El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-09-29

had 10 travel more than 5000 mile;
TO get the stuff. Ny first port Of
destination was Para at the mouth o.
the Amazon. and 7 rode for several
weeks on that mighty stream through
what were then the chief rubber
lands Of the globe. Today the indus
trial demands OF the war have given
me a second rubber assignment. and
7 have come to this little city Of Ak
ron, in the heart Of the North Ameri-
can continent I am now on the roof
Of the interior state Of Ohio, 900 miles
from any seaport thousands of miles
from the equatorial forests Of Brazil
and more than half way round the
world from Malaysia, where are sit
uated the rubber plantations from
which the chief part Of the world s
product now comes.
AT Top Of Worlds Necessities.
Since I wrote that first letter the
rubber industry has bounced TO the
TOP OF the worlds great necessities
the center Of production Of the raw
material has Travelled from the Willis
Of South America to the cultivated
city Of tropical Asia, and Akron has
become the chief rubber msnufactur-
ing city Of the world. It is now pro-
duciuE more than one-third OF all the
rubber goods made by mankind and
its output this year will be so great
goods TO every family in the United
states and have some to spare
The motor traffic Of today is cush-
Toned on Akron The tires turned out
there last year exceeded 11.0O0. 600 in
number. and that product will be
doubled within few months TO come
The output at present Is about 10000
tires every day or enough TO equip
10000 vehicles while the sun rises and
sets. There are now more than 5000
Of
devoted TO making rubber tires only.
and there are companies which make
vast quantities of tires and at the
same time other rubber goods Of
every description
Rubber Bands by the Carload.
visited one plant which sends out
rubber bands by the carload. making
enough every week 10 bury from sight
= team Of horses and dozen men
standing around them. It makes rub
her belts and conveyors which are
miles IN extent, and for hospital use
rubber sheets which would cover
acres.
Akron has factories that make rub
Der goods for every possible want
from the nipple that feeds milk to the
baby 10 the hot water bottle thar
warns the chilled feet of the aged on
the edge Of the grave Il makes rub
Der boots for the trenches and diving
suits for going under the sea II
makes dirigible balloons for piercing
the clouds and airplans tires to soften
the descent to the great flying ma
chimes as they land from the skies.
IT makes in short. so many things Of
rubber that the names alone would
take more space than T have for this
letter. Many of its products are Of
vital necessity TO US in our war with
the Germans and the most Of the fac
tories are nov working on war or
ders- There are so Establishments all
told They cover thousands Of acres. !
and some Of the larger Of them have
as many as 10000 men and women
p lsboring away under one roof.
Is Product OF Many Trees.
But before 7 describe these great
Akron factories want TO tell YOU Of
the mighty changes that are going on
in the rubber industry During nv
stay here I have talked with r1bbe-
experts from other parts OF the world, ]
and. through the chief officials Of the I
plants am able 70 give you some idea 7
Of the situation today. First let me /
tell yOu what rubber is II does not
come from one tree only 1t is a milky I
fluid which is found in the bark Of 4
more than 300 trees and vines which /
EroW near the equator. tt also exists ]
in q shrub Of the Mexican deserts, and /
is found IN certain African roots
There are some trees. however. that J
produce far more rubber than others. !
and there are four varieties Of crude
rubber which are Of especial i'm
portance- The species known as |
HeTea is the best OF all rubber, and 4
il comes either from the Amazon val ]
ley or is a descendant Of trees that 4
grow there
Twenty years ago the wild trees Of /
equatorial Brazil were the chief
source OF the rubber of the world. and /
they are still producing a large part
or the product From the mouth Of 4
the Amazon. all the way Up its wind
ing course TO its source in the Andes, /
= distance almost as far as from New
York TO San Francisco, there is a /
dense forest which, in places, is wider |
than from St Paul to St Louis. This
Is spotted with rubber trees. which 1
grow wide distances apart here and ]
there through the woods They extend /
over a territory One-third as large as ]
the whole United States. but they are I
so far apart that the rubber gather ]
er has-to walk miles every day in col I
lectinE the milk fro mthe trees he has I
apped
During my stay in the Amazon val l
ley visited some Of the rubber camps .
and even made some rubber myself. I
The rubber trees there look much like ]
the English ash They grow to a I
height OF about so feet Their bark is |
silver gray, but II turns black after /
tapping The trunks Of the full grown I
trees are as big around as a mans 4
waist and after they have been |
tapped they swell out at the base so I
that they are much larger.
The trees blossom in August and /
they bear nuts in December and jan I
uarE When the nuts are ripe the i
shells burst with a noise like a fire 4
cracker. throwing them far and wide \
dpoul Lne tree There are so many ]
nuts on each tree that a man could |
gamer enough in day to plant 100 i
acres or land II takes. however. from ]
10 70 70 years for a wild tree Of the i
Amazon forest to produce rubber. and ]
90 Tar no plantations Of any import
arlce nave been set out in that region.
HraEii's Great Rubber Industry.
I'd until about seven years ago
practical y all Of the worlds supply or
rude rubber came from the Amazon.
IL was gathered by Indians. some Of
whom were debt slaves. Immigrants
we're also brought in from other parts
o. brazi- and groups Of natives were
sent NJ the river during the wet sea-
son 10 gather the rubber when the I
ury season came Much Of the work ]
was done by contract labor. and a
larSe percentage Of the men died in
the forests.
turning % into rubber were rude to an
extreme, and the trees were often de
streEed oF pad tapping. The rubber
maqe was from trees which I Eashed
Win a hatcnet. the blade Of which was
about two inches wide 7 put tin cup
under each cash and the next day
went rom tree 10 tree and brought in
hal1 gallon Of milk I then came
back 10 the camp and smoked the !
rubber as the Brazilians directed.
mace a IRE OF palm nuts in the
corner OF a shed, under a little clay
chimney This caused a dense smoke.
INTO Wnicn 1 thrust wooden paddle