Newport weekly independent., 1902-08-08
MANUFACTURE OF GLASS.
Great Increase in the Output and Capital
 Invested,

a general and satisfactory growth in the manufacture of American glass, was issued the other day by the census bureau. Among the con clusions reached and figures cited are the following
 "The statistics seem to show a satisfactory rate of growth in the several branches of the industry, notwithstanding the fact that in nearly all lines the domestic manU- facturers have been compelled to meet a yigorus foreign competition. The development of the industry has been marked by noteworthy in- crease in the use of tank furnaces, and mechanical processes in lieu of hand work, which have resulted in an increased output combined with greater economy of operation. The distribution of the factories has de- pended to a considerable extent upon the supply of natural gas, the discovery of new fields being marked by an influx of glass factories from other localities having less favorable advantages in respect to fuel"
 The separate reports show a cap ital of $61,423,9 1903, invested in the 355 establishments reporting for the industry. This sum represents the value of land, buildings, machinery, tools and implements and the live capital utilized, but does not in clude the capital stock of any of the corporations. The value of the prod ucts is reported at $56,539,712, to produce which involves an outlay of $2,792,316 for salaries of officials, clerks, etc; $21, ,0S4,710 for wages; S3,5SS,644 for miscellaneous eX- penses, including rent, taxes, etc.; and $16,131, ,009 for materials used, mill supplies, freight and fuel.
 The growth from 1890 to 1900 was vigorous, as shown by aE increase of s0.T per cent. in number of active establishments and 49.9 per cent. in capital invested. The increase i'll capital was largely caused by the gen. eral introduction during the decade of the tank melting furnace, which necessitates much more costly and permanent factory construction and equipment than the pot furnace, which it is fast supplanting.
 The total production of plate glass, rough and polished, in 1890, was 12,206,942 square feet, and in 1900, 17512,262 square feet, an in- crease of t43.5 per cent. There were 2,733,824 square feet of cathedral glass manufactured in 1890, and s. 846,361 square feet in 1900, or an in crease of 21S.9 per cent.
 In addition to the 355 active es- tablishments reported in 1900, 60 establishments, with capital of $3,- 544, ,536, were reported as idle dur ing the census year. These estab- lishments were located as follows, by states Illinois, 6; Indiana, 7; Kentucky, 8; New Jersey, 8; New York, 4; Ohio, 8; Penn sylvania, 19; Washington, 1; West Virginia, 5. Only those idle establishments that seemed reason ably certain of being again put in op- eration in the near future are in- cluded. No account was taken of the many dismantled and abandoned glass factories in the country.
 Great progress has been made in recent years in the manufacture of expensive 'art glass" of the highest order. One of the exhibits which attracted considerable attention from glass men of all countries at the Paris exposition was a new art glass, manufactured by a firm in New York city. High-grade lamps, unsurpassed by any manufactured, have been produced in this country.