any one secs is a luxurious
dlvan, harp. carved bookcase, a heavy
mahogany table. and a leather covered
cnalr. HUT should you happen TO visit IL
Wheh the proprletress is there, and the door
OF rather spacious closet Is open. YOU
would see within, kaleidoscopIc rows of
precious PLAQUES and vases, ancient and
modern, upon the shelves; drawers full az
piepald pieces; and here and there a pile
or fragments assorted so carefully thar
even you yourself could reconstruct the
form of the original cup or statue
Day after day shattered remains CT rare
ornaments that have once beautihed high
places of the earth are collected here.
some come from India and far Cathav.
some from ancient Egypt! some from
caves and ruins of Etruria; some from
modern courts of Europe and the Vatican;
and some from the famous art conters Of
America. They are first sent to great en-
porium of Boston. which Immediately packs
them IN a band box or smethinR stint
lar, and delivers them 10 the queer littio
FACTORY by private messenger, 1uss as a
Par1s milHner delivers his maryels 10
wealthy patrons of his fashionable eetah
lishment. When they emerge from the fac.
tory, they have been fitted together with
such marvellous skil and rare artistic
Judgment that none but the most practiccd
eye could tell that they had been frae-
ments
Labor and capital are in perfect harmony
In this little factory for the two func
IONS are united In a single person Miss
Anna b. Smith Proprietor. Co jeauentlv
one workman, or rather workwoman Is
all that II can boast; but Judging from the
value of her finished products, ana her
luxurious style OF living. wages theie must
exceed those of an ordinary laborer.
This laboring capitalist, or monoyed Ia
borer, Just as you are pleased TO call her, Is
perhaps the most aristocratic factory girl
In the world. besides earning a compo-
tence that she would be foolish TO ex-
change for that of her neighbor the gov
ernor, she Is a graduate of Wellesley Col
lege' has coachman OF her own, and trav-
els with the smart set of the Hub.
The little factory is now working under
contract for a large department store of
Boston, for whom IL annually saves many
thousands of dollars by mendIng damaged
and shopworn statuettes, and other val
liable poreclains, so neatly that II is only
with great difficulty even a scratch can
be distinguished. Frequently il has its
hands full with fine work from the Boston
Museum
At present the force is engaged In put
ting together a lot of lrridescent glass
ware from Egypt, and other rare bits OF
old pottery that are soon TO be added to
the collections in the famous art archives
Of the Hub. BY next summer they will be
placed on exhibition, and visitors to the
museum Will marvel at their bean
" and their wonderful state OF
preservation. But the swallows in
the woodbine about the little factory
window will twitter knowingly; and If you
could be one OF them when delicious
breezes from the Back bay blow the lace
curtains aside, you might see a bust of
Homer, a Peruvian urn inleid with an in
cas- god, or one of those delicate marveIs
by a Bavarian glass blower rise out Of the
heap of fragments on the mahogany table.
like Phoenix from his ashes; for the odd
nttle workshop will probably be in full
blast just about that time.