Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Roseburg news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1920-1948 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1936)
vrunrro . People Who Live In How Throw Stones This girl holds a pack of fibrous glass as it is used for insulation for homes and buildings keeps the rooms warm in winter, cool in summer. ALONG time ago Homebody (I don't know who and It doesn't make any difference anyway) said, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", or words to that effect. Obviously, the waggish creator of this familiar proverb meant anything but a literal interpre-. tation of his cryptic advice, little realizing,, no doubt, that in the year 1936, glass houses would be an actuality. With amazing rapidity homes, apartments, office buildings, and even factories made of glass blocks are ruining glistening walls to the sun, ! il the layman begins to wonder if soon to the "keep off the grass", "no peddlers allowed", and "use the rear entrance" signs, will not be added some caution about fragility or stone throwing. But the men who manufacture the glass and build the houses say no. Building glass is now even more durable than wood or stone, and in addition allows the maximum of light, air, sun shine, and architectural beauty. Glass always has been associated with style and the new improved glass blocks, translucent but nut transparent, that fuse the outdoors with the indoors without sacrifice of privacy, are im portant in the relentless trend for things more modern. Architects and builders, eager for new style and utility appeals, have grasped quickly4 the advantages of glass blocks to assist them in attaining their objectives. Not only are thee blocks being used for new construction, but they are unusually adaptable for inexpensive and, at the same time, unique modernization of existing structures of all types. ASIDE from their decorative characteristics, glass blocks offer many utility advantages such as tight transmission, insulation against heat and cold, light diffusion, and sanitation. Being resistant to fire, glass blocks reduce fire hazards, providing greater protection of life against ravaging flames. They prevent passage of air and gases, are impervious to attacks of moisture, vermin, acids, and will not absorb odor or grease. -, Most interesting among the recent buildings planned are large school in several of the big mid-Western cities. Making the "stnne throwing" caution even more ridiculous Is the boast of glass block manu facturers that the improved glass building blocks have a maximum strength sufficient to uphold the Washington monument if built as a single course, in the walls of that 556-foot structure. One begins to wonder if we are not approach ing a "glass age" when the many other usages to whfch glass is now being put with such ap parent success is learned. Among the newest dis ' enveries in the world of glass is fibrous glass, whirh is produced in three different forms for infinite new uses. , Fibrous glass, one of the newest product! of a reawakened world, and capable of vast po tential application in lO.lfl, is the result of a secret process developed by one of America's great glasa companies. First, there ia glass now being produced In a fluffy, almost snow-white mass which is used as an insulator. Tt emerges from a furnace onto a conveyor, a deep continuous line of downy ? I,, v 77 rit4?sfrA L , , , , . Jf?i Vj?: .? &A - i ' I ; : yr i'ft&z f , The girl and her escort were photographrd in a darkened room, tlir only "- $ . V 1 light coming from an adjoining room, separated by a wall of the new '. f '; "v. 4 '. '"'" type of glass block. Light rays are perfectly diffused. j " (,,r'"'--W"' ' "'"'CBJ ". . '1l A modernist displays her glass hat and 4J;,.&'J 'Sfijbr , ,t I! ZT 'J? ' X gla bag Gla thread and yarn i, used to if rvT 1 C&T-t i n vl , ' ,i , crochet, knit, embroider and weave thou- . feMi,! a4V-f -.;.- h T-X ",-"XL': '"TCE? ' 5 N of .imilar novelties. V . By John Richard Finch I J ; I " I . ' , 1, ' M , ' ( VI j Glass Houses Can If They Want f aaft J I t j H-fipr" g lip fi I (prz IS This dinette U an example of the modern tre nd made possible by the use of glass blocks as an exterior panel or wall. The panel transmits daylight and provides seclusion from street noise. material about one yard wide and four inches deep. It Is cut to size by an automatic slicer into packs which later are placed between walls and on floors In attics of new homes, forming an enveloping blanket of protective material that is fire, termite, and moisture proof. SCCII Insulation keepa rooms warmer in win ter and cooler in summer. Tests have shown that glass insulated buildings not equipped with air conditioning units, rooms kept from eight to ten degrees cooler than outside day-time tem peratures merely by opening windows at night and closing them early In the morning. In win ter, heating costs are cut from 30 to 40 per cent Warm air cannot escape, smaller furnace? caa be used, thus lessening the initial heating unit cost Too, less fuel is needed. For homes already built, the insulation in the form of tiny glass pellets are forced between walls merely by cutting a small hole to insert a hose con nected with a blower machine. The second use to which fibrous gla be ing put is fn glass air filters, the new process of which produces a fibre about the size of a broom straw. The fibres are assembled Into mats about two inches thick and sprayed with an odorless, non-evaporating chemical adhesive. Properly en cased, they are installed In warm air furnaces and ventilating systems generally. arm air furnaces equipped with such flitera -: ii 11 in lpnRi sZ -4 ... M t S 'H Hi 1. t If f Kl Hi are now considered the cleanest form of heat because air is cleaned of all dust, pollen and other foreign matter, eliminating soiled walls above registers, keeping home furnishings brighter, and in department stores, lingerie shops, dairies, and all establishments where dust is such an unwelcome factor, the glass filters have met with unusual success and acclaim. TKSTS have shown, too, that hay fever suf ferers are given definite relief in rooms sup plied with air through glass filters. They have proven of special benefit in bfdronms, enabling those with hay fever to obtain a good night's rest to build up reserve energy for the day to be spent in an unprotected atmosphere. The third use of fibrous glass, and perhaps the most Interesting and unusual, is the new process that makes it possible to draw ordinary glass into a fibre twenty times less fn diameter than a human hair, and so glass enters into the textile field as a fascinating new