The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-08-08
GLASS BLOWERS ARE
DECLARED FLAT FAILURES
Machines Will Not Compete Success
fully With Human Toilers, Say
Manufacturers.

MARION, Ind, Aug. 6.-The report
that five glass manufacturers had stol-
en- into the Gas City plant of the Amer
lean Window Glass company and wit
messed the blowing machines in
operation has been confirmed by the
men themselves. Two of the men in
the party were John Phillips, Jr., presi-
dent Of the Denny organization, and
James Pickle, a member of the execu-
tive board Of the same organization.
The names of the other men are not
made known, but it is said that they
are manufacturers in the gas belt.
''The American Window Glass Com
pany's machine is not a success at pres
ent,' said one of the manufacturers who
gained entrance to the factory. II was
one Of the five men who watched the
machine at work for more than an hour
on the night of Ju1yss1l.@ We crawled
under the fence through an opening
which the heavy rains had washed out.
eve entered the plant at 11:15 p. m.
We were not challenged by any one of
the workmen inside the factory because
they believed we entered by way Of the
saw Will pCA AA1AooAo11 Va L1c SOoAO'
am not nearly so worried over the story
the American people send out since
witnessed the machine make cylinders.
It is far from perfection and there will
be many window glass fires go in and
out before it will make glass as cheap
as hand blowers.
II have no reason to doubt that the
machine will be perfected in time. It
makes good glass now of smaller sizes,
but it costs much more money than
human blowers ever drew. AS an il
Illustration Of cost the Gas City tank is
81 blower capacity. The best possible
production they are now getting out of
the machine at work is from II to Is
blowers. This will not pay
another item which is very expen-
sive is the waste. The machine is
operated with two small pots, the mott
en- glass being drawn from the tank
by gatherers and deposited into one of
these pots, and then drawn into the
cylinder through a tube or blow pipe.
This part of the machine seems to work
to perfection, but the small pots are the
stumbling block at the present time.
THE pots work on shafting and as
roller is made the last used is turned
down, thus permitting the cullet or
waste glass to be dumped into waste
pit. I would Judge that not less than
200 pounds of glass is gathered from
the tank and placed in the pot for one
roller and not more than so pounds is
used in each. Thus there is a waste,
and practically loss, of $50 pounds Of
glass each time a roller is made
1.-THE pots crunlble and break in such
a. manner that it would take a small
fortune to keep a factory equipped with
them through an ordinary fire. The
finished glass is not of the pure crystal
appearance that we make by hand.
There is a water colored streak through
it that must be eradicated before it will
Sell alongside hand-blown glass.
1.-THE machine itself is crude appear
ing affair, but the electrical appliances
is where the money is tied up. No, the
hand blowers need not fear the ma
chine blowers for some time to come.''
j. H. Lubbers, the inventor Of the
machine, has been at work in the Gas
City factory for the past ten days and
the high officials of the American COM
pany have been here for the past sew
eral weeks.