Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1887 — THE GLASS INDUSTRY. [ARTICLE]

THE GLASS INDUSTRY.

The Wiye in Europe and the United States—lncrease in the Trade. New York Commercial Advertiser. Glassware can be regardeu both as a necessity and a luxury, the latter from the beauty of the material composing the article and the artistic work bestowed jipon it The impression prevails to a considerable extent that expensive glassware, like expensive porcelain, will not break, as readily as ; the cheaper grades, but this is a delusion. There is no real motive for the purchase of the expensive article except the gratification of a taste for luxury. The United States posesses all the natural advantages that are possessed by the European countries for the manufacture of glass, and in the use of natural gas it has one important factor not possessed abroad. The cleanliness of gas and its cheapness, and the ease with which it .a managed, certainly gives to the glass maunfacturers of Pittsburg and that vicinity an advantage not possessed in Europe. On the other hand, Europe has its exceedingly cheap labor, it has the talent of families devoted to the artistic production of glass for generations, and it has its art schools greater in number and superior in teaching to those of the United States. For these reasons Europe is a long way ahead of the United States in ingenuity of designs, shapes, patterns and decoration. Glass from the earliest historic ages has been a favorite medium for the expression of beauty. The fluid character of the original substance permits it to be molded into an infinate variety of forms, and the most delicate shades of coloring may be infused through its crystal clearness so as to adapt it to the luxurious uses of the table. The highest developemet of art is in tin production of ■ cameo glass. Evidences of this art in its perfection are very ancient, and even in the beginning of the Christian era very beautiful and expensive articles of glass were in use. At that time also glass in its common form was a cheap article. At 50 B. C. a cup and saucer of glass could be bought at Rome for money equivalent to our cent. Illustrating the other extreme, it is historically narrated that the Emperor Nero paid a sum equivalent to $50,000 for two cups of moderate dimensions. Window glass did not appear until the third century of the Christian era, and it did not come into general use until the fifteenth century. In 1661 only the principal chambers of the King’s palace in England had window glass. Egypt offers the earliest positive evidences of glass making. Glass bottles containing red wines are said to be represented on the monuments of the fourth dynasty, which existed more than 4,000 ~ years ago, and in the tombs of a very early period the process of glass blowing is represented in an unmistakable manner. In the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, among the chief industrial occupations of the inhabitants of Alexandria is mentioned glass blowing; and during the reign of Aurelian, in the third century, glass formed a part of the Egyptian tribute, showing it was then an article of manufacture in Egypt. The delicate coloring of glass, that adds so much to its beauty, was known in ancient times.. These colors are produced by a mixture of metals; for instance, blue is produced by cobalt, green by copper, and rose or ruby by gold. The great site of the manufacture of glass in the middle ages was Venice, and its articles of manufacture were exported all over the world. The glass trade of Venice has been superseded by that of England and Germany. Silicon, of which there is 90 per cent, in good glass sand, is the principal ingredient in glass. Lead enters into the superior qualities of glass, giving it clearness and brilliancy, and the musical ring of a glass article only comes from bad glass. Crystal glass is bad glass, which is also termed flint glass. Only lead glass can be cut. Lime is now greatly used in the manufacture of glass, pressed glass articles being made of lime glasß. In its manufacture the United States has an advantage over other countries,on account of its greater talent for the use of machinery. Pressed glass articles are now exported from the United States to all parts of the world. The value of our exports of glassware grew from $658,051 in 1877 to $888,504 in 1887, of which the bulk was pressed glass. In 1887 we exported $15,955 worth of window glass. While the Eastern part of this country was formerly the seat of the principal glass industry, <it has moved West of late years, owinglargely to the backwardness of the Eastern manufacturers to take up the making of lime glass. St. Louis is now an important glass manufacturing center, but the greatest amount of business is done in the Ohio Valley, of which Pittsburg and Wheeling are the chief glass totfha. The natural gas of this section has given the glass industry a great impetus. Heavy plate window West, but the glass used in the East is mostly imported from France. Considerable flint glass is imported into this country and cut here; the importers thereby getting an advantage of Tower import duties. The cut glass industry of this country has grown greatly of recent years, but the article is not et exported to the extent that pressed

glass is. The chief exportations of glasß from this country or to the South american Btates, and considerable goes to the British poseßsfons in Australia. This country is undoubtedly able to compete with any or all the countries of Europe in stamped lime glass. Most of the glass in domestic ase is of this kind. The duties on glass range from 45 to 100 per cent, ad valorem, but notwithstanding this the importation is large. For •the fiscal year ending June 50,1887, the value of foreign gift* s * imported was $7-, 319,741, against $3 93i,f0 > nr 1833.