Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/556

 446 The Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal. [Jan., " or drawn. The materials which are em- " plo3 T ed in its manufacture are inexpen- " sive, and are as easily worked, as those " from which ordinary glass is made. Its " durability, and resistance to heat, cold, "acids, and other destructive agencies, " have been thoroughly tested, and with "the most satisfactory results." Early in December, we paid a visit to the extensive works of The American Hot-Cast Porcelain Company, at the corner of York and Gaul streets, Rich- mond, Philadelphia; and safely passed the portentous " No Admittance except on Business," by means of a letter of introduction, from a genial friend, to the superintendent, Waldron J. Cheyney, Esq. He himself was not in at the time ; but his gentlemanly assistants made us welcome ; and extended every facility in furtherance of our object. Taking a rapid survey of the office, general prem- ises and packing-rooms, we proceeded, almost at once, to the grand apartment of the furnaces, where a busy crew of skilful men and agile boys were manipu- lating the fiery and plastic material. Perhaps we cannot do better, than de- scribe a few of the processes, although in these — following the methods of man- aging glass for the same general pur- poses — there is nothing specially new. Planned in accordance with the mod- ern best models of arrangement, for buildings of this nature, the place is large and lofty, exceedingly light of construction, and unimpeded by verti- cal supports, the only interruptions to the general view being the tall conical furnace-stacks. Passing through along corridor, from the room containing the finishing side of the annealing furnace, W3 came first to a gang of men and boys making Pitchers. The particular style occupjang them, at the moment, was Molasses Pitch- ers ; but the process is much the same for all kinds. A furnace boy brings the blower his long blow-pipe, with a bit of red-hot glass, as it is technical!}' called, upon its lower end, of about the size of a small orange, obtained by dipping the tube into the incandescent molten mate- rial, at the bottom of the furnace, and giving it a slight twist, as it is raised. The blower takes the pipe, blows in it, to in- crease the size of the plastic knob ; re- volves and sways the pipe slowly back- ward and forward, the glass bladder, or bubble, as it may be termed, gradually elongating and enlarging ; and, at a given signal, has an attendant open for him a hinged iron mould, in which he rests the fast-cooling opalescent mass. The mould — containing the proper de- pressions for making figures in relief upon the side of the pitcher — is instantly closed ; and, without revolving his pipe, with one steady puff, he forces the glass into all the recesses of the mould. The mould is immediately opened ; and the pipe and pitcher together carried by a boy to the finisher, who rests the pipe upon a slight rail or ledge before him, the pitcher, bottom outwards, being turned away from him. Meanwhile an- other boy has brought a small mass of melted glass upon the end of an iron rod, and has swayed it, until it drops into a long pendant, at the same time rolling it upon a small level iron table, before him ; and, as he hands it to the finisher, twirls his rod, until, from the centrifugal mo- tion, the glass resembles the trunk of an elephant. Upon the handle side of the pitcher were moulded two little knosps or projections, corresponding to the insertions of the top and bottom of the handle. At a motion from the fin- isher, the youth drops the hot and plastic end of the trunk of glass upon the hot upper projection of the pitcher, where the finisher immediately fastens it, by a momentary pressure of a large pair of plyers held in his right hand. The youth withdraws his rod, to obtain the length of the proposed handle. This draw- ing causes the rod-end hand of the glass to become the slenderer part ; and, the proper length being obtained, the fin-