St. Paul tidende. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1902-1928, 1909-05-07
THE ROMANCE OF RUBBER

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Next to copper and iron, rubber Is
me most important material in the
sivo1rical industry: It is used extern
ing one Of the best insulators of cleo
trlc1ty in the world. Nearly all the
wires that carry electrical current are
protected with rubber insulation. Rub
ner prevents the electricity escaping
lnrough contact Of the wire with other
ephddu1ucdors, 1T prevents accidents, fires,
ana Keeps the electrical apparatus from
purnlng out and destroying itself. Be-
sues pelng used for insulating wires
and GABLES at the plants Of the Cen
erai Electric company rubber is used
IN the manufacture Of motors, switch
es' generators, and nearly all electrical
machines. -
The story of rubber is the story of
the conquest Of the tropical jungles:
the fights against disease, poisonous
reptlles n Insects, man eating ami
mails, hunger and thirst and the danger
OF being lost forever.
civilization first heard Of rubber in
Herrera's accoun Of the second voy-
age Of Columbus in the year 1893,
where he speaks of elastic balls made
tree.
me first authentic account Of its
practlcal use was recorded in 1745 by
tne leader Of a French governmental
eAn mepicn w., returning from South
aeeured from the juice Of a tree a GER
IAN gum which was very elastic, M
Perv1ous to water and used in making
poIIles, shoes and squirt guns.
Ihlrty years later it was introduced
~ commerce when an Englishman
orought from Assam. India, a soft
spongy substance which would erase
lead pencil marks and which after
wards became known as India rubber.
Many primitive uses were found for
this wonderful gum, but owing to its
susceptibility to changes Of tempera-
ture, which rendered it sticky and moro
or less fluid. rubber did not come into
ITS own until early In the last century.
At that time it was discovered, after
a great deal Of experiment, that by
mixing sulphur with crude rubber and
subiectfng it to a high degree of heat,
these former deficiencies were clint
mated and a material was produced
would retain those properties under
varying temperatures. This process Of
curing was called vu~lcanization, and
Is the basis Of rubber making today.
So great has been the development
OF rubber manufacture since that time
that its products now iced a. value
Of $500, 000, 900 annually.
Contrary to the popular impression
rubber gum Is not derived from the
sap. It is secured from a milky iu1ce
or latex which is found only in the
bark. This latex contains a substance
known as ca%outchouc (the active prin-
ciple Of rubber), together with certain
album1noids, resins, etc., which upon
the evaporation Of moisture coagulate,
forming a thick, spongy substance.
The percentage Of caoutchouc, In pro-
portion to other Ingredients contained
in the latex, determines the quality Of
the rubber.
The regions from which rubber gum
Is secured form an irregular belt In the
tropics n subtroplcs extending
around the earth, the quality procured
varying greatly according to the spe-
cies Of plant, the soil and the climate.
Great quantities are produced in
Africa, Mexico, Cey1on and the Malay
islands, but the most desirable rubber
for res1liency and wear resistance is
secured from a tree found in the ANA
zop river district South America This
rubber is known as Para, the name be-
ing derived from its chief city Of ex-
port. 1t not only contains as high as
IS per cent Of caoutchouc, but the
methods used by the natives in pre-
pairing it for market are so much su-
perior that it is selected in preference
to all others for manufacturing pur-
poses.
Rubber gathering in the Amazon
River district is a hazardous
supply comes from wild trees
scattered n, %thEoughqpt dense for.
through the tangled and luxuriant un-
dergrowth. Even then, the trees can
only be reached during 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 re-
membered that out of a seasons ex-
petition perhaps only half will return
alive.
When a rubber tree is found the nat
i've gatherer cuts a series Of gashes
irto the bark with his machete, encirc-
ling the tree from the ground up, as
high as he can reach. Cups are fas-
tened to catch the latex as it oozes out.
When a sufficient quantity is collected
it is removed to the temporary hut
where a dense smoke-producing fire Is
made of certain nuts palm leaves.
Then taking his wooden paddle the ma
tive dips 1t into the latex and holds It
over the fire, turning it round and
round until the latex AS
soon as it is hard a new layer Of
latex is added and ~coagulated as be-
fore. This process Is continued until
the mass has grown too large for han
ding, when the paddle is taken out
and the rubber set aside for export.
The process of c~oagulation and fum1-
cation with these specially selected
nuts and leaves prevents 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
believed to materially shorten their
life; but unfortunately many thou
sands of trees are annually rendered
useless by careless and improper meth
DDS. Although the source Of crude u b
Der gum is practically ~inexhaustible,
the limited native labor supply and the
difficulties encountered up to the time
of marketing it nave tended to keep
down the supply and maintain a high
standard Of prices.
How Russell Sage Made Money.
In a lone experience with Wall street
affairs I have seldom known Of q
n11nper who in the end has come ont