Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1904-04-20
A DREAM
OF WEALTH.
How a Plate Glass Factory
was Operated at Crystal,
City, Mo-, by Spirits.

South OF St. Louis, lie the Counties
| OF Jefferson. Washington, St. Fran
co.'s. and Ste Gencv'cve; the names OF
! the towns therein are 4 Strange ming
ling OF English. French. German and
Dutch. as Victoria. E"nnc Ierrc, Bis
! mark, and Tenbroeck 'Fhc extreme
southern limit of ,h;, section is no
! more than sixty miles from St. Louis.
1hc~coun,ry rises from the Great
Father ui Waters. IL the west in gentle
un,lulations OF field. vcrd.nt pastoral
reaches and wooded valleys and hills
and holds III it bosom riches OF iron
and lead. Its pr'.ducts find the mar
kctS over the Iron Mountain and
Frisco Railway systems. Its future
development from the present outlook
is >urc t" be rapid and extensive and
must add largely 10 the wealth "i the
STATE.
Leaving &. Louis over the Iron
Mountain Railroad. one passes the
Southwest limits al the city and it
growing suburbs by Historic Jefferson
Barracks: thence along the Mississippi
River to IIerculaneum. Crystal City.
Bonnie Terrc and Mine LaMottc and
on until you look upon the sparkling
waters OF the Gull OF Mexico. Few
stop To recall in this active present,
that this region was the Edorado that
gave birth to one OF the most eXtcna-
i've swlndles OF the world and sorely
punished man Tor his creduiity and his
greed and almost at the time bank
rupted nation.
1t was the lead mines at Mine La
Motto (thc oldest in .Amcrica) that
was to furnish golden abundance %
John Law i'll the scheme known as the
Mississippi Bubble during the reign
OF Lewis XIV, under the regency OF
the Duke of Orleans i'll France. in the
year E7I5. This is 4 historic episode
aud not tradition only.
1t remained Tor generations alter to
extract wealth from lead. not gold, in
this fertile section oi Missouri.
Not less interesting are the facts
surrounding the establishment OF the
great plate glass factory at Crystal
City. about 80 miles south az St.
Louis, near the intersection al the Mis-
sissippi aad Bonne Te17e Railroad OF
a beautiful table land lying between the
Mississippi River on the east and the
FlattnO Greek on the south, a most
beautiful picturesque and healthtul
region.
Some IS years ago. an enterprIing
citizen oi another state, whose beautl-
ful daughter became the Princess
Cnimay and afterward the vile OF
Glpsey Count Rgo. found here de-
post Of sand eminently suited to glass
making and built the first factory Ait
erward were brought from England
manager and workmen. 1t was told
OF the founder OF the works. that his
religion was of the primitive kind, that
found the spirits OF the departed i'll the
whispering leaves OF the trees; and
when the glass went wrong, with in
cantaticn to his favorite tree. he beg
ged the help OF the spirits. Whether
II affected the quality OF the glass no
one now will say.
He has gone the way that many
millions have gone and the Plttsburg
Plate Glass Company is its owner and
has made the factory one OF the best
in the country. not by appeals to spir
its in the Whispering trees. but appeals
to science ior its manifold successes;
giving employment to many hundreds
ot sturdy and intelligent workmen.
Since its existence, the hamlet sur
rounding the factory has been a closed
town to the public. The town OF
Ford City, Pennsylvania was some
wear, AGO. Ike hermit town. The
Company made the experiment, oi op-
cning it t" the public and it proved to
them the wisdom OF the move Many
oi their contcntcd employees now own
their own homes by the liberal assist
anoe al the Company and the public
has erected here beautiful modern
town.
4 like plan has been adopted for
Crystal City and it vii! be opened to