Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-12
GREAT DISC0VRRIRS ny .sCCH-
DE.vT.

The great discovery that made Charles
Goodyear famous was an accident For ten
years lie gave all his time TO ascertain how
India rubber could be treated so that il
would neither stfien by cold nor melt by
heat. AS everybody knows, be succeeded;
but ii was after thousand mistakes, and
at time when he was not experimenting.
G esticuating earnestly as lie stood argu-
ing near bar-room stove one winters dav,
he let fall on the heated surface piece of
India rubber and sulphur, which he had
been rolling together in his hand. Upon
recovering it, he found that portion OF
the little ball had become more elastic
than before; and, by subsequent trials,
that the same portion was effected neither
by heat nor cold. In fact, the interior
portion of the ball had been vulcanized by
chance and from this trivial matter, which
occurred in q country tavern thirty four
years ago has grown up, in this and other
countries, a business that employs capt.
al of many millions Of dollars, and more
than one hundred thousand workmen.
Again, during the process of vulcanizing
large quantities of India rubber, resd-
uum'o hard black coal is continually be-
ing deposited. For several years this resp
uum was regarded as useless, and was
got rid of by shooting carloads of it into
holes or sinking it into the sea. Observ-
ing an Irish girl one day in Woburn, Mass
achusetts, cleaning cutlery upon what look
cd to be black stone, Goodyear had the
curiosity to examine it. To his surprise,
he found the seeming stone to be India rub
Der Goa, not mineral at ALL but veg
etable. Seeing that the upper surface of
this novel knife-scourer had not only been
worn smooth by use, but had taken brill
liant polish, the thought occurred to him
that the material might answer as a sub
stitute for ivory, bone, and horn. Upon
trial, he found that il was so, and he inn
mediately took out in the United States,
England, and countries on the continent,
many patents of application; that is, pa
tents not for the discovery of the material,
| but for the discovery of the uses of the
material. Manufacturers saw the advan-
tages of the substitute, and seized upon it
eagerly. And now it is used the world
over for handles to knives and surgical in
struments for laboratory tools; for hsr-
ness-trmmings and house ornaments
buckles and locks; parlor-furniture and
study -conveniences; combs and backs OF
hair brushes door-knobs and walking
canes Baskets, bracelets, and necklaces
finger-rings and tho settings of precious
stones and thousand other purposes.
Tradition ascribes the first idea of the
harp to the dried tortoise shell, and of Tyr.
ian dye to the purple lips OF mastiG which
had been worsted in a contest with she'll
fish on the shores of Tyre. Though these
may well be matters of doubt, there are
others which TO say tho least, are probable
Take, for instance, the story of the Pho
nician mariners, who, happening TO make
fire of dry sea-weeds on sandy shore
found glass in the ashes.
The operation of whitening sugar was
discovered by accident. All sugar is dark
until washed. Pack some brown sugar In
funnel; how Is IT 10 be washed? Clearly