H. C. Fry Glass Company, Rochester, Pennsylvania

PROUD OF BIG GLASS PLANTS

The Greater Valley Edition of the Beaver, Pa., Daily Times of August 28 contains among its many interesting features the following write-up of the H. C. Fry Glass Co.:

One of the best known and largest industries in Beaver County is the H. C. Fry Glass Co., of Rochester, established in 1902, and capitalized at $400,000. Four hundred people are employed at this plant. Its product consists of rich cut glass, blanks for cutting, mirror lenses and optical lenses. The Empire Cut Glass Co., at Flemington, N. J., and the Beaver Valley Glass Co., at Rochester, are branches of the H. C. Fry Glass Co. The product is sold the world over. Henry C. Fry is president; J. Howard Fry, vice president; Edward T. Davies, secretary, and Herbert Ailes, secretary.

In 1901 H. C. Fry, whose life has been devoted to the making of fine glass, decided to build a factory that would be the finest glass factory in the world - and that, perforce, should produce the finest glass in the world. It was a high set ideal, but it has been reached and the factory today is producing cut glass that for exquisite beauty has never been equaled. The reasons for superiority are in the mixing of materials, absolute purity and exactness. After the mixing comes the melting in furnaces of a new type - no unsightly stacks - no smoke or soot. Natural gas not only makes absolute purity possible, but it makes perfect control of the heat possible, and by delicate electrical appliances the temperature is regulated to the right degree to insure absolutely pure crystal.

The cutting shop where the artist cutters turn the plain glass that comes from the furnaces into beautiful articles of cut glass, is the largest and best equipped shop in the country. It will accommodate 200 cutters - men who are artists just as truly as though they handles a brush and used a canvas, instead of a sparkling piece of glass on which to produce the picture that their minds conceive.

Mr. H. C. Fry, who since he organized the Rochester Tumbler Co. in 1872, was its president and progressive leader until its absorption and destruction by fire in 1901. He was the first American flint glass manufacturer who systematically preheated the molds, specialized production, introduced an orderly division of labor into factory practice, trained expert workmen into making special articles.

The H. C. Fry Glass Co. exports cut glass to South America, the islands of the seas, Mexico, Canada, Australia, England, Germany and Japan. About two years ago, the H. C. Fry Glass Co. added an optical department to the plant and makes a specialty of condensing lenses and lens mirrors. A clear white optical glass is produced that will stand the extremes of heat. This glass is worked into condensing lenses for moving picture machines and lens mirrors for automobile lamps and promises to largely increase the annually increasing export trade.

The factory is surrounded with shrubs trees and flowers, making the yard a veritable park, which is enjoyed by the workmen. Mr. Fry being a lover of nature, had over 100 trees planted, built a greenhouse and had the entire lawn beautified with flowers and walks. The approach to the factory is like an entrance to a beautiful park.

Aside from the size of the factory, which covers about seven acres and is a model in every sense of the word, being substantially built, conveniently planned and more completely equipped than any other factory in the world, the production and the quality of the products are the main points that stand out like ridges on a landscape.