Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-09
THINKS GLASS AGE NEAR
Famous French Scientist Makes
an Interesting Prediction.
ALL THE WORLD IN GLASS HOUSES

II
| Houses In which Dust Cannot Col
Iect Nor Spiders Spin Their webs.
| According to NJ. Jules Henrivaux,
who originated the famous Palais Luz
mineux, or palace of light, at the last
/ Paris exposition and who was until
recently director of the great glass
manufactory Of st. Gobain, in France.
| glass viii ere long come to play such
| great part in the worlds economy that
the next age is likely to be distinguish
ed as THE age of glass"
NJ. HenrivauX is an enthusiast on
rial of the future. He does not pretend
| that the world can look for glass can
| mons or glass men-Of-war or glass grey
| hounds of the ocean. nor does he con-
| template tie substitution of vitreous
machinery for that now employed in
various processes of manufacture. but
| he does claim that glass is the best
| substance known for every kind of
| structural purpose and especially for
| dwelling houses. In short. if the vi
sions of y HenrivauX are realized,
| says the London Daily Express. all the
world will be living in glass houses be-
| fore long.
The point of the idea is found in the
ineXhaustible supply of the materials
from which glass is made. in its adapta-
| bility to all shapes and forms. its dura-
bility and its cleanliness. With regard
| TO the second point. il is obvious that
glass can be shaped. colored and deco
rated to an extent of which no other
! material is capable. and 1t is upon this
| aspect of the idea that NJ. HenrivauX
lavishes his Imagination.
There are six ways in which glass
| can be manipulated. 1t can be east in
| 10 window panes, paving stones. pan
els, etc. 1t can be nodded into cornices.
states, wall decorations and even stat
ues. Ii can be blown into bottles,
tumblerS, vases and all the utensils
comprised under the name of glass
ware 1t can be blown and ground in
to crystals, lenses. prisms and other
objects of art and utility. 1t can he
drawn into the finest threads and made
into pipes, baskets and dress materials.
1t can be turned into mosaics and
enamelS and can be brought into the
closest imitation of most of the pre-
CiouS stones.
Imagine. with NJ. HenriVauX, the con
structiOn of a glass house. The fOunda-
tons and the walls would be con
structed of q variety of glass recently
invented called "stOne glass" which
las already successfully withstOod the
severest tests. When crushed, it gives
Il resistance three times as great as
granite. When subjected to heat or
cold. it is found less sensitive than
steel. When subjected to friction. it
shows less wear than porphyry. Shock.
as of hammer blow, it resists TO de-
gree 22 times as severe as that which
would fracture marble. The test of
tension has practically no effect on it
whatever.
The walls, then, would be built of
glass, held together by angle iron. so
as to permit of a hollow space through
which pipes could pass (the pipes them
selves being glasswOrkl conveying hot
air. hot and cold water. gas, electric
wires. drains and everything needed
for the health and comfort of the in
habitants. Stairs and balustrades cell
ings and wall decorations mantelpieces
and tireplaces would all he constructed
of glass. Some of NJ. HenrivauX's con-
ceptions in the way of decorations. in
which the glass is made Opaque or tint
ed with brilliant colorS or made silver
and golden or arranged in prisms and
crystals with facets like diamonds. are
perhaps too fanciful to he taken seri-
ously. but through them all there runs
the same enthusiasm. the same belief
that glass, as Thiers once said of Louis
Napoleon, is capable of anything.
Chairs and tables in the new glass
age Will he made of vitrified material,
toughened to the strength OF oak and
mahogany. Cooking utensils. plates
and cups and saucers will he made of
the same substance. Even knives and
forks will have glass handles. if not
glass blades.
The new glass house will he abso-
lutely clean and practically indestructi-
bile. The whole of its surface can be
washed from the top story to the base
ment without trace of humidity be-
ing left. Dust cannot collect on its pol
ished face. and the spider will find no
place on which to hang its cobwebs.
They have already begun TO pave the |
streets of Paris with glass. and it is |
found that the substance. while prac- |
tically indestructible. is admirably suit |
ed to the feet of both men and beasts, |
and as il neither holds nor makes any |
dirt il is absurdly easy to clean. Its |
only fault is that it somewhat increases
the noise of the traffic. but even this |
might by and by be overcome.
The question of cost has not been left
out of account. Glass can be made ont /
of almost anything amenable to the in
huence of fire. The stone glass, TO
which reference has already been /
made. is manufactured mainly from
what have hitherto been regarded as
waste substances. The Stag heaps
which disfigure mining and iron dis
tricts are all convertible into glass.
Evidently the days Of bricks and states
are numbered.