The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-03


fer these purposes. however enormous il
/ Is in the aggregate. by no means ex-
hausts or even illustrates the demands
Tor rubber in modern industry.
Used in Many Ways.
The devices into which rubber enters
can no more be enumerated than can
those Of iron or copper. but among them
may be mentioned the various -appli-
ances for insulation in electricity: with
out rubber an entirely new method OF
telegraphing or telephoning would have
TO be invented The air brake Of the
railroad must have rubber for its proper
equipment; our FIRE service would be es-
sentially crippled without rubber ia the
hose, and, in fact, hose Of any kind can
scarcely be conceived without rubber
Packing. betting. and tubing imply the
use OF rubber. Then there are boots. rub
Der heels, and Overshoes; coats and gloves
Tor clothing; the many Pharmaceutical
dental. and surgical rubber goods such
as blankets, shoppers. combs. sheeting.
bandages. water bottles, and syringes
In domestic life there are carpets. mats,
toys. and cushions: rubber paint and
pavement have special advantages IN
selected places; roller skating would be
a torment, and English tennis. Scotch
golf and American baseball would be de-
cidedly tanner without rubber.
Two Phases of study.
II is evident that there are two distinct
phases TO the study Of this commercial
commodity The one IS Industrial. the
other botanical Before crude rubber be-
comes the finished product. L must be
treated both mechanically and chemically
to make it plant for its multiform pur-
poses These processes are complicated,
but necessary in Transforming the raw
material into an article ready for manipu-
iation into any OF the shapes mentioned
above First the rubber must be washed
and cut into bits, then II IS squeezed
between rollers in order 70 remove the
water and TO prepare It in sheets: then
il is dried and made ready for compound
ing
Very few articles as employed to-day
are made Of the pure gum: some com
pound is necessary in many cases: in
others II IS adopted In order TO cheaper
the price Of the goods, which varies ac-
cor6ins to the quantity OF compounded
substance used
The consumer can. II he wishes 10 gay
the cost, get the best possible article,
the judgment Of the manufacture alone
determining how much rubber 10 use
Sulphur Chief Ingredient.
sulphur Is the principal ingredient en-
ployed in compromising rubber. and serves
TWO purposes: IL reduces the amount OF
pure rubber engaged for any articIe-in
itself g valuable item-aud Il IS the most
efficient vulcanizer known. Il trans
forms pure rubber into two distinct com
mercial substances, according 20 the
amount OF sulphur used. but chiefly &C
COTding 10 the intensity or heat applied
10 effect the combination. for in all prob
ability a chemical change occurs here.
in addition To the und0ubted physical
union OF rubber with sulphur
The one substance Is soft rubber in the
pr0teau elastic condition familiar 20 all;
this is produced by combining pure rubber
with sulphur az a low temperat ure. The
other substance IS hard rubber. e5ouite.
or vulcaniJe. in which all elasticity IS
lost and The shape into which this Is
nodded IS permanently and rigidly re-
tanned. within natural temperature limits
Nevertheless. compounded and vulcan
iZed rubber VIII not last forever. =
SLOWS brittle and dull with age. the gritty
scales on the surface Of combs. &c. be
ing the crystals % unabso-bed sulphur
coming 10 the surface. 50 that vulcan
ized rubber must finally be deSuIphurlze5
and returned 70 tie trade as reclaimed
rubber
Millions have dreamed Of the posi-
hiiities and fortunes have been promised
as the result Of a process producing a
rubber substitute. Artificial or synthetic
rubber would seem 50 easy: take only ten
atoms Of carbon and combine them with
only sixren atoms Of hydrogen and YOU
have rubber. But the little trick OF ad-
ding life 10 this inert m0IecuIe has not
Yet been learned The fortune IS stu
there for the lucky inventor who can
accomplish IL. because carbon and hydro
gen are cheap, inexhaustible even. while
rubber may get COst,ier year by year
The discussion Of artificial rubber may
therefore be dismissed with a phrase
there IS I'D such thing. Either the ex-
plotted article IS a humbUE. or L con
Jains some proportion Of real rubber
mixed with substitute ingredients. Rub
Der substitutes are often OF value In the
trade because the article manufactured
from them only needs that small prCpor-
ton Of rubber they contain.
Botanical Aspects Of Rubber.
The botanical aspects OF rubber are.
however. the more fascinating To the in
vastigacor. and touch very much more in
Jimateiy the field in which the Inter
national Bureau Of the American ReDyb-
lies is interested. The plant from which
the product comes IS peculiarly a part
OF tropical flora, and although there are
TIb5er-prCduCIng plants outside of tropioaF
forests. the bulk Gf the staple is derived
from narrow belt on both sides OF the
equator, and decidedly better ADAPTED in
Latin America 10 rubber growth than
corresponding regions elsewhere.
Rubber Is the cream from the Juice
the milk. or the IateX. Of several varieties
OF tree or shrub. This latex IS not the
same as the sap, and it runs in different
channels and performs different functions.
As this latex flows from the cut I'm the
tree, IT has the appearance Of milk and
acts much in the same way. Il left 20
itself. the lateX separates into a lower
huid and surface mass, Ike cream.
which is india rubber
A Iatex possessing from Is 10 q per
cent Of rubber (cream) IS Of value and
VIII pay for working. but q proportion
'~io'' ----H - t-oy- anu Ll--llr alll only u
exceptional circumstances VIII il return
any profit Various ways have been de-
veloped or devised for obtaining this rub
Der from the latex, the process being in
trinSically coagUlatiOn. The aboriginal
method seems 10 have been. in Brazil.
By smoking heat; elsewhere natural heat
Is applied, or mineral or chemical ad-
ditions are made 70 the milk TO separate
the rubber Recently the suggestion has
been carried into practice OF using the
separator apparatus so efficient in the
daily industry
Affects Character of Product.
It cannot be doubted but that the CO.
asulatiOn process adopted has d notice
able influence on the character and mar
ket price Of crude rubber. although the
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