Industrial Exposition; Pacific Glass Works display, insulators included

THE INDUSTRIAL EXPOSITION.

A Sketch of Suggestive Scenes.

Impressions of the Horticultural Display — A

Second Reference to the Department of

Glass — Notes of Useful Inventions.

The delights of a morning ramble through the broad avenues and narrow lanes of the miniature city mock description, be it ever so roseate, though the peaceful air of the grand monuments of human skill and industry arose an inspiration irresistibly potent. At night the scenes are of surpassing splendor; thousands of gas jets illuminate the vast interior of this palatial depot of the mechanic arts and intensify the enchantment; fountains scatter silver spray that gains the hues of the rainbow in mid-air, in the play of light and shade; throngs of youth and beauty move hither and thither, lending a bewitching animation to the scenes, and above the bustle of the vast assemblage and the soft hum of the revolving shafting, the voluptuous swell of music is wafted upon the air and rivets the spell that already holds spectator a willing prisoner. The sensuous pleasures of such enchanting scenes tolerate no rude intrusion of commercial ideas, and defy a proper appreciation of the industrial features of the exhibition. It is not a time to critically examine articles of any description with a view to gaining information of their real worth. A discussion of the merits of patent shoulder-braces, preserved wood, linseed oil, or quartz crushers, would no only mar the beautiful harmony of the occasion, but also serve to confuse the mind and deteriorate the judgment.

A broad and comprehensive appreciation of the exhibition in its material sense is obtained in the morning, when the avenues and the by-ways are almost deserted, when the glare of gas-lights is no more, and the light of day streams in through the glass, when the favorite nooks are peaceful and still, and even the very air is in perfect hush. This is the time to visit

THE HORTICULTURAL DISPLAY,

With its charming specimens of landscape gardening; with its winding walks and promenades; with fountains and bowers and rustic seats; with statues of bronze and plaster; with creeping vines and rare shrubs. Here can be found calm contentment by those whom it can be vouchsafed. The student of botany and the horticulturalist, the maid and the matron, and the gentleman of elegant leisure can devote an hour to this feature of the exposition with some satisfaction. The air is cool and balmy, and the seats are cozy and in the midst of the luxuriant plants and shrubs and flowers, the eyes may be closed for dreams of fairer scenes than the hasheesh-eater ever conceived, or were known to the Happy Valley of Rasselas.

The first week's show comprises flowering-plants, Australian evergreens, coniferae, hardy ornamental foliage plants, tropical plants, hardu climbing-plants, ferns, green-house, and conservatory plants, Japanese plants, rustic hanging-baskets, etc. Among the flowering-plants there may be noticed in particular Eucharis Amazonica; Cape jasmine, (Gardenia Florida) Begonias, of various sorts; Dalechrespia Boezlinana; Sentellaria spocciniana, with its intense bright scarlet flowers; Lilium auratum; the favorite Gloxinias, of all shades and colors; Franciscea latifolia; Torenia Asiatica; double Chinese primrose; Calceolaria; Amaryllis; Cleradencron; Bouvardias, and many others arranged in groups. In the collection of coniferae ae some very fine specimens of Araucaria Excelsia, Aracakia Cielai; A. Bidalli; Crytomerica Japonica, all of which are grown out-of doors in California. The collection of ferns, by Miller & Sievers, is about the best exhibited on this coast, and containing about seventy-five specimens of select ferns, some of which are most remarkable in appearance. The staghorn fern of Australia, growing similar to the orchid and living chiefly on the moisture in the air; the bird-nest fern aspienium nidus axis from the Sandwich Islands, with its showy and robust bright green leaves and black midrib; Pulu fern, cibotium glaucum, and cibotium Menziezii, of the Pacific islands, is an attractive specimen and rarely met with.

