Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-04-13
Essex County Herald.
". 4. BISHOP, Publisher.
ISSUED EVERY FRIDAY
Ar
ISLAND POND, VT.
TERMS, $1.50 Per Year, In Advance.
THE RUBBER MAN.
CAREER OF GOODYEAR, THE
INDIA RUBBER INVENTOR.
His Wretched Existence While
working Night and Day to
Discover Way to VuI-
caniZe Rubber.

Charles Goodyear was born in Con-
hecticut about the year 1900, and when
he became of age joined with his father,
who was engaged in the hardware bust
ness in Philadelphia, with factory in
Connecticut. In 1880 the firm failed
and, although trying hard to satisfy
their creditors, they were unable to do
so, and, as a consequence, they had large
debts, amounting to hundreds of thou
sands of dollars, hanging over them.
Charles had shown an inventive genius
when young man and had made many
improvements in farm tools, and when
rubber life.preservers came on to the
market, he patented an improvement.
While in New York Mr.. Goodyear met
the agent of the Roxbury Rubber Com
pany, to whom he showed the patent.
The agent was much pleased with it, but
told Mr.. Goodyear that the company
was not in condition to purchase it, as
their products, shoes and rubber coats,
had not proved successful, as those made
in cold weather melted in the summer,
and those produced in summer grew hard
as iron in winter. The company was
organized about the year 1882, during
the India rubber mania, and their losses
had been enormous. The director had
been Informed that unless they could de-
wise way by which the rubber would
remain in the same condition at all sea-
sons of the year, they would have to close
up business, This not being fOrthcom-
ing, the RoXbury and other companies
ceased to exist. Charles Goodyear met
the Roxbury company's agent, and heard
OF the difficulties to be surmounted, and
Goodyear decided in his own mind that
he would attempt the task of trying to
discover what process was necessary to
vulcanize India rubber.
An eminent writer has said: "The two
millions of dollars lost by these compa-
nies had one result, which proved to be
worth many times that sum; it led
Charles Goodyear to undertake the in
vestigation of india rubber. That chance
conversation with the agent of the Rox-
bury company, which took place in New
York, fixed his destiny. If he were alive
to-day to read these lines he would,
however, protest against the use of such
word as chance in this connection.
He really appears to have felt himself
called to study india rubber
Returning to his home in Philadelphia
he commenced in earnest his investiga-
tions, but was arrested for debt, and
while incarcerated in Jail kept up the
work until he was looked upon as a
crank. When released from confinement
he devoted all his waking hours to india
rubber, spent all the money he could
call his own and all that his family and
friends could get for him, until finally
his friends drew off and left no one, save
his faithful wife, who would look upon
his experiments with any degree of sat
isfaction. But if Charles Goodyear was
poor in Philadelp phia he was poorer when
in Woburn, to which place he came
about the year 1889.
His manner of life, his poverty-stricke1
appearance, and the general misery
which surrounded him made him q
marked object, and he was known only
as the India Rubber Man." Although
he formed acquaintances he had few
intimates, as he would talk on no sub
ject save india rubber. He was con-
stantly at work with experiments, this
being done at his home and during the
periods when he was suffering for the
necessaries of live. A gentleman, now
living some distance from Boston, told
the writer that he knew this wonderful
man, and although a boy of only 12
years, he then predicted that Goodyear
would some time amount to something.
Said he: "He worked apparently night
and day, Sundays as we'll as other days,
and | doubt if ever passed the Badger
House, when Goodyear lived there, but
that l tried to get glimpse within.
He was mysterious being to us children,
and how he got his living we knew not,
although we did know that the neigh
bors we're kind, more so on account of
Mrs. Goodyear and the little children.
Few people took stock in Mr.. Goodyear
they thought him shiftless, lazy man,
cracked on rubber.
Goodyear wearied everybody with
whom he came in contact He was posi-
tive he had a good thing, if only he
could hit it, and we had no doubt of his
experiments, for the smell of burning
rubber was often noticed around the
house."
Sulphur was the medium which was to
work out the problem, and this Good
year bought and begged. ell-known
resident of Woburn, while employed in a
store in Woburn Centre, knew Goodyear,
for he frequently called to buy sulphur.
When he had no money he would beg q
little. "Heres your india rubber man, y
the clerks would say to the proprietor,
as Goodyear entered.
1t was while the family were in East
Woburn that an at1liction came in the
loss of their little boy, Charley, who dice
of brain disea G, and, having nothing
wherewith to pay funeral expenses, Mr.
Goodyear walked to the cemetery OF
Montreal avenue, at the Centre, where
the little boys body was buried.
1t would answer no purpose to tel
further of the wrechedness which came
to this family while the head of it was
conducting his Investigations. 1t il
enough to know that he was successful
but not until he had met thousands o.
failures. He lived to see thousands oi
men and women gaining livelihood or
account of his invention and the industry
of the manufacturer of rubber good
claiming millions of capital. The las
years of his lfe-he died in 1960-wer,
given almost wholly to protecting him
self from infringers, but millions of dol
lars were taken from him. - Globe Demo
crat.