The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-08-10

ing India rubber Of its adhesiveness by dip
ping il in nitric acid. This method met with
favor IN the manufacture Of shoes, and was
followed until superseded by the better
method OF vulcanizing, which was first pat
ented IN 1874, the patent being issued June l5
As is often the case In such matters, after
years Of patient toll and study the secret OF
vulcanizng was discovered by accident. In
1899 Goodyear began experimenting with
rubber aud sulphur His only laboratory was
such as his own kitchen afforded One day
while earnestly discussing with friends the
merits of what he supposed to be an impor-
tant discovery, piece Of the rubber contain
I'M sulphur by accident fell on the hot stove.
To his great surprise the rubber did not melt,
but instead formed solid crust. That night
he nailed the burnt piece Of rubber to the door
post, thus exposing IL all night to extreme
cold Much to his delight next morning he
still found it perfectly pliable. After many
further experiments-his only appliance be-
ing the family cooking stove-he learned the
proper proportion Of sulphur, and that 27s
degs was the exact degree of heat necessary
10 produce the desired quality of uniform
fexibility and consistency in either hot or
cold temperatures.
20 invest money in ventures that had proved
failures that his present discovery was looked
upon with suspicion. 1t was not until 1874
that he succeeded in interesting capitalist
who would invest sufficient capital 10 expert
ment on larger scale. With Yankee shrewd-
ness, he secured patent on his method Of
vulcanizing. At length competency and
honors came as a rewar,. for his persistent
Al. L.. t.sN Is i
was harassed by infringements upon his pat
ent. Large sums of money was expended by
aim in protecting his claims. 1t is said that
Daniel Webster's fee q a retainer in one case
alone was So, 600.
About the time Goodyear was experiment
ing with rubber and sulphur one Horace II.
Day, Of New Brunswick, n j., became in
terested in the rubber business. He erected
a small factory and began the manufacturing
of carriage cloths and shoes. His method
was to dissolve the rubber in turpentine, then
spread it over cotton cloth. The shoes were
made from thin sheets Of rubber imported
from Para These were lasted on to sole
leather soles. But in neither instance was
the venture success. The cloth was too
odoriferous and would stick together, while
the shoes were too soft in summer and hard
as bricks in winter. AS soon as the Goodyear
process became known Mr.. Day began the
manufacturing of shoes by process so SINH
lar as to involve endless litigation. But this
did not prevent him making from $4,000
to IS, 000,0 GOO, though he eventually died very
poor.
When II. H. Day was erecting his factory
at New Brunswick, n j., in 1882, German
machinist was sent to erect the engine That
machinist was Christopher Meyer, who had
come to this country from Hanover, Ger
many, in 1884. As Goodyear can justly be
called the father Of rubber, so did this ma
chinist become the rubber king. 1t was
while putting this engine into Days factory
that Meyer became interested in rubber. He
saw that the cloth manufactured by Day
would not be popular on account Of its odor.
His energy was bent to the solving of this
problem-how to reduce this offensive odor.
This he succeeded in doing by dissolving the
rubber with turpentine and acids and COM
pounding herewith mixture Of rosin and
tar.
This learned, he began where Day had
failed, and put in the markets carriage cloth
and shoes superior to any manufactured here
tofore At first he followed the then preva-