Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-04-26
GLASS | FOR WINDOWS
Art Of the Man Who Manipu|ates
the Blowpipe.

the BloWpipe.
SHAPING THE MOLTEN MASS.
ssi2sy5; s:1~ a -; ttiy j.
The JugsIer Before the Fiery Furnace
Must Have Skill and Strength and
0exterity-The FIattenins and Clean
Ing Process.
In different towns in the gas belt of
Kansas there are great factories where
window glass is made. 1t Is an inter-
esting process.
Entering the factory, we see great
bins Of sand;r carbon and lime mixed
together In al fine powder ready to be
dumped by a swinging crane, $50
pounds at time, into the crucible or
tank Of melting glass near BY At
hand also are heaps of broken glass
the trimmings and debris Of the fac
tory. These are also melted up and
used again.
The furnace fire, fed by gas, CLOVIS to
u Drltl6nC Wnlte!
=, The crucibles OF baked clay are bath
ed In this heat Of $500 degrees. Into
these crucibles placid Belgian loads
from time to time the mixture Of sand,
carbon and lime until, when melted, it
makes 600 tons Of molten glass. 1t is
this molten glass at the other end Of
the furnace that the blowers take out
on their hlowpipes to use. The Bel
CLAN wears smoked glasses to protect
his eyes from the fiery light.
Passing to the other end Of the fac
tory where the blowers are, you feel as
If approaching great stage prepared
for some highly spectacular scene.
The dozen terrible furnaces throw Il
brilliant light across the floor, but cast
strange bobbing and crouehing shad-
ows up among the dark rafters. There
Is no talk. Breath Is precious where it
is used to make window glass. Scan
tily dressed men hurry here and there,
carrying great wads Of soft glass so
white as to throw out slight violet
glow. =;
Each man is clear cut, rosy siihou-
cite against a dark background If you
see the furnace side Of him or sharp.
black silhouette against light back
ground If he stands between you and
the furnace III a
Possibly the most picturesque part Of
1T all ;is the place where the blower
takes the lump-of glass with it's cavity
possibly eighteen inches longand skill
fully increases that cavity &by:further
Initiating it with his breath until it is
fully rs large as himself.
He stands before the open door Of a
furnace. A. swinging screen; is be-
tween him and the dre.ax The screen ia
notched, on which ne may rest his
blowpipe with its long glass weight at
the end. - ~. %.s, Il; saf@e-s~
Resting the cylinder so, he may push
it into the fiery furnace II it has grown
slightly hard or:by g movement draw
It out again. ~.> - ! :,- ::$s
The melted glass is taken by a man
caIled q "gatherer'. on the END saf III
sblowpipe -thatEais, ID hollow nosEbar-
like Instrument t; mass 6s{aoft
glass to be worked. weighs perhaps
fifty or sixty pounds. :, THE, sbiowersi aa
Ejectsl air$by blowing q ll1lrln,igh his pipe
into tile MIDI lie off st
ID hui loon,i except ttlha & ilollew
lis anucll sIonge r: and loskssa
like: q monstris :botttll 5daisF long
dangling by itssr neck from The mud sofs
s,s sS:25: s ::s 4 i RI
nslnallip nlating the glass the blower
must keep the huge hnftle sus ended
and fmoVing almost
this long opening % he basement
ismade iii The ao0r ore sl1 IIHeEe
Swings 1ltiS his reat
|stx foot zblowpipe will six feet nureOf
glass ait the END. u Now and then The
gay vi up ward and resting At
Eon:ths screah, swings It lightIy ito the
HreIbluws a little. perhaps and before
you know 1t has At hack down sinsthe
opening in s5tles floor, Swing II III
fully back i'll forth, tWirlin light
nv aB thou u mo igh,
pipe and hing Ike aesasassy
pounds ~ :i: Ills ~
Just before the glass becomes too
hard To- IN mage the blower one af
Hose simple II IA he Al paid
good wages u or lsna how 10 do.
manages to cause sheIes to appaaE Ia
the bottom of the bottle, and it widens
and widens for minute until there%i Is
no bottom to the bottle. "A helper then
takes; the blowpipe with; the now. hard
bottomless bottle and carefully breaks
or the one from the other. %s
Along comes the 4 snapper" who
winds a little string Of soft redhot
glass around our big bottle at Just the
point where the sides begin to narrow
toward the neck. a little rap on the
glass. and the neck drops off, cleaving
"a; way In q perfect line Just where the
redhot glass touched. We now have
left q great perfect cylinder Of glass
Ave feet long and fourteen or eighteen
Inches In; diameter and eighing about
sixty pounds, blowpipeH and all. 3ssss !
AS it, Hes on the table another man
reaches into 1T witha redhot Iron look.
Ing like Ia poker. He traces 18th this