Evening star., 1896-11-07

softly az they wished to do The granite
pavements caused this noise, and when the
rubber tires were introduced people us
covered that they could at length enjoy a
drive in comfort. First private carriages
were thus equipped. and then the livery
stable keepers were obliged IN sef-defense
to follow suit. Now even the delivery vans
have their rubber tires
Bicycles Dig Impetus.
OF course the ubiquitous bicycle has done
much to send rubber importations career
ing upwards. Rubber importers are quite
sure that the gradual rise In the price
of Para rubber for the last few years Is
due to the demand for pneumatic tires for
bicycles. A writer in the London Times
has recently carefully estimated the output
of bicycles in the United States for the
present year at 1.WD,DU. and of Great Brl-
tain at 750,bDo. Each of these bicycles VIII
require two pneumatic tires, or altogether
35DO,OU0. Each pair of tires weighs about
3 IL pounGs, of which two pounds are Para
rubber There will thus be 3,5O0,0O0 pounds
of Para rubber consumed out of total
production for the Amazon basin of b.
1858 pounds for the year 1880 mus,
roughly speaking, per cent of all the
Para rubber now produced goes into blcy-
Gle tires.
1t Is only in bicycle tires and in fine
mackintos hes that the better grades or
Para rubter are used pure. For all other
purposes either inferior qualities of Para
rubber are taken. or the better grades are
blended With rubber from other parts OF
the world. such as Central America, Africa
and the East Indies. The total quantity
of rubber exported from these countries
amounts to little more than half that
derived from the Amazon basin. The de-
feet of all inferior rubbers is their ten
dency to grow soft after a certain amount
of wear.
The rubber shoe industry consumes a
very large quantity of rubber, there being
several factories in New England which
can each make 10000 pairs of rubber shoes
a day Some idea of the total output may
be gathered from the annual auction sales
of rubber shoes in Boston last November,
when 10000 cases of shoes were sold for
$500 OOO representing some 100000 pairs
of shoes. Large as this number may seem.
it only represented seconds. as the per-
feet goods were disposed OF in the ordinary
way.
How the Children Helped.
During the year 1894 the public school
children of New York city used three tons
of rubber ink erasers while those of Brook
lyn used two tons. 1t has been calculated
from the hooks of large manufactures
that the school children of town OF 12,00U
inhabitants use S,640 rubber bands every
year, larger towns and cities using proper
tioaate quantities.
Less than half the bulk of the white rub
Der which see in tubing, ink erasers,
the pure gum, whiting and tale being added
to give these goods their characteristic ap-
pearance and to make them ressts oxida-
ticn longer. An enumeration OF the various
uses of rubber in the arts would fill large
volume. Thus. the surgeon is able to per-
form bloodless operations by using Es-
narch's bandage; he uses an atomizer to
spray disinfectants, he uses rubber tubing
to drain wounds and rubber syringes to ir-
r:gate them, and sometimes he orders rub
Der hot water bags for his patients The
dentist uses rubber base In which to fix
a set of false teeth. The electrician wears
rubber gloves when he wishes to insulate
his hands from the danger of a chance
current, and mixes rubber with all the In
sulating material for wires above water.
Rubber is Everywhere.
post office in the country which have not
more than one rubber stamp. Every bill
lard table has rubber cushions. Nearly
every working horse in the country has a
rubber sheet to protect him in wet wealth
er. There must be 20OOO,OOO men and boy.
in the United States today wearing elastic
suspenders, and at least an equal number
Of women and girls who wear elastic gar.
ters. Every theater has its rubber gas
bags, while nearly every house has al
least one rubber mat. Rubber betting is
extensively used in machine shops, while
rubber valves and washers are common ad.
jur cts of water pipes and steam filings
Tortoise and shell combs, except as orna.
ments, have been entirely superseded by
those made Of hard rubber. Vulcanist