Owens-Illinois Glass Company - Muncie, Indiana, Plant

"Fire and Hose Test" Made

on Glass Blocks Here

Building Commissioners of Eastern Cities Inspect Local

Owens-Illinois Factory.

Building commissioners from many of the country's largest cities Wednesday saw the spectacular "fire and hose" test of Insulux glass blocks at the local Owens-Illinois Glass Company plant.

A six-foot panel of the glass building material was subjected to high temperatures for 45 minutes and then to a stream of cold water under high pressure.

Gas jets in a brick furnace played on the glass masonry. Within 10 minutes the temperature reached 1,300 degrees and rose gradually from there to a temperature of approximately 1,600 degrees for the last 15 minutes of the 45-minute period. The final temperature reading was 1,745.

The A.S.T.M. heat curve was used for the first test, made just before noon, and the New York requirements test was to be used in a second test during the afternoon. The first test did not give as satisfactory results as tests previously made by the company, due to uneven temperatures produced by the gas jets. The temperatures given above were the average for five points in the furnace. Two of the points consistently ran far above the desired temperature and the cold water did the most damage at these points.

Perfect Insulation.

As a concomitant of the test, the insulating qualities of the blocks were shown. After 25 minutes of the heat, with the furnace temperature at above 1,500 degrees, spectators could lay their hands for long periods on the exterior side of the glass wall.

Many tests have been made, Insulux successfully passing the New York State Labor Department requirements and the tests specified by the American Society of Testing Materials.

The fire test was preceded by a tour of the local plant. Visitors saw the processes by which the glass blocks are made, the company laboratory tests to which they are subjected, and the manufacture of insulators.

Tuesday, at the Purdue University laboratories, the commissioners saw numerous tests illustrating the strength of glass blocks and panels when subjected to both vertical and horizontal pressures.

At the plant Wednesday a test was seen in which a panel of the glass blocks, resting in a horizontal position, supports sand which weighs 75 pounds to the square foot. The bulging of the panel is almost negligible.

Guests at Dinner Here.

An informal dinner was held Tuesday night at the Hotel Delaware. Brief talks were made by W. P. Zimmerman, plant manager, and Harold Perrine of the industrial and structural products division, Toledo. Company representatives from Toledo, in addition to Mr. Perrine, included W. C. Davis, director of merchandising; Ed F. Lockhart, supervisor of the architectural service department; and C. R. Hall, manager of the general insurance department.

A floor show was featured on the dinner program. It was presented by Barney and His Reputants, Betty Hamilton, blues singer, and Martin and Marvel, dancers, of Indianapolis. Master of ceremonies was Harold Hobbs, Jr.

The building commissioners were appreciative of the company's presentation of laboratory tests. Commissioner Charles A. Flanagan, Bureau of Buildings, Philadelphia, Pa., voiced the general opinion: "The willingness of the Owens-Illinois Company to submit its glass block to whatever tests are suggested is a treat for one in my line of work."

The guests included: Frank Curley, Bureau of Buildings, Boston, Mass.; John Davies, Department of Buildings, Borough of Richmond, N.Y.; C. A. Daymude, Department of Buildings and Safety Engineering, Detroit, Mich.; William V. Fitzpatrick, Bureau of Buildings, Borough of Bronx, N.Y.C.; Commissioner Charles A. Flanagan, Bureau of Buildings, Philadelphia, Pa.; Commissioner Walter B. Lee, Bureau of Buildings, Rochester, New York; O. T. Nelson, building engineer, Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.; Commissioner George R. Popp, Jr., Bureau of Buildings, Indianapolis; Commissioner Edward W. Roemer, Bureau of Buildings, Boston, Mass.; Deputy Commissioner Clifton A. Ripperger, Department of Buildings, Borough of Queens, N. Y.; Herbert Seaman, building inspector, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Fitzhugh Taylor, Underwriters' Laboratories, Chicago, Ill.; Commissioner Charles A. Welch, division of building and inspection, St. Louis, Mo.; M. J. O'Brien, Underwriters' Laboratories, Chicago; Dr. W. K. Hatt, head of the school of civil engineering, Purdue University; Professor Ray B. Crepps, associate professor of testing materials, Purdue; Roscoe E. Mills, testing laboratory, Purdue; W. C. Davis, director of merchandizing, industrial and structural products division, Toledo; Frank J. McNeil, manager of sales, Insulux block, industrial and structural products division, Toledo; Harold Perrine, engineer, industrial and structural products division, Toledo; Ed. P. Lockhart, supervisor, architectural service department, industrial products division, Toledo; A. J. Eldon, special representative, industrial and structural products division, New York; C. R. Hall, manager, general insurance department, Owens-Illinois Glass Company, Toledo; B. A. Lynch, chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau, Indianapolis; Gault Kirby, Indianapolis, associate to Mr. Lynch.