TRANSACTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SECTION. 247 



METHODS OF GLASS MANUFACTURING. 



The credit of the discovery of glass has been given to 

 some Phoenician merchants, who were preparing a meal 

 on a sandy beach, supporting their cooking utensils on 

 blocks of soda, which were part of their cargo. The 

 heat melting the soda, it united with the sand and it is 

 said a glassy mass was discovered. 



This seems very improbable, as the amount of heat that 

 was available was far less than that necessary to effect 

 the union between sand and soda under far more favor- 

 able circumstances. 



Glassy masses are produced in many of the metallur- 

 gical operations, silica being present with certain bases 

 to play the part of the alkali. It is more than probable 

 that glass was first discovered in this manner. 



The earliest authentic date that can be given to the 

 manufacturing of glass is in the neighborhood of B900 

 B. C. In the metropolis of Sakara, in ancient Memphis, 

 a mortuary chapel has been discovered, sculptured with 

 designs representing glass blowers at work. The 

 Egyptians made great progress in this art, producing 

 the most remarkable varieties of ornamental vases, etc. 



The seat of the glass industry was transferred to 

 Rome at the time of the Roman Conquests, and pros- 

 pered under the reigns of Csesar Augustus and Nero. 

 From Rome it spread to France, Spain, Germany, 

 Bohemia, and somewhat later to England. Each coun- 

 try soon began to excel in certain specialties, owing 

 largely to the different tastes of its inhabitants, and also 

 to the fact that much purer materials were available in 

 some countries than in others. For many years Venice 

 held the highest place as a glass manufacturing center, but 

 Bohemia soon became her greatest rival in the art, as 

 the Bohemian glass was much whiter and clearer, which 

 was due to the fact that the Bohemians used a sand, 



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