lifted it above
his head. And all the time he was blowing into it blasts of air from
his powerful lungs.

"The cylinder doesn't seem to get any bigger round," observed Jean at
last.

"No. Its diameter was fixed at the beginning by the wooden block. That
settles its size once and for all; it is the length and thickness of
the cylinder which are governed by the blower. Do you realize how
strong a man has to be to wield such a weight as that lump of metal? It
is no easy matter. Luckily he can suspend it against that wooden rest
if he gets too tired. In England they use a sort of iron frame called
an _Iron Man_ to relieve the blower of the weight of the glass and
the device was also used at one time in Belgium; but the Belgian
workmen gradually did away with it."

For a long time the two children stood there fascinated by the skill of
the blowers.

"Suppose we go on now and see the rest of the process," suggested
Giusippe, a little unwillingly. "I could watch these men all day, but
we have much to do, and if we do not hurry we shall not get through."

The next step in the work was opening out the cylinders, and this was
done in two ways. The end of those made of thinner glass was put into
the furnace while at the same time air was forced inside through the
blow-pipe. As a result the air expanded by the heat of the fire, and
burst open the cylinder at its hottest or weakest end. By placing this
opening downward it was widened to the diameter necessary. The
cylinders of thicker glass were opened by fastening to one end a lump
of hot metal, thereby weakening them at this point. When the air was
forced in by the blower it burst open the mass and the break thus made
was enlarged by cutting it round with the scissors.

"Now come on, Jean, and see them flatten it out," said Giusippe.

Upon a wooden rest or chevalet the cylinder was now laid and detached
from the pipe by placing a bit of cold steel against the part of the
glass that still clung to the blow-pipe. At once the neck of the glass,
which was hot, contracted at the touch of the cold metal and broke away
from the pipe. The small end was then taken off by winding round it a
thread of hot glass, and afterward applying cold iron or steel at any
point the thread had covered.

"The cylinder is now finished at top and bottom and is ready to be
split up the side," said Giusippe. "This they do with a rule and a
diamond point mounted in a long handle. The diamond point i