Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-11-15
CAoUTCHoUC AND GUTTA-PERCHA.

FROM THE COURIER ErArs usIs OCTOBER 7.
Do you like caoutchouc 1t used every where, but
body complains of it; for what services great and small
does it not render And how, since have degned to
pay stsenion it, has shown itself eager to be useful
It's bu, lately since it good for nothing If il had
disappeared from the market, who would Rave been aware
But that is studied we Immediately discover in it in
appeciabe qualities To say that will revouionize seve
raj departments of trade is not to overrate it. How many
substances p!efent of little value, will become of
wealth through the progress of industry How many pro-
ducts both vegetable and ANIMAL unknown at this momen
may enjoy hereafter the highest estimation
No sooner had caouchouc proved its utility than il en-
countered redoubable competitor in guttapercha this
competitor unknown by name, not seven Yeas
ago, in al the Of Europe. But let say word
regarding of the applications of caouchouc for
the purposes for which is employed around
do give complete idea Of the which appli
cable We and on this subjec. some details in an English
compilation, The Chemical Record" 1t only
discovery of the process called vulcanzng caouchouc that
this precious substance has acquired true importance This
process appears TO have been discovered in lS43 BY Mr.
Thomas Hancock. II con.ss in this sheet Of caout-
chouc plunged in melted sulphur absorbs poyon oft and
the tme undergoes considerable changes in the
jorty Of its properties. Thus it is no longer affected by DIFF
ferences of temperature cold does not harden heat does
again soften it, unless be sufficiently strong destroy
it. But the impor change is that its elasticity is
| greatly increased and remains permanent Thus solid
sphere of vulcanized caouchouc Of 63 mmetres diam
eter having been compressed in mill the cylinders Of which
81 mimeres apart, its primitive form exactly,
without retaining any trace Of the compression 10 which it
has been subjected. Another instance: tube Of
chnuc thus prepared, Of 81 cenmetres in diameter her
meticay enclosed in cylinder, subjected pressure
Of 200, 600 klogrsmmes much heat dsengaged and
the excessive elasticity Of the substance projced backwards
with terrible violence, 6ywheel weighing five tons $4,000
klogrammes) which bad been used make the experiment
Mr.. Hodges an Englishman, proposes TO employ this
enormous elastic power the raising of heavy Short
pieces of utchouc called by the inventor purchases
are successfully stretched and attached to the burden to be
raised when sufficient number Of these power purchases
fixed to the weight, their combined elastic force lifts from
the ground Ten Of these apparatus, having individually
power capable Of twenty five kogammes raise together
hundred and Fifty kogrammes. Each bearer is fifteen
mees long, and weighs about forty grammes Of vucanzed
caouchouc. If these bearers stretched the limit
Of their elasticity is that of their power Of cohe-
sionthey would lift three hundred and twenty kogrammes
This power though obedien to the common law Of echa
ncal forces, yet differs sufficiently from known forces
distinguished power. The principle is appli-
cable the towing of vessels it equally be made Of
for raising the anchor, &c. 4,
By inverse principle the owepurchases my be en-
poy ed as power projection Thus certain number Of
thee agents might be attached cannon-ube
for throwing harpoons. This application would render i'm
portant services in the whale fishing. The empye Of
charged with powder is impraccabe because the
noise ghens these creatures and makes them fly from l.,
and the seamcn throw the harpoon by hand Obliged
known proceed in light boats exposed great dan
ger This new process has been tried with success. An
eighty thus charged has thrown ball hundred
and twenty other balls have been thrown bun-
dred metres and bow, constructed the same
incipe and the cord of which only elastic, threw
Of seventysx to distance Of hundred
| and seventy metres.
Some details the origin of precious substance will
doubtless be acceptable Caouchouc the product Of
raj trees the richest of which in this respect the phona
caotchoue the ueeola eiasca, the cg easca. The first
Of these immense Of territory in Central
America and the caouchouc produces is that best adapted
to the processes Of manufacture The us eastca abounds
in As in the Assam county, extent Of twenty six
thousand square kilometres Finally, the urtcola eastca
in the islands of the Indian Archipelago This
tree of rapid growth that in years acquires
height Of two hundred feet its trunk measuring from twenty
to thirty inches in circumference Il produce from Fifty
to sixty pounds of sap annually without the vegetation
pearog to suffer- although this procured by ncisons.
II BY evaporang that the caoutchouc is obtained.
The which yields guta percba grows in the forests
the peninsula Of Msacca and Sumars. presens complete
contrast the preceding Its vegetation extremely slow
Il takes eighty hundred snd twenty years srrive
its full grosh, and the produce only obtained by sacrificing
the tree When cut down, the guta-percha 10 found n
state Of coaguls,icn between the wood and the bark
- rtE 81 ali VIcroR MEUErxx
The yulcsnizstion discovered this country abou
Tour years previously the aforementioned Some
idea be formed regarding great this msnufac
lure has sready attained from the following rough caola
nous Manufacture OF Shoes about 0 COO pairs OF
springs, about $4,000 pounds Of steam-packng, sbou
2sooco pounds; o machine betting about 200 900 pounds
OF clothing and var other articles about
rubber cloths abu 100 GOO pounds for other sbou
/. f00, 900 pounds. t F3' -. Il 49,
One kilogramme 10 equivalent TO 2-iOO pounds ons
grsmme, iuoth part cf former. One uetre Il
2s-f00 feet centimere the Tooth part OF formers ant
mlime,re The Ioooth part.-.New York Erpres.