The Tucson citizen., 1902-08-07


house and the POthOuse.
People who have glass windows in
their homes DO not know that the glass
contains enough arsenic 10 make II O
deadly poison. Glassmakers say that
the windows Of IN ordinary home con.
tain enough of this poison TO kill a reg,
iment OF men. The popular supposition
that glass Is made Of sand IL Il correct
one, but a quantity of other articles en-
ters into It's composition.
Window glass factories are divided
into L o departments Il tankhouse and
pothouse The ,@ cess Of gIassmak.
ing IN one Of these departments ~ prac.
ticaily the same as IN the other. In the
tankhouse the glass is all melted in In.
mcnse tanks which VIII hold thou
sands OF tons. III the pothouse ths
glass is made in pots.
After the fires are lighted and a tank
is heated the glass mixture is shoveled
IN. II includes glass left over from the
former season, glass refuse, sand and
salt cake Arsenic Is not used In the
tuDhIIOlAS ltI llit IGHHOu lIluI inc utN&
is SO intense that the drug is volatlized
and escapes into the air without enter
ing the mixture As one mixture melts
and flows to one end of tank fresh
supplies are shoyeled In at the other
end.
The molten mass seethcs and
works" in manner similar TO that Of
mash In distllery. From the salt
cake comes salt water that has to lie
separated from the mass. and the easi
est way to remove II is to burn il out.
This IL done by throwing stove wood
into the tank on top Of the molten
glass. The water is converted INTO
steam. which IL destroyed by the In
tense heat from the glass. The melted
glass Is then skinned by an automatic
skinner. and IL is ready for the gath
erer.
A eatherer thrusts long steel blow
pipe into one Of tile rings ut the lower
end Of the tank. He twists and turns
IL until small hall OF glass gathers or
the end This ball is partially cooled.
polished by being turned III Il box Of
sawdust aud then passed on to the
bloHcr. who heats IL again until IL bc-
comes like tafTy, The blower swings
the bah over pit that is twelve feeT
deep and rapidly blows IL into an eiou-
gated pear shape When blower is
through. the melted glass becomes
perfect cylinder about . feet long aud
feet across. II then passes 10 snap
per" W ho takes Ii To a rack and breaks
the roller loose from the hlowpipe.
The snapper gathers small lump
of melted glass on the cnd 81 rod
and dcxttrousjy runs narrow ribbon
of the stuff around the ends of the
roller. both at the btowpipe eDd and
the closed end. The little ribbons of
melted glass cool ID fev seconds.
when they nre removed leaving mar
row zone OF almost Tt<lhot glass
around the rollers at each end Then,
taking tool that resembles ii soldering
iron. tiie snapper rubs IL for ii moment
on his forehead. and W when the Point Of
IL is tnoistentd With perspiratiou be
runs the Iron around tie rollers at the
heated sitot The glass cracks aud
separates as clearly as II cut with q
diamond. the Liowpips is removed. aud
the closed cy hinder bas become q roller
and is then ready fo 40 Ia tie fai-
teneT.
The flatteucr works iu another part
Of the building. whore are located the
EattenlnE ovens. These ovens are heat
.d 10 tclaf,s ri TIRE sufficient to soften
the glass Sc that II may be rolled out
into sheets. A series OF tirtciay tables
placed in circle like the spokes Of
wheel revoIyc in the ovens, and ou
these tables the rollers are ilatiencd.
They are placed Inside, allowed 10 be.
come hot. and then cold iron is run
along the inside from end 10 ciJ, The
contact ot the iron cuts The glass,
which II then straightened out upon
the table.
The Gattener has a number OF billets
OF green wood attached 10 long iron
handles and with these bilicts, which
are shaped in such manner as 10 90
the work expected of them. be irons
the softcn,d sheet of glass until II is
inside the oven reyoiNe. th" iiattrh'd
sheet il carried away. aud another r"h
or is brought into position i"for" Tue
nattener. As the hatteucd sheets coo1
they are lifted to q place on Iohs
travelling rack. on which they are ny
stages removed frot- the ovens being
allowed 10 cool as they ~. THIS is o"he
in ot,Ier that the glass may not be
shattered by too quick an exposure 10
the mir.
When the sheets are taken from the
nattcnius ovens. they are covered win
n greasy, dirty looking coat OF cht'l'
icals-sodn. potash, silicatcs OF the o'I-
ferrnt salts. etc.-which must be re-
moved. and for this purpose the rouEh
sheets are placed in an ACID Da'h com
posed Of hydrochIoric and su'phnfic
acids more or less diluted. Alter lhc'r
immersion in this bath the sheets are
taken to the cutting room, where WORK
mon ,ut them into sizes ana iil"he
10y