INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



Pressed glass, which, like cut glass, is a highly de- 

 veloped American product, is made by pressing the 

 molten glass in molds. It is a form of casting, and can 

 be done so cheaply that it has become very popular. 

 The shapes and patterns can be made closely to imi- 

 tate cut glass lacking something, however, of the 

 sharpness of angles of the genuine article. 



A recent innovation in glass-making is the now famil- 

 iar " wire-glass" used for skylights, roofs, and en- 

 trances where translucency and strength are desired 

 rather than transparency. It can also be made prac- 

 tically transparent and as such is now much employed 

 in the windows of office buildings, warehouses and fac- 

 tories. In such glass a strong wire netting is incor- 

 porated in the glass. This wire prevents the falling 

 of huge fragments of glass when the pane is fractured, 

 as is frequently the case with plate glass. It acts ad- 

 mirably also as a fire-screen, the wire holding the glass 

 in position even when heated sufficiently to become 

 plastic. This glass was patented by Frank Schuman, 

 an American, in 1892; and since that time it has grown 

 steadily in popularity. 



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