The Lambertville record., 1902-07-09
GLASS FOR WINDOWS
THE METHOD AND THE MATERIALS
OF ITS MANUFACTURE.

Of lis MANUFACTURE.
Enough Arsenic In the windows of
an Ordinary House to XIII n Reui-
meat of Men-Process of the Tank
Mouse and the Pothouse.
People who have glass windows In
their homes do not know that the glass
contains enough arsenic to make 1t a
deadly poison. Glassmakers say that
the windows of an ordinary home con-
tain enough of this poison to kill reg
iment of men. The popular supposltion
that glass is made of sand Is correct
one, but quantity of other articles en-
ters into its composition.
Window glass factories are divided
into two departments, tankhouse and
Il pothouse. The process of glassmak-
Ing In one of these departments is prac-
tically the same as In 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 In pots
After the fires are lighted and 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
tankhouse for the reason that the heat
Is so Intense that the drug Is yolatilized
and escapes into the air without enter
ing the mixture. AS one mixture melts
and flows to one end of tank fresh
supplies are shoveled In at the other
end.
The molten mass seethes and
"works" In u manner similar to that of
a mash in dlstillery. From the salt
cake comes n salt water that has to be
separated from the mass, and the easi-
est way to remove 1t is to burn 1t 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 It Is ready for the gath
erer.
A gatherer thrusts long steel blow
pipe into one of the rings at tho lower
end of the tank He twists and turns
1t until a small ball of glass gathers on
the end. This ball Is partially cooled,
polished by being turned In box of
sawdust and then passed on TO the
blower, who heats 1t again until 1t be-
comes like taffy. The blower swings
the ball over a pit that Is twelve feet
deep and rapidly blows 1t into an elon-
gated pear shape. When blower Is
through, the melted glass becomes q
perfect cylinder about feet long and
feet across 1t then passes to "snap-
per-" 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 a rod
and dexterously runs narrow ribbon
of the stuff around the ends of the
roller, both at the blowpipo end and
the closed end. The little ribbons of
melted glass cool In n few seconds,
when they are removed. leaving mar
| row zone of almost redhot glass
around the rollers at each end. Then,
taking tool that resembles a soldering
iron, the snapper rubs 1t for O moment
on his forehead, and when the point of
1t is mostened 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 blowplpe is removed, and
the closed cylinder has become n roller
and Is then ready to go to the fiat
tener.
The nattener works In another part
of the building, where are located the
fiattening ovens. These ovens are heat
ed to n temperature sufficient to soften
the glass 50 that 1t may be rolled out
into sheets. A series of fireclay tables
placed In circle like the spokes of
wheel reyolve In the ovens, and ON
these tables the rollers are fiattened
They are placed inside, allowed to be.
come hot, and then 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 fiattener has number Of billets
Of green wood attached to long iron
handles, and with these billets, which
are shaped IN such manner as to do
the work expected of them, he "irons"
the softened sheet of glass until 1t Is
perfectly fiat and smooth. The tables
inside the oven revolye, the hattened
sheet is carried away, and another roll
er Is brought into position before the
fattener. As the flattened sheets cool
they are lifted to Il place on long
travelling rack, OH 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
fiattening ovens, they are covered with
Il greasy. dirty looking coat of chem
ieals-soda, potash, sllicates of the diff
ferent salts, etc.-which must be re-
moved, and for this purpose the rough
sheets are placed In an acid bath COM
posed of hydrochloric and sulphuric
acids more or less diluted. After their
immersion In this bath tho sheets are
taken to the cutting room, where work
men cut them into sizes and make
them ready for the packers. Hardly
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-
dianapolls News.
Moved His Admiration.
UNDERGRADUATE Ito chum)-That Miss