possibility. Modern textile machines, without changing equipment, can now make 100 percent glass thread and yams. Commercially, such thread and yarn is attract ing the manufacturers of knit goods. As a nov elty, and a very attractive one, glass Is being used to crochet, knit, embroider and weave vari ous articles previously possible only with thread made of wool, cotton or silk. Hats, purses, dresses, curUins, carpet and a variety of dazz Secret Process Has Developed A New ProductFibrous Glass ling and chic things for "milady" are now being made of this glass thread. One pound of ordinary glass can be drawn Into a single fibre so small that more than one hundred are used to form a strand the size of ordinary No. 50 thread. Such a fibre drawn from a pound of glass would reach round the world at the equator.. The usual ingredients for glass sand, soda ash, lime, and certain costly chemicals are used to produce such glass and the ordinary type of glass furnaces are used. In other words, glass yarn or thread, perfectly flexible, or glass for home insulation, soft and fluffy, is manufactured of exactly the same material from which milk bottles are made. However, the patented process brings into use the application of steam In some mysterious manner, a process moat carefully guarded by the glass company holding the pat ent T IS interesting to note that the application of steam as a motive power and glass were both discovered before the Birth of Christ, but it wasn't until thousands of years later that men discovered a way to bring the two together to create miracles more fascinating, and far more practical, than Aladdin's fabled lamp. While the fibrous glass now used for novel ties is of a colorless silvery sheen, or its natural state, one of the laboratories of the company which produces this new product Is experimenting with glass thread and ya,rn in colors. Thus far, white, blue, black, and red fibres have been produced. The colors are fade proof, as they are neither dyed nor stained into the material. About fifty trxtile companies are .conducting various types of experiments in the fabrication of glass fibre materials, and startling results are being predicted for coming months. For many years In Europe a fibrous glass has been produced by heating rods to a semi-liquid state and then directing them upon revolving steol drums to draw the material into filaments. Centrifugal force limits the speed of production materially and has kept manufacturing cost too high for widespread use of fibrous glass, Recently in America the technicians of a large glass company discovered a secret process which has been carefully guarded. They are now able to draw molten glass Into long filaments. Kach fibre is only one twentieth the diameter of a human hair and Is produced at the rate of more than 2;0,0Ou feet per minute, which Is fifty miles per minute or 3000 miles per hour. Hy comparison, the muzzle velocity of an army rifle bullet Is approximately fi2,000 feet per minute, THK newly discovered process not only has the advantage of greatly reducing production costs as compared to the Kurnpoan process, but a fibrous glass of vastly improved qunlity is now possible. Fibrous glass produced In Kurope for insulation weighs six pounds per cubic foot, while the American-made glass weighs only one and one half pounds per cubic foot Another Interesting property of the new glass la Its acoustical qualities which have attracted motion picture sound crews of the West coast studios. Mats of Insulation glass are used on the slagca qnd moved from one place to another to soften sound. Being firc-proof, tho material is especially desirable at tho studios. Many of the movie stars in Hollywood have gleaming creations for evening wear, made from fibrous glass thread. The effect Is comparable to scquincs, but the beauty of the woven thread far surpasses that of sequinos. A woven, sandal type evening slipper has also been fashioned from the glass thread to go with the gowns. When the technicians now working on the per fection of colored fibre thread complete their experiments, which they promise will be soon, and the new shades made available to textile manufacturers, some unusual nnd spectacular creations iij gowns for "milady" are predicted. Millinery has also gone "glass". Turbans, pic ture hats, nnd various unique creations for af ternoon, evening and even sports wear arc ap pearing in the better stores. Purses and bags to match and In some instances scarfs of glass thread ore being shown. In the home, articles of fibrous glass have also made their appearance. Many modernistic homes, apartments and offices now hnvo rugs made of glass yam or thread. Being firc-proof these rugs afford an added measure of safety as well as adding a touch of unique new beauty to the room. Curtains, drapes, chair covers, pil lows, and scores of other interesting and unusual home furnishings are being made of the new fibrous glass thread. Remarkable new effects are being gained in building, furnishings, clothing, and novelties from glass. G KITING back to the glass blocks for build ing which brought to mind the proverb about stone throwing, there is a building now completed In Toledo, Ohio, which is tho first all gloss, windowlesa building ever constructed. Health authorities stated that workers In this new building, which Is being twd ns a factory, have the maximum of natural light and sun shine, which penetrates through the translucent, but not transparent glass blocks; the tempera ture and air conditioning nro at their best, due to non-moisture penetration and raw with which heat or cold mny be kept in or out ns desired, due to the peculiar properties of the glass; and that the sound-deadening qualities of , tho blocks, make for sereneness of tho worlTrs. in n largo factory of this type, the fire-resistance of glass Is another important factor. U would bo unfitting to close the story of the new era of "glass without mentioning the un usual possibilities of niirht display of lights in and on these glass buildings. The night adver tising and new merchandising ideas are endless. Due to the translucent but non-transparency of the blocks an entire solid wall may be Ilium, inatrd without sacrificing privacy. As much as 81 percent of exterior light can be transmitted hy the glass blocks -the rays perfectly diffused. Picture a city of glnss house and buildings, all illuminated at night, a veritiible fairyland of dazzling gold buried in a backdrop of black, like a million diamonds sparkling on a swarthy velvet carpet The cities of the future may easily be like this as a new age moves up and wood, brick, and mortar give way to glnss -the new "King". PAGE THREE
