Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-30
A USEFUL WIZARD.
The Giassmaker Has a PICTURESQUE
and Well Paid Trade.

| anu VsII rad Trade.
The threatened arrival of three him.
dred skilled glassmakers from BEL
gum 10 take the places of American
workmeh VINO refused to accept a re-
ductlon OF wages offered by the Ameri-
can "lhoo" Glass Company, of Pitts
| Durs. mas made stir in the labor
world. The glassworker is the wizard
of useful arts. Before his stand at the
| county FAIR the caution to look out for
| pickpocketS, often reiterated on the
way TO the annual gathering, is swal-
| lowed up in the wonderment aroused
| by the astonishing marvelS wrought
| by his deft hand and a blowpipe Here
Il touch and there a pat and then sud
denly the tiny champagne glass seems
to fill with film of rosy wine. WHO
will have this? Only five cents"
cries d glassblower, holding the little
stemmed bowl upside down to show
that. like the pitcher of old, Hospital
BILE Philemon and Baucis it can never
| be emptied. A nickel is thrust up by
! some one in exchange for the little
souvenir of the wizards art, and it is
next seen standing on parlor man
| tel many miles away from the fair
| grounds. serving as memento of the
| fair and a sample of the wonder be-
held that day
In his workshop the glasswOrker and
his crystal liquid become more fas-
| cinating. The roomy building is full
of the mystery of an ancient alchem-
lists laboratory. The glow from the
mouths of many furnaces daZZles the
I 7 H.
| wandS tipped with white hot masses
| swing them deftly about or. putting
them TO their lips. conjure the gleam
| ing tips until they do their bidding, eX-
panding into great cylinders or disks.
or growing into delicate globes.
| Here is man standing before the
| fiery mouth of furnace. He has in
his hand a long rod. and his face is
| shielded from the smuggling heat and
| the glare by a shield which he holds
| in place by a plug grasped between
his teeth. He dexterously twists his
blowpipe in the white, hot. gummy
glass until it has collected on its end
an oVoid mass weighing from twenty
to forty pounds. Revolving the ball
in the glowing pot for moment until
it becomes symmetrical. he lifts it
forth and plunges it into a pear shaped
mould. Then the blower, the master
workman of the place. takes the mass
and begins to play with it. He blows
big bubble of air into the glass, and
then another and another, until the
solid sphere is swelled into great de-
canter Now swinging the white hot
bulb like a giant pendulum in the
i,,r nit h
feet. now blowing through the tube,
now thrusting it again into the fur
mace, at last the mass becomes thin
shelled cylinder as long as the man
himself. After being cut and rolled
as one would cut and roll sheet iron
cylinder into a fiat piece of metal and
annealing, this piece of glass Will be
cut into window panes.
In another workshop workman is
rolling and smoothing coil of the
sparkling fluid at the end of his blow
pipe on polished slab. Then he blows
through his magic wand. and sphere
begins to blossom from the tip. 1t
grows and grows until it is the size of
the bowl of champagne glass.
Another workman attaches a little
knob of soft glass. draws it out, and
on the end presses a bell shaped disk.
and 10. the blossom has produced
wineglass as fruit.
In the glare of big window sits
young man with complacent counte-
nance. Before him a wheel of copper
is revolving rapidly. In his hands he
holds lightly thin glass tumbler. Dell
cately he touches the tumbler to the
edge of the wheel. and graceful lines
of soft gray flow from the point OF
contact over the shining surface.
row of keen edged grindstones are
turning swiftly in another room. Be
fore each stands a workman with his
shirtsleeves rolled to his armpits.
long apron protects his clothing. In
his hands he holds a heavy piece OF
glassware Lightly, but firmly, so
that the veins stand out on the backs
of his hands, he presses 1t upon the
edge of the stone. With Sureness OF
pressure he deity carves the glass
facet upon facet, jewel upon jewel
until the whole piece has become
massive setting of cleaning diamonds
which some day will simmer on the
table of a fine house.
And to his art the glassworker adds
something of the alchemist's art. Mix
ing a little gold with the glass, he
turns it into the richest Of rubles, Vio-
lets and an amber that is solldihed
sunshine. He adds little iron. ana
draws from his glowing furnace glass
furnished with all the colors of the
rainbow. All in all. he is one of the
wonder workers of the twentieth CEN
fury.