Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-02
NEW RUBBER SUPPLY.
A NEW YORK DEALERS CHAT CON.
CERNiNG CAOUTCHOUC.

| 4 NEW YORK DEALERS CHAT COM
CERNiNG cAoUTcHouc.
The Reason Why the Modern Rubber Shes
Wears Out So Quickly - Process d
Making . Rubber Overshos-Fo. Hu.
manity's Sake.
Gotham rubber manufacturers were con-
siderably astonished recently by seeing in
print an advertisement for a man who had
had experience among the rubber plantations
OF Central America and Para to start on an
expedition to a new source Of rubber supply.
Excuse me-" said dealer, with laugh,
''the new source is a secret. Suffice it to say
that in some way have discovered new
field Of operations. 1t will be sort of exper-
mental flyer. Tho new field may not yield
five pounds Of rubber, and, again, it may be
an exceedingly rich source. want to settle
for myself which it is"
"Why do you start the expedition" the re-
porter asked. Have the present known
sources given evidence of exhaustionT'
"Weu, I guess not" the dealer replied
1--WE get about 20, DOC, 900 pounds Of rubber
yearly from Borneo and Africa and Para, in
South America. But so great is the con-
sumption of rubber in American commerce
that there is plenty Of room for a new supply
of the material.
ut is curious how little people generally
know about rubber any how" the dealer
added suddenly. "They kick up a row and
possibly swear when they find out that their
new rubber shoes sometimes wear out in a
couple Of days. but they don't seem to under
stand enough about rubber to know that if
they knew more they could get rubber shoes
that were really made of rubber gum, and
wouldn't wear out in a hurry. Inspired by
the complaints that went on all about me
during the blizzard by people who had got
stuck on what they declared to be paste
board and paper overshoes, made jour-
ney into history recently and jotted down
some things about real rubber for the benefit
Of my friends and the American public-that
Is, if the American public wants the benefit
Of it. When Columbus discovered America
he found those old Fifteenth century Ameri-
cans were fussing away making things Of
rubber, among them rubber shoes. But
even before the time of Columbus the East
Indians knew that rubber was q useful
thing, and they made shoes of 1t, too They
made it out Of the juice of q tree called
Ficus elasticus, and if anybody wants to
know right here why rubber shoes, so called,
wear out right off, you can tell them that it
is because there isn't Ficus elasticus juice, so
to speak, in the shoes.
BOOTS AND BOTTLES
columbus Indians and tho natives Of
East India made rough rubber boots and
bottles and things Of rubber in those old
81 kho 81 IL,
woke up to the fact that rubber was a good
thing, the manufacture of boots and bottles
and things has gone on boomingly. The rub
bers of those old days, though were Fubbers
that would wear well, although they had an
uncouth and clumsy appearance. Now we get
enough rubber from the valley of tho Amazon
and from Para and Brazil to justify every
manufacturer in making rubbers of rubber
instead Of something else, and the reason
that people have a chance to growl SO much
about "bogus rubbers' is that the bogus rub
bers are not made by the honest process ut
all
"The making Of q rubber overshoe is an
interesting process indeed, if you travel back
to the eeinning and follow it from the very
outset. To get the rubber in the first place a
hole is drilled in a rubber tree, and the sap is
drawn of just like sugar is drawn from tho
maple tree, and the juice is dried over the
smoke from fire of wild nuts in Para, and
when thickened is hung up to dry further.
This crude material contains 50 per cent. Of
raw caoutchouc or rubber. This raw rubber
has to be cleaned with great care, and
dried afterward to exclude 81 per cent of
water that is part Of it. 1t takes all the
way from one to four months to do this
thoroughly. Before being fully dried it is
kneaded as Is paper pulp, and crushed and
ground and torn up generally to remove ali
the impurities. All the time this is going on
the rubber is thoroughly washed by steady
flowing bath of water. With rubber that is
treated in this style you can make rubber
shoes that are lasting and also waterproof,
but you will have to pay more than fifty
cents or 81 pair for them When spread
upon the cloth shell of the overshoe, this style
of honest rubber shoe makes shoe that is
really gum shoe, and will keep out the wet
and the snow, and will wear without going
ont at the heel or the toe, or breaking en-
tirely away from the upper. And that's the
kind Of rubber that hope to get from this
new source of supply, and if do, perhaps
will become a sort of public benefactor by
giving to Gotham commerce material
for making gum shoes that my follow citi-
zens, after they have worn them once, will
not be obliged to sit up the next three nights
in succession completing their vocabulary Of
strong language to furnish fitting terms OK
abuse for shoes that aren't rubber. The new
expedition is journey for tine good Of