The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1910-06-11

EXT to copper ana ron
an rubber ID the most i'm
tIAI portant material in the cleo.
trical industry. It u used
~ excessively ~ an insulat-
sng material. being one Of the best
easulatsss Of electricity In the world.
Nearly All the wires that carry cleo
trical current arc protected with rub
bar issulation. Rubber prevents the
.slsctricity escaping through contact
II the wire with other conductors; It
prsveats accidents. nres. and keeps
khs electrical apparatus from burn
AHg out and Destroying itself. Besides
bedng ussd for insulating wires and
cables at the plants Of the General
ElscaTscal Company. rubber u used In
~ mAnufacture Of motors. switches.
0snsfaAoss, and nearly all electrical
0aoA3nea.
Ths story Of rubber ID the story Of
Ne oenQuest OF the tropical 1ungles;
Ne fights against disease. poisonous
kspktIos and insects, lnan-eating ami
haals, hunger and thirst and the dan.
gsr q being lost forever.
Civilization hrst heard q rubber In
H3sfTsra's account Of the second voy.
ags Il Columbus. in tina rear 1898,
where be SPEAKS Of elastic balls made
by Tie 1ativss from the gum q . tres.
TAs drst authentic account At IT.
practical use was recorded In 174e
b. the leader Of . French government
sxrsdiuca returning from South
lAnaS1ca, who reported that The na-
kives secured from the Juice OF tres
perenin guM which was vssy elastic.
mDsrvious to wAtsr and used In NAH
Ing bottles. shoes and squirt guns.
I thirty ysars later It was introduced
10 oommerce when N EnglishmAn
brought from Assam, India, . soft,
pponu substance which would erass
head pencil marks and which after
wards became known ~ India rubber.
Many primitive uses were found
Nor this woaderful gum, but owing to
ats susceptibility TO changes Of tenn
peraturs. which rendered 1t sticky and
more or less auid, rubber did mot come
anto its own until early in tho last
century. At that time 1t was discov-
sersd. after . great dsal Of expert
nent, that By mixing sulphur with
crude rubber and suhjecting Il to =
higA degree Of heat, these former de-
rsciencies were eliminated and q mate.
rial was produced which was both
tough and elastic, and would retain
kAoso properties under varying tenn
pera&ures. This process Of curing was
called inflammation and 10 the basis
IL rubber making to-day.
iof rubber manufacture since the time
shat it, products now exceed value
1t SSeo. 0oo, 900 annually.
!, Contrafy TO the popular impression.
rubber gum b not derived from the
zap. It 70 secured from . milky juice
SDr latsx which II found only in the
bark. This latex contains substance
hnown ~ caoutchouc (the active prin-
vcipls Of rubber). together with cor.
tain albuminoids. resins. etc.. which
upon the evaporation Of moisture
jcoagulats. forming . thick. sponsy
substance. The percentage Of caout-
ehouc. in proportion to other insrsdi-
eats contained in the lister. deter.
bninss the quality Of the rubber.
The regions from which rubber
gum b secured form an irregular belt
In the tropics and sub-tropics extend
Ing around the earth. the quality pro
rursd varying greatly according to the
species Of plant. the soil and the cli-
nats. Great quantities are produced
hn Africa. MEXICO. Csylon and the
Malay islands, but the most desirable
rubber Of resiliency and wear resist.
h1cs b secured from Q tree found In
he Amazon river district, South
America. This rubber IL known a.
eara, the name being derived from it,
chisf city. Of export It not only con.
tains a. high - sS per cent. Of caout-
ehouc, but the methods used by the
aativss IN preparing II for market are
= much superior that It 10 selected
u prsference TO all others for manu-
ACQUIRING purposes.
Rubber gathering in the Amazon
slyer district 10 . haxardous and din.
A.lt undertaking. The supply comes
1rom Wild trsss scattered throughout
Aanes forests, 70 which paths must be
81 through tie taASied and luxuriant
unlef9rowth. Evsn tAsa the trsss can
caty b rsacAsd during tArss 10 i've
aeatAs d IL year. - throughout the
MT seaeoe ths forests arc completely
The climate y % ~
Asalthy tAa& Waite men ean1oe % TIN
wssk a11 4 = nseessasy 70 rsly sssa