Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-08-20
GLASS FOR WINDOWS
The METHOD AND rHe MATERIALS
OF ITS MANUFACTURE.

Enough Arsenic In the Window of
nm Ordinary House Co ist:. "a Rexf-
s.~sx Of Men-Proccs- OF the Tank
house and the Penthouse
People who have glass windows I'm
( their homes do not know that the glass
contains enough arsenic to make IL a
, deadly poison. Glassmakers say that
the windows OF an ordinary home con
tain enough OF this poison 10 kill a reg
iment of men. The popular supposltion
that glass Is made OF sand is n correct
one. but a quantity OF other articles en-
tiers into its composition.
window glass factories are divided
into two departments. tankhouse and
pothouse. The process OF glassmak-
Ing i'm one OF these departments Is prac.
ttcally the same as I'm the other. In the
tankhouse the glass is all melted In I'm
mense tanks which will hold thou.
sands OF tons. In the pothouse the
glass is made I'm pots
After the fires are lighted and n tank
Is heated the glass mixture is shoyeled
in. 1t includes glass left over from the
former season, glass refuse. sand and
salt cake. Arsenic is not used In the
farmhouse for the reason that the heat
Is so intense that the drug is volatIlized
and escapes into the air without enter.
ing the mixture. AS one mixture melts
and flows TO one end OF n tank fresh
supplies are shoveled I'm at the other
end.
The molten mass seethes and
works" in manner similar to that of
mash in n distillery. From the salt
cake comes a salt water that has to be
separated from the mass. and the east
est way TO remove 1t is TO burn It out.
This is done by throwing stove wood
into the tank on top of the molten
glass. The water is converted into
steam, which is destroyed by the in
tense heat from the glass. The melted
glass is then skinned by an automatic
skinner. and II is ready for the gath.
erer.
\ gatherer thrusts n long steel blow
pipe into one Of the rings at the lower
end or the tank. He twists and turns
IT until small bail OF glass gathers on
the end. This ball is partially cooled.
polished by being turned i'm a box of
sawdust and then passed on to the
blower, who heats ii again until IL be-
comes like taffy. The blower swings
the ball over pit that is twelve feet
deep and rapidly blows it into an elon-
gated pear shape. When n blower is
through. the melted glass becomes a
perfect cylinder about > feet long and
: feet across. Ii then passes to snap
PEI" who takes 1t to rack and breaks
the roller loose from the blowpipe.
The snapper gathers small lump
OF melted glass on the end OF rod
and dexterously runs narrow ribbon
OF the stun around the ends OF the
roller. both at the blOwpipe end and
the closed end. The little ribbons of
melted glass cool in n few seconds.
when they are removed, leaving a mar
row zone OF almost redhot glass
around the rollers at each end. Then.
taking TOOL that resembles n soldering
iron, the snapper rubs it for Il moment
on his forehead. and when the point OF
1t is moistened with perspiration he
runs the iron around the rollers at the
heated spot. The glass cracks and
separates as cleanly as II cut with a
diamond. the blowpipe is removed. and
the closed cylinder has become roller
and Is then ready 10 90 to the fiat
tener.
The iattener works In another part
OF the building, where are located the
hattening ovens. These ovens are heat
ed TO temperature sufficient to soften
the glass so that II may be rolled out
into sheets. \ series OF fireclay tables
placed in a circle like the spokes OF n
wheel revolve I'm the ovens. and ON
these tables the rollers are Hattened.
They are placed inside. allowed 10 be-
come hot, and then a cold iron is run
along the inside from end to end. The
contact OF the iron cuts the glass.
which Is then Strengthened out upon
the table.
The Hatcher has number Of biIlets
OF green wood attached TO long iron
handles. and with these bilIets which
are shaped in such manner as to do
the work expected OF them. he irons
the softened sheet OF glass until II Is
perfectly hat and smooth The tables
inside the oven revolve, the fiattened
sheet Is carried away, and another roll
er is brought into position before the
hattener. AS the fiattened sheets cool
they are lifted to n place on a long
travelling rack. on which they are by
stages removed from the ovens. being
allowed to cool as they go. This is done
In order that the glass may not be
shattered by too quick an exposure to
the air.
When the sheets are taken from the
hattening ovens. they are covered with
greasy, dirty looking coat Of chem
icals-soda, potash. silIcates OF the diff
ferent salts, etc.-which must be re-
moved. and for this purpose the rough
sheets are placed I'm an acid bath com.
posed OF hydrochloric and sulphurIc
acids more or less diluted. After their
immersion In this bath the sheets are
taken to the cutting room, where work
men cut them into sizes and make
them ready for the packers. Hardly q
scrap OF the glass except the rough
edges Is wasted. In fact, none is vast
ed, as all refuse goes back to be melt
ed After the cutters have finished
their work the glass is packed In boxes
and is then ready for the market.-In-
dianapolis News.