The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-01-23
UTAH's NATIVE RUBBER PLANT.
Astonishing Claim Made by John
Beck. Former Wealthy Miner.

John Beck, at one time one of the
foremost capitalists of Utah, is in Pos
session, he claims, of a secret, by means
of which he hopes to revolutionize the
rubber industry of the world. and re-
gain a fortune GREATER than all the
money the Bullion Beck mine has pro-
dueed in its marvellous history. says the
DeSeret News
1t is plant, or weed, that grows
abundantly in this state. in Idaho, and,
it is thought throughout the intermoun-
tain country. 1t produces q gummy
substance. 4 substitute for the ordi
nary rubber. for which startling claims
are made by it's discoverer. After this
| is extracted, one-third of the weed is
Il superior substitute for horse-hair and
| excelsior used now in upholstering and
| the remaining third is a fuel that burns
| as well and longer than coal. And TO
| cap it all, the ashes thus produced conT
tain large percentage of marketable
| potash.
The history of this discovery reads
like a Jules Verne novel. but MIR. Beck
| declares he has been at work for near
" year experimenting in and putting
his discovery TO practical tests. and the
results he contends have been emf
nently satisfactory. He is now engaged
in organizing a company to cultivate
the plant and market its possibilities.
Fifteen years ago, when his name
was so closely allied with the financial
enterprises of the state, John Beck
made his discovery. He was horseback
riding in the hills of Utah county one
day when. looking down, he observed Il
peculiar plant, new, as he supposed. TO
tls region. He was so interested that
ne got off his horse and broke off por-
ton of the plant To his surprise. it
eXGJed white, gummy liquid. resem- |
bling mucilage, but of a lighter color. |
and still not as white as the fluid of |
the milk-Weed. 1t WIS but passing |
fancy with Mr.. Beck end wkiie he rode |
away bearing it III mind. he die not at |
that time think mach about it. He
was wealthy.
But in recent years he began to no
tice the worldwide discussion OF the |
manufacture of rubber and the iucreas-
ing manifold uses to which it was be-
ing put in the industrial world. This
discussion set him to thinking. He
knew the plant and he knew its SUBJ
stance was rubberlike. He needed
money.
Finally Mr.. Beck concluded to make
a test. He went out in search of the
ticulty in various sections of Utah. He
demonstrated that it can be cultivated
as surely as wheat OF corn. The results
Of his tests in the laboratory surpass-
ed his greatest expectations. The gum
was extracted by a process which he
himself thought out-being chemist
IF no little ability-and converted into .
'ubber balls, which were rather hard !
. the touch. but not at all brittle, and
which, when thrown upon the ground,
would bound as readily as rubber.
Another fact of very great impor-
ance is that the plant is highly valu-
bile for its fibrous properties. Tests
hat were made under Mr.. Beck's direc-
ion show that a mattress made from it
vas far superior to excelsior and will
asst longer than horsehair. Besides.
his fiber can be carded as fine as silk
hough its particular value is for up
olstering and for the padding of horse
ollars, we'll as a score of other
milar uses
remarkable as it appears, he asserts !.
almly that the bark gives out intense D
eat and will burn quite as long as
pal according t he experiments
Jade by Mr.. Beck. te has given one b
IN a thorough test and it burns equal
we'll in stove or CRATE r
In putting the ashes to a chemical <
st, Mr.. Beck discovered a very high Il
srcentage of potash-marketable pot IS
sh. - p
He is now endeavoring to organize a.
'mpany to take up his invention. The 81
ant is. as stated. found in profusiOn s
the higher attitudes of this region RI
Id he. says he speaks knowingly when b
. says millions of tons of it can be x
as easily as the canagrie X
OF can be raised in Arizona. D.
The friends of Mr. Beck will wish him x
good luck in his new enterprise.
hich he pictures to be the nucleus of Is
e greatest industry established in the b
ate of Utah. E