Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-07-17
GLASS FOR WINDOWS
THE METHOD AND THE MATERIALS
OF ITS MANUFACTURE.

OF ITS MANUFACTURE.
Enough Arsenic In the Windows of
an ordinary House to XIII n ReSi-
ment of Men-Process of the Tank
house and the Pothouse.
People who have glass windows in
their homes do not know that the glass
contains enough arsenic to make it
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 supposition
that glass is made of sand is a correct
one, but quantity of other articles en-
tiers into its composition.
Window glass factories are divided
into two departments, a tankhouse and
a 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
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 volatilized
| and escapes into the air without enter
ing the mixture. AS one mixture melts
and flows to one end of a tank fresh
supplies are shoveled in at the other
end.
The molten mass seethes and
works" in a manner similar to that of
mash in distillery From the salt
cake comes salt water that has to be
separated from the mass, and the east
est way to remove it 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 it is ready for the gath
| erer.
| A gatherer thrusts long steel blow
pipe into one Of the rings at the lower
end of the tank. He twists and turns
it until 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 it again until it 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 a blower is
| through, the melted glass becomes a
| perfect cylinder about feet long and
feet across. 1t then passes to SNAP
per" who takes it to a 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 stuff around the ends of the
roller, both at the blowpipe end and
the closed end. The little ribbons of
melted glass cool in few seconds,
row zone of almost redhot glass
around the rollers at each end. Then,
tnking tool that resembles soldering
| iron, the snapper rubs it for moment
on his forehead, and when the point of
it Is moistened with perspiration he
runs the iron around the rollers at the
| heated spot The glass cracks and
separates as Clearly as if cut with
diamond, the blowpipe is removed, and
the closed cylinder has become roller
and is then ready to go to the fiat
| tener.
The fattener works in another part
| of the building, where are located the
| fattening ovens. These ovens are heat
ed to temperature sufficient to soften
the glass so that it may be rolled out
Into sheets. A series of fireclay tables
placed In circle like the spokes of
wheel revolve in the ovens. and on
these tables the rollers are fattened