San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works is the only glass house in the west

THE only glass factory now in successful operation on the Pacific coast is the San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works, San Francisco, Cal. They run two bottle works, and manufacture green, blue and amber bottles, carboys, demijohns, green druggists' ware, beer and mineral bottles, etc. They do a large business and are prospering, although laboring under some disadvantages. One of these is that the coal they use is all imported from Australia, a fact that will be a surprise to many when they consider the immense deposits in this country and the admirable transportation facilities that exist here. However, it can be shipped to San Francisco more cheaply by water from Australia than by rail from the east. The sand they get from Monterey, on the coast of California, and some of the finer kinds from Antwerp. Ashes and other heavy chemicals come from Europe, as also pot clay, which they import from Hamburg. They make their own pots and molds, having a concern equipped for the purpose not only of making glass, but also most of the implements and facilities used in its production. These factories work out about 14 tons of metal a day. They were in operation during the months of July and August, by permision [sic] permission of the Glass Blowers League, the climate there being suited to the work, but they shut down on September 1, and will reopen on November 1. They employ from 200 to 225 hands. Carlton Newman, president of the works, and an old resident of Pittsburgh, has been making an extended tour of the eastern glass factories, and returns home this week. He says that the prospects are good, but still they cannot compete with European factories in some lines — wine bottles, for instance, which are largely used in California. Mr. Newman is confident of success, however, in his enterprise, and there is no good reason why the great Pacific states should not be able to support at least one establishment.