New Bedford, Massachusetts; its history, industries, institutions and attractions . silicic acid, or silica, combines withpotash, soda, oxide of lead, alumina, lime, and other substances thatmay be added to produce silicates of these bases, which are classedby the manufacturer as fluxes. Waste glass forms a considerableproportion of the raw material, promoting the fusion and the chemi-cal union of the silica and the bases mixed with it. The main stock contains ten pots, and the furnace in which theyrest is twenty-two feet in diameter. The coal is fed through a flumeand five tons of coal are co
New Bedford, Massachusetts; its history, industries, institutions and attractions . silicic acid, or silica, combines withpotash, soda, oxide of lead, alumina, lime, and other substances thatmay be added to produce silicates of these bases, which are classedby the manufacturer as fluxes. Waste glass forms a considerableproportion of the raw material, promoting the fusion and the chemi-cal union of the silica and the bases mixed with it. The main stock contains ten pots, and the furnace in which theyrest is twenty-two feet in diameter. The coal is fed through a flumeand five tons of coal are consumed every twenty-four hours. By anarrangement of the draughts, the heat becomes most intense, theflame being heated to incandescence. These fires are seldom al-lowed to go out, as the pots would crack, rendering the operationexpensive. The present fire at the Mt. Washington works hasburned continuously for four years. Previous to this time it had notbeen out during eight years. The nose holes in the furnace bearthe suggestive name of glory holes. INDUSTRIAL AND FINANCIAL. 213. There is also another furnace for reheating the glass at differentstages of its manufacture. Oil is used in this furnace and the heatis intensified by the use of a super-heated steam blast. The melting pots are made of cla3S and in order that they maywithstand the excessive heat and the action of the various melted ingredients, their construction is anobject of special solicitude. Thematerial used at these works is theStourbridge fire clay, which comesfrom England. Missouri clay isalso used to some extent. It is firstcarefully trod by barefoot men,until it is prepared for moulding. The average pot is about four feethigh and four feet in diameter at the top and somewhat smaller atthe bottom. It holds about a ton of glass. The pot is built entirelyby hand, and only a small part is constructed each day. When afew inches of the walls are built up, cloths are placed over the freshclay and the moisture is th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidbedfordmassa, bookyear1889
