The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1904-03-04
The world Entering Glass Age

The world Entering a Glass Age
Is the wooden house, so long the home
of the millions, TO disappear before
buildings whose material is at once in
expensive. durable, cleanly and beauti-
full? 1t would seem 50 if those in a po-
sition to speak authoritatively in regard
to the new candidates for popular favor
in building materials are TO be relied
upon.
Mr.. Edison's new cement, which the
discoverer confidently believes will ere
long become one of the chief building
materials of the twentieth century; and
now comes the famous glass manufac-
urer and expert, NJ. Henrivaux, the
builder of the Palace of Light at the
Paris Exposition, with the claim that
glass will soon be most popular sub
stance for the making OF homes. In the
composition known as stone glass, NJ.
Henrivaux believes the world has
substance desGaed largely to supersede
brick, granite and other substances that
form the chief material in the making
of durable houses. Stone glass has
stood the severe tests demanded Of
building material. 1t requires three
times the power to crush it that is nee
essary to reduce granite. 1t is far less
sensitive to heat and cold than is steel.
II will withstand the shock of blows more
than twenty times as great is those re-
quired TO crush marble; and the wear
due to friction is much less than that
sustained by porphyry.
Stone glass is chiefly made from Stag
which for generations has disfgured
mining and iron manufacturing dis
tricts, while almost anything amenable
to the influence of fire can be converted
into this glass. The claim of NJ. Hen
rivaux. therefore, that the cost OF this
material will not be excessive, appears
reasonable. Already this substance
is being used as paving in Paris, and it
is said to be highly satisfactory, the
only objection being the increase in the
noise of traffic; but this could be easily
overcome by the employment of rubber
tires and the shoeing of horses with
rubber, as is alredy being done to a
limited degree. The glass paved streets
neither make nor retain dirt, and are
thus easily kept clean.
As building material the superior
points of advantage possessed by glass
are durability, cleanliness, beauty, the
ease with which it may be Accommodated
to various shapes and forms, and its
potential cheapness, due to the mex
haustible supply OF waste material from
which it is made.
According to NJ HenrivauX, the
foundations, outer walls, stairs and fire
place of the glass house will be com
posed of stone glass. The ceilings, bal
ustrades, paneling, mantelpieces and
and walls can also be made of glass, in
which rich and highly ornamental eff
fects can be obtained. These houses
will surpass other buildings in indie
structibility, and they will be by far the
most cleanly, and in this respect will of
course offer special advantages from a
sanitary point of view.
Such are some OF the facts and claims
advanced by the great French glass
maker and other old world authorities
in regard to what they believe to be the
building material of the future. All
their expectations may not, and doubt
less will not, be realized' yet it is
highly probable thatduring the next tif-
ty years glass will be an important fac
tor in hou.e building throughout the
most progressive nations OF the world
The Arena.