VIII.
CUTTING AND ORNAMENTING.
Walking through the passage between the leers,
they entered what is called the "sloar-room," where the glass was taken
from the pans and put into boxes, to be sent up to the cutting-room.
"You must go up there now," the gaffer said to
Lawrence. "As it is a separate department from mine, I will just go up
and introduce you to the foreman and leave you. This way; we may as
well ride."
He stepped on what appeared to be a trap-door,
supported by strong uprights. Lawrence and his uncle stepped on beside
him. A bar was put up, and they were enclosed in a little square pen.
The gaffer then pulled a lever beside one of the uprights, and the
trap-door, little square pen, passengers and all, began to ascend towards
an opening in the floor overhead; having reached the level of which it
stopped, the bar was let down, and Lawrence and his companions stepped
off in the midst of the cutting-room.
This was a long, large room, full of whirling
wheels and the sound of grinding. Overhead, running the entire length
of the building, was a power-shaft, which, with its many wheels and
bands, set in motion a second range of wheels below, and at these a
long line of workmen and workwomen were grinding various articles of
glass. Over this lower range of
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