Among the smaller ferns are noticed, in particular, the Adiantum Farleyens and Adiantum Amabile, the two handsomest ferns under culivation; also, the Pteris Tri-color, and Pteris Argyrea, with richly colored foliage; the Gymnogrammas, gold and silver varieties, all are most exquisite varieties and generally admired. The group of tropical plants by R. B. Woodward, enbraces an imposing collection of palms, yuccas, bananas, ficus, elastica, aralia, pine-apples, strelitzia, reginae, and variegated dracoenas, mostly natives of the Pacific islands and Brazil. The exhibit of twenty specimens of Japanese plants are also very meritorious. They consist mostly of variegated foliage plants, ans are all considered hardy in California.

The cut flowers are brilliant, of not always attractive. The display consists of about 100 varieties of pink, 76 varieties of roses, 100 varieties of dahlias, 50 varieties of gladiolus, and 40 varieties of fuchias.

During the coming week the display will receive notable accessions in the form of ornamental foliage, plants, fuchias, geraniums, and indigenous to California. The display of fruit as been appointed for the third week.

A FEW INVENTIONS.

In the promenade adjoining the Art Gallery, and near the north-west corner of the pavilion, may be seen several useful inventions which are of general interest. Among them is Dewey's dress elevator. This is for raising a dress with long or short train and holding it to any desired height. It is so arranged that when going upon the street the dress may be instantly raised and held out of the snow, mud or dust, and when entering church, store, or house, may be quickly dropped to full length by touching a spring. It entirely relieves the wearer from any care of the dress when on the street, and does away with the tedious effort of holding up the long trains or dragging them. It is entirely visible, does not raise the dress in festoons, but leaves it perfectly even in length all around. It is complete.

Another invention is the Hall treadle. It starts the right way with a single pressure of the foot and can be run with ease. It prevents the breakage of thread and needles, and, according to the agent's ideas, is a source of general comfort. The display includes half a dozen other inventions of a minor character.

PACIFIC GLASS-WORKS.

This establishment presents a large and varied display of glass-work, corresponding with its importance as a leading manufactory of the city. The business was incorporated in 1863, and the factory is located at the corner of Mariposa and Iowa streets, Portrero, a capital of $150,000 being represented in the construction of the work alone, independent of the large amount employed in the manufacturing operations. As indicated by the specimens submitted for public inspection, the company manufacture all descriptions of glass-ware and material ordinarily in use. The samples embrace various forms of fruit-jars popular in use by housewives and the fruit-preserving factories, bottles and demijohns of every size and form required, in white, green, and black glass, telegraph insulators, etc. The large and steadily increasing fruit-preserving enterprise in the State is advancing the importance of glass manufacture constantly, and must render it a very prominent and profitable interest. As new styles of jars and bottles are required for special purposes or particular brands of fruits or other commodities, new molds are made, with lettering and trade symbols as directed, and any quantity readily supplied. Demijohns are an article in large requirement here, and are produced at these works in immense quantities. A new style, called Banker's patent demijohn, has lately been introduced, and meets with much favor, particularly for shipping purposes. The company claim superiority for their ware, having the best material for manufacturing readily procurable in the State, and the field is one not liable to embarrassing competition from abroad, for glass can be manufactured here even cheaper than at the East. John Taylor & Co., agents of the works, have arranged the exhibition as the Fair.

AN INGENIOUS MINING MODEL.

A curiously constructed and very effective model of the New Almaden quicksilver mines, devised by Charles T. Healy, civil engineer, attracts much attention as a novel and interesting object. It displays the directions of shafts and tunnels, and the locations of scattered ore deposits through the earth, as if viewed by one gifted with supposed powers of claraivoyant sight. The model consists of plates of glass, twenty-six in number, placed edgewise, an inch apart, on which the surface undulations of the hilly ground are painted in black lines, while the shafting and tunnels at different parts are described by perpendicular, inclined or horizontal lines, terminating in, or penetrating, the bodies of ore, which are colored in red. A glance through the glass reveals the workings of the mine in their entirety, and this is an effect that no map or model in plastic opaque can achieve. The model is accurately proportioned, and forms a very useful study both for miners and geologists.