Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-27

forced, so to speak, before they can be
used as supports for heavy weights.
Glass as Building Material.
Builders are beginning to appreciate the
possibilities of glass in house construction.
1t Is now admitted that it is possible for a
man to construct home for himself and
use nothing but this class of material If he
so wishes. And while there is no doubt that
the cost would be considerable. there is a
possibility that it would be a unique struc-
ture one to appeal to the artistic, and TO
say the least, original
There are already on the market glass
bricks, and from all accounts they have
many advantages over those articles of clay
construction. They are much stronger and
are considerably lighter Besides, they are
non-conductors of both sound and heat, and
while shutting out to a considerable degree
noises from the street they have the add
tional advantage of keeping out the cold in
the winter season.
These glass bricks are Opaque. but it is
not necessary for the dweller to dress in
the dark" While the bricks are being made
they are Theoretically sealed while redhot,
and it is impossible for them to be other
than clean on the inside. And in order that
they may present a neat appearance and
add beauty to the house of which they are
constructed special sheets of glass are made
to take the place of cement. of such ma
ture as to be almost colorless and of great
strength.
Foundations and Walls.
The first glass bricks made few years
ago were solid and, of course, were a rank
failure 1t was by making them hollow
that the solution of the problem came, and
the advantage of such articles commercially
was demonstrated in various greenhouses
into the construction of which they entered.
Not only the house itself. but the founda-
ton as well may be constructed of glass.
and with safety, too. Glass at best is moth
ing more than artificial stone. The popular
idea that 1t Is too brittle to be used for this
purpose does not hold good, for in solid
Jumps it is much less easily broken than the
hardest rocks. In this form 1t Is called
"stone-glass" and has three times the re-
sistance of granite to crushing strains.
Some of 1t has actually been utilized in lay
ing the piers and cellar walls of house.
The perfect cleanliness afforded by the use
of glass is further demonstrated by it's being
employed in fitting up the plumbing and
other inside works of the house. Water
pipes, gas pipes. fues for heating and con-
Quits for electric wires have all been made
out of the material and have given COM
plete satisfaction. Their smooth surface
resists dirt with surprising energy, and
when washed with a liberal supply of hot
water they.are practically sterliZed.
Red glass tile takes the place of slate
sheets as a covering for the roof of the
house. They are fully as beautiful the
slate tiles they have supplanted. and are be-
sides much lighter in weight. With them in
USE one iiStu IttT no longer 10 steep III Il
top-story bed room after a particularly hot
day in summer. No matter how fercely the
suns rays may have beaten down upon the
roof. little of the heat can penetrate the
building by that means owing to the nature
of the glass which is a poor conductor of
heat. This of itself Is sufficient reason to
claim its superiority over the old style of
tiles.
Where chimneys are found necessary they
are also being made of glass nodded into
the form of bricks. These may be had in
any color and do much toward enhancing
the beauty of a dwelling. Chimneys of
glass have also been constructed for manu-
featuring plants, some of them being erect
ed at a height of 100 feet and more The
bricks are followed out and put through a
special toughening process before they are
ready for use.
In their solid form glass bricks have been
used as paving stones in streets in many
parts of the country. This is not an espe-
efally new use fer the glass, but 1t is inter-
esting to recall, as 1t was this which first
called attention to the value of glass as a
building material