The Republican journal., 1909-04-29
The Romance of Rubber.

Next to copper and iron, rubber is the
most important material in the electrical
industry. 1t is used extensively as an
insulating material, being one Of the best
insulators of electricity in the world.
Nearlv all the wires that carry electrical
current are protected with rubber insula-
tion Rubber prevents the electricity
escaping through contact Of the wire
with other conductors; it prevents acct
dents. fires, and keeps the electrical ap-
naratns from burning out and destroying
Itself. Besides being used for insulating
wires and cables at the plants of the Cen
erai Electric Company rubber is used IN
the manufacture of motors, switches,
generators. and nearly all electrical
The story of rubber is the story OF the
CONQUEST Of the tropical jungles; the
fights against disease, poisonous reptiles
and insects, man eating animals, munger
and thirst and the danger OF beng LOST
Civilization first heard of rubber in Her.
rera's account of the second voyage OF
Columbus in the year 1893, where ne
speaks of elastic balls made by the ma
tives from the gum Of tree.
The first authentic account OF us praG-
teal use was recorded in 1745 by the lead
err of a French governmental expeoltion
returning from South America VINO re-
ported that the natives secured from the
iuice'of tree certain gum Whlcn was
very elastic, impervious to water anu
used in making bottles, shoes and squirt
guns. ,.a ~
Thirty years later it was introduced 70
commerce. when an Englishman brought
from Assam, India, soft spongy SUP
stance which would erase lead pencil
marks and which afterwards became
known as India rubber.
MANY primitive uses were found Tor
this wonderful gum, but owing to It's
susceptibi]itv to changes of temperature,
which rendered it sticky and more or less
fluid. rubber did not come into its own
until early in the last century. AT that
time # was discovered, after great
deal of experiment, that by mixing sui
phur with crude rubber and subJectlng
it to a high degree of heat, these former
deficiencies were eliminated and ma
terial was produced which was both
tough and elastic, and would retain those
properties under varying Temperatures.
This process of curing was calleo Vul-
canization and is the basis of rubber
making today.
So great has been the development OF
rubber manufacture since that time that
it's products now exceed value OF flve
hundred million dollars annually.
Contrary to the popular impression
rubber gum is not derived from the sap.
II is secured from milky juice or latex
which is found only in the bark. This
latex contains a substance known as
caoutchouc 1.-THE active principle OF rub
ber), together with certain albuminolds.
resins. ETC., which upon the evaporation
of moisture coagulate, forming thick,
spongv substance. The percentage OF
caoutchouc, in proportion to other IL
gradients contained in the lateX, deter
mines the quality of the rubber.
The regions from which rubber gun, is
secured form an irregular belt IN the
tropics and sub-tropics extending around
the earth, the quality procured varying
greatly according to the species OF plant,
the soil and the climate. Great quantl-
ties are produced in Africa, Mexico, Cey-
lon and the Malay Islands, but the most
desirable rubber for resiliency and wear
resistance is secured from tree found
in the Amazon river district, South
America. This rubber is known as Para,
the name being derived from ITS chlef
city of export. 1t not only contains as
high as 95 per cent of caoutchouc, but
the methods used by the natives IN pre-
parinq it for market are so much superior
that It is selected in preference to all 9TH
ers for manufacturing purposes.
Rubber gathering in the Amazon river
district is a hazardous and difficult under
taking. The supply comes from Wild
trees scattered throughout dense forests,
to which paths must be cut through the
tangled and luxuriant underground. Even
then, the trees can only be reached dur
ing three to five months OF the year, as
throughout the wet season the forests
are completely inundated. The climate
is so unhealthy that white men cannot DO
this work and it is necessary to rely upon
the native blacks, who at best are unde-
pendable and lazy. Their reluctance to
Join rubber gathering expeditions can
readily be understood when it is remem-
bered that out of a seasons expedition
perhaps only half will return alive.
When rubber tree is found the native
gatherer cuts a series of gashes into the
bark with his machete, encircling the
tree from the ground up, as high as ne
can reach. Cups are fastened to catch
the latex as it oozes out. When sui,
fcient quantity is collected it is removed
to the temporary hut where a dense
smoke producing fire is made Of certain
nuts and palm leaves. Then taking his
wooden paddle the native dips it into the
latex and holds it over the fire, turning
it round and round until the lateX coagu-
lates. AS soon as it is hard new layer
of latex is added and coagulated as be-
fore. This process is continued until the
mass has grown too large for handling,
when the paddle is taken out and the
rubber set aside for export. The process
of coagulation and fumigation with these
specially selected nuts and leaves pre-
vents decay and adds to the life and wear
resistance of the manufactured product.
Tapping the trees for rubber does not
necessarily destroy them, nor is it be-
lieved to materially shorten their life:
but unfortunately many thousands OF
trees are annually rendered useless by
careless and improper methods. Although
the source of crude rubber gum is practi-
cally inexhaustible, the limited native
labor supply and the difficulties encoun-
tered up to the time of marketing it have
tended to keep down the supply and main
tain high standard of prices.