Evening star., 1934-03-26
TELESCOPE EYE"
COOLS|N|TS MOLD
Thousands Watch Pouring
of 20 Tons of Molten Glass.
Workman Hurt.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CORNING, N. Y, March ga
huge telescope eye" the largest ever
made and expected to reveal vast, un-
explored depths of the universe, cooled
slowly today in its honeycomb mold
in preparation for the final stages of
q costly astronomical experiment.
Twenty tons of molten blue white
glass we're poured yesterday into the
brick mold at the Corning Glass
Works. When finally fashioned by
annealing and grinding into a titanic
disk, 200 inches in diameter and
26 inches deep, it will be fitted into
a telescope in California.
The disk will be twice as large as
any other. The mirror, when flushed
four years hence, will reach depths of
the void more than l 1000 900, 900 light
years distant. The most powerful as
Economical eye now in use, at Mount
Wilson, Calf, throws back images
only 3000O0,0OO light years distant.
Cores" Disintegrate.
Although officials said they fully
expected the eye poured yesterday
will be a success, they disclosed that
several hemispherical cores" attached
to the bottom of the mold distinte-
grated under the terrific heat.
They indicated this probably would
be of little moment, but said that
a precaution planned some time ago
will be followed. A new mold will be
prepared. If, on examination two
or three months hence, imperfections
are discovered in the glass, a new
disk can then be poured forthwith,
with little time lost. Every one en-
phasized that making an eye of such
size is a brand-new experience and
that only time can tell the exact out
come.
The cores are intended to make
crevices on the bottom of the disk
to assist in holding it in place in the
telescope and also to reduce the
weight. If the mishap does not pro-
duce imperfections. the glass works
will make the required crevices by
drilling after the mirror is annealed.
Workman Injured.
One workman was injured slightly
yesterday when he slipped and struck
his head on huge ladle
Within the next "a hours the mirror
will be transferred from its igloo-like
house to the annealing tank. There
1t will cool gradually during the next
10 months 1t then will be shipped
to the Carnegie Institute of Tech
nology in California to be ground to
produce concave rejecting surface.
Finally there will be the task of af-
fixing a mirror surface. These last
stages will require three years. Com
pleted, the telescope will represent an
investment of s6.OOOOOO furnished by
the International Education Board
The job of making the mirror cost
approximately Sl,000,000. A large
share of the grant was spent trying
to make all expansion-proof glass of
quartz. That failed. The Corning
Co. after tedious research and ex-
perinentation, turned out a special
glass with expansion of less than one
fourth that of window glass.
10000 Witnesses.
The pouring of the glass, an all-day
task, was witnessed by almost 10000
persons, many of whom motored here
from distant points. Included were
almost 100 scientists and engineers
of renown.
Three tiers of galleries restrained
the crowd from approaching the
roaring furnace and mold. The spec
tators were admitted in groups of 100
and were permitted to see the trans
fer of one ladle of glass from furnace
to mold. The molten mass was moved
in huge ladies which we're suspended
from overhead tracks and were pro-
PEELED by workmen pushing on 20-foot
handles attached to the ladies.
One hundred ladlefuls were dipped
out of the tank furnace and poured
into the mold. Each ladle carried $50
pounds of composition, but only 400
pounds fell in the mold. The liquid
cooled so quickly in its short 40-foot
journey that $50 pounds of each load
adhered to the dipper.
The occasion marked a holiday for
Corning. Long queues of ticket hold
ers stretched away from the gates to
the plant while groups, not possessing
tickets. gathered along the fences, un-
able to obtain even a peak at the
performance