The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-01-10
STOLE FIRST RUBBER SEEDS
The Unknown Engli>hman to Whom
the World Owes Debt

OF exhibits at the RuOoef SHo" III
Grand Central Palace TO whom the
rubber industry was most indebted
rhev would answer first Charles Good
wear. who in 1888 began a series OF
eHperiments which in 1912 resulted in
the discovery Of the process Of vul-
canization, under which crude rubber
swas made serviceable, and next W. H.
Wickham, an Englishn1an who is still
living on a pension in London.
Have you seen Wickham's picture
a reporter was asked at many OF the
English booths at the show.
u wish we had thought to bring
Wickham with us, one rubber grower
lamented. He would have attracted
a lot of attention.
But who is Wickham?" the report
er asked.
w. H. Wickham, he was told, was
the man who accumulated enough
seeds of the Para rubber trees from
the iunsles of Brazil to start the great
cultivated plantations out side OF that
country. He gathered $4,000 rubber
tree seeds in the face Of a Brazilian
law which would have doomed him to
chains if he had been caught.
In 1873 Clements suggested that the
same moist, hot climate of Brazil
where the rubber tree had flourished
for centuries without care, was to be
found in India. The agricultural de-
Dartmqut of east India took kindly to
the suggestion, and, after consuming
with the head of Kew Gardens in Lon
don, W. H. Wickham was chosen to
Gather the seed of the Para rubber
Tree in Brazil. Wickham lived in the
iungles with the natives and Won their
confidence. Slowly he collected seeds
until he had 10000 Of them. He put
them in bags and smuggled them
aboard a ship, which was short OF car :
90 and funds. The government OF IN
dia stood all the costs.
The seeds were cultivated in the
hothouses of Kew Gardens. Some .
600 Para plants developed, and these
were sent to Ceylon for cultivation.
That was the beginning of the rubber
growing industry in India, and now
millions of dollars are made annually
from rubber plantations in Ceylon'
Nalays and other east Indian pro-
yinces. From Wickham's seeds much
purer rubber was grown than Brazil
had ever seen. Today it is worth
twentv-two cents more than wild rub
ber
But what of wickham?" asked the
reporter.
We'll, Wickham was paid $4,000 for
his work. said one Of the exhibitors
And what place does he hold today
in the rubber business?''
None at all. He lives in London. He
is we'll informed on rubber, but he
never had enough money to invest in
it. Thousands have made fortunes
from rubber, but Wickham hasn't.
understand they gave him $1,000 IN
cash and the rest was put out at IN
terest to give him an income"
That is the way of the world" the
plantation owner continued. There
was Charles Goodyear, for instance
Rubber was useless until Mr.. Good
wear showed the world how to vul-
canize it. In summer it was a soft,
sticky mess. and in winter it was as
hard as stone. Goodyear started eX-
perimenting in 1888 and in 1912 he
made serviceable goods.
He patented his process in 1874 ana
then began that memorable suit which
brought Daniel Webster fee OF $29,-
600. Goodyear won the suit, but he
never made a fortune out of his dis
covery. His descendants are not even
in the rubber business, although the
family name has brought others MIL
1;ons of dollars. Chas. Goodyear did
make money, but he spent it as fast as
he got it to further his inventions, He
was a man of science. The money
kings reaped the real reward. When
the Legion of Honor button was pre-
sented to Goodyear he was in prison
for debt."-New York Times.
Women.