The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-08-06
GUTTA PERcHA GETTING SCARCE.


No Good Substitute for 1t Has Yet Been Dis.
covered-wasted by Natives.
New York Sun
Gutta percha has now became so scarce
that the price is about Sl.30 pound, and
the importa tions to this country have grad
ually decreased until now they are about
nominal, and there is very little of it for
sale in orr markets. 1t 10 now about
fifty years SINCE the attention of Europeans
was directed TO the use of Gutta percha
as substitute for India rubber, and
also for other purposes for which India rub
Der is not suited. The discovery that gut
Ia percha is a non-cOnductor of electricity
and the best insulatOr led to q great de-
mand for it all over the world. No other
so durable for submarine cables. and as the
scarcity of 1t increased and the price rose
the use of it for O thousand and one pur
poses decreased, until now it is mainly
used for the insulation OF electric wires.
The difficulty of procuring it has become
80 great that the price of IL seriously affec To
the construction of submarine cables. Re-
Gently a large engineering firm IN the
United states proposed to undertake on
large scale the manufacture of submarine
cables. but they were compelled to aban-
don 1t because of the diff Guilty and cost of
obtaining Qutta percha.
Some people who have not examined the
subject suppose that gutta percha Is sort
of India rubber This is not so. Gutta
percha is a totally different substance and
is the product of a different tree. 1t
was formerly plentiful in the Malayan
peninsula in the forests at the foot of the
hills. The Malays used 1t long before
Europeans heard of il. When it became an
article of commerce the Malays pur-
sued the most destructive method of OBJ
tanning it. They cut down the trees to pro-
cure the Juice until finally they exter-
minated the tree. Then the supply was OBJ
tanned from Borneo and other islands in
the Indian Archipelago. But the same
the demand increased enormously. until
now it is seriously proposed to cultivate
the tree as the only means of preserving an
indispensable article of commerce.
The gutta percha tree grows to the height
of seventy feet and six feet in diameter.
The wood is of the pithv nature, and con-
tains the gum in profusIon. The gum is
very hard when cold. but is soft and plastic
under heat. 1t was long used by the
natives for making domestic utensils,
handles of all sorts. vases, bottles whips.
ETC.. and under the skillful treatment of
European chemists and mechanics soon be-
came an important article OF commerce. As
the price increased the most important
uses took the preference and substitutes
were iound for other uses. Thus vulcanite
rubber and cellulOid and other compounds
came to be devised. but none of these can
be said to be in all respects equal to gutta
percha. Gutta percha, for instance. re-
tains it's form at a temperature below 1850
. Farenheit. Slightly above that tempera-
ture it may be nodded into any shape. and
drawn out in wire and tubing. 1t is in
soluble in water. even In salt water. The
Atlantic cable. laid In 1857. Is still pre-
served by its eutta-percha covering.
Gutta Dercha is also insoluble in alkaline
solutions and various acids. and is the re-
fore used TO make vessels to contain these
substances, being much better for the pur-
pose than glass. which is liable to break.
1t has been made the subject of multitude
of patents for various processes of treat
meDt; fortunes have been spent in securin Q
and defending these patents; other fortunes
in establishing great factories in different
parts of the world. and vast fortunes have
been made in the products OF this famous
gum.
An effort was made some years ago to
check the destruction of the gutta- perchs
trees and TO substitute q S. stem of tappiDg
the trees similar to that adopted for tap
ping the trees for India rubber or maple
sugar. but the avarice of the natives has
worked such sad havoc with the gutta-
percha trees that cultivation seems 20 be
the only recourse to AVOID extinction. and.
at the best. many years must elapse before
the old time plentiful supply and low price
can be restored
cha that shows how far-reaching are the
eyes of commerce IN securing slight pecu-
MARY. advantage. Some one got the idea
that thin film of gutta percha could be
used as a substitute for oiled silk on the
bottom of mems pantslOons and 1t was 81
used for many years The process used
was to apply the t IL with hot iron.
which would cause At to adhere to the
cloth. and thus save the cost of the
silk and the sewing. This might seem q
trlting saving on the small piece that
would be used on one pair of pantaloone.
but w hen the great clothing manufacture
ers made up thousands of pantalOons the
savings amounted TO considerable. both IN
time and money. But as the cost of the
gutter percha increased the use of it fol
this purpose decreased
There are, of course. many substitutes fol
gutter percha even as insulators. and the
busy brains of inventors and chemists are
still at work on the problem. but at present
the scarcity OF gutter percha and Its high
price are serious facts.