Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-20
UNSEEN FORCES LEAD TO
DEVELOPMENT OF AUTO
Scldcn's Engine and Rubber Plant
ing i'm lndin Made Possible
Americas Great Industry.
SEED sMuGGLED FROM BRAZIL
I'oldncss OF Englishman Resulted In
First Seedlings Being Sent to
Indin, Where Best Commercial
Rubber Is Now Grown.


set in motion in the carly seventies
two separate activities. which were
to cOaicsCc more than n generation
later. and make possible the great
automobile Industry Of America. and
the attendant tremendous expansion
of tie rubber and petroleum indus
tries.
Onc Of those activities was tho ef-
fort Of Seiden TO produce an auto
mobile engine. Here was the incep-
ton OF what has been termed the
most gigantic mechanical enterprise
o; the ages. 1t took many years for
the Hover TO bloom: but from the
Say OF those first experiments the
advent OF tho automobile was con-
stanu? imminent.
AS II the unseen forces that guide
human affairs were fully cognizant
that within brief period this ef-
fort OF Sclden's was TO blossom fully
IN the great automobile Industry Of
Today, another man III another quar-
ter Of the globe, and with no thought
OF the automobile in mind. took a,
about the same time. the steps which
have made 1t possible TO furnish for
that industry the large supplies Of
rubber on which automobiles are so
yitaily dependent.
DrnxiIs Supremacy Gone.
Until ten years ago. rubber meant
rubber from Brazil. There were some
other sources OF supply Of inferior
grades. but practically al! the prime
rubber came from Brazil. To-Day
Brazlls supremacy is gone. In less
than decade. the Ear Eas, has
jumped to the front, and Is now
producing tcnths .: the rubber
of the worh!.
The history OF tho passing OF tho
glory OF Brazil in this particular. has
sixties an Engiishman named II. y.
Wickham spent much time in brazil
in the rubber Held; He conceived
the idea that the rubber trees which
~ N
iivated and grown on plantations;
found little announcement.
Wickham finally enlisted the In
terc.t OF Sir Joseph iionken. Of
Kew Gardens, I.omdon. Who had been
considering the possibility OF in
Hooker In turn Interested the gov
crnmcnt o. India in the project. with
the result that wicisham was given
commission BY the. Indian gov
crnmcnt for the introduction OF the
brazilian tree into India.
Charters steamer Without Cargo.
How 10 ful6ll the commission was
the problsm.. Rocker had already
in spite OF the resources Of Kew.
W!chhan was IN Brazil when the So
scented itself. \ large British steam
or which had sailed UP the Amazon
on her first ,rip with a cargo OF goods
10 be soIa II being The INTENTION en-, INTO to
Der. for her return trip: found her
ee!t without funds and without a
cargo. when the supcrcarsoes. after
brought. decampcd with the. moray.
Wickham promptly chartered her in
the name Of the Indian government.
Third OF the way up the river. sew
cral thousands OF the seeds OF the
rubber tree. carefully packed.
his memoirs. "as the fine ship sped
so Far safe aboard. flung up fore and
empty forchold. became more and
more exercised and concerned with a
new anxiety.
I'VE were bound to call in at the
city OF Para as the port OF entry. in
order to obtain clearance papers for
the ship before We could go 10 sea-
that II the authorities guessed tho
purpose OF what had Oh hoard. We
should he driains: on plea for In
ment a, Rio. II not interdicted alto
gethe:.- ] had heard OF the difficult
ties encountered in the Clements
trees Into India in getting them out
from the Montana OF Peru. Any such
delay would have rendered my preci-
Gus freight quite valueless and use
less.
Put One over ON Don Pedro.
But again fortune favored. had
q friend at court In the person Of
the spirit Of the thing. went himself
with me on "a call to the proper Of
fcial. AND BACKED me up AS | present
and anxiety. being in charge OF. and
having on board ship anchored out
in the stream. exceedingly delicate
mated for delivery to Her Brlttanic
Majestys own Royal Garden OF Kew
Even while doing myself the honor
! had given orders to the captain. OF
the ship to keep up steam. having
ventured TO trust Ills Excellency
would see his way clear 10 furnish.
An interview most polite, fun of
mutual compliments In the hest Por-
tuGuese manner. enabled us to get
under way as soon as the captain
: had got the dingey hauled aboard
II got the captain TO r'it me ashore
at iiavre, and then posted over to
as TO dispatch a night goods-train
to meet the ship on arrival at the
Liverpool docks"
Sir William Thisclton-Dyer speaks
interestingly of the next step:
First Seedlings for Indin.
/ can assure you that on that June
IA. 1876, when Mr.wickham arrived
at Kew in II handsome cab with his
widest imagination could nave con-
templated It's result. saw Mr.. WicK-
haH'S SEEDS painted. WS Knew II
was, touch and go. because it was
likely the seeds would not terminate.
i remember we'll going into The prop
agating house on the third day they
were planted. and seeing that by good
luck the seed was terminating. On
August IL. thirty-eight cases went out
to Ceylon on a T. & Q. steamer.
CODA In 1881. and in that year the
first experiments in tapping began.
In 1854 there were over 1000 trees
at Heneratgoda. In 1898 about 10000
seeds were distributed to planters in
Ceylon. and similar numbers were dis
succeeding.
From the few plants thus cared for
In their youth, many OF which have
now grown to be monster trees, has
SpranE the whole Of the Ceylon in
athustry. as well as a great part Of
In 1877 twenty-five trees reared In
Malaga. Tho trees fruited in Sinea
pOrc nrst In 1881, and the seed was
SSSnt 10 Borneo and elsewhere. In
snt samples OF Malay rubber were
s,n no Eomaon and pronounced good.
, n"nuiacturers Slow to Realize.
no show how lightly tho piantn-
ton product was regarded nv Emrn-
pean and American rubber manufao.
turcrs. IL is only necessary 10 state
that 1t took from 1900 to 1904 for tho
annual PRODUCTION OF plantation rub
per 10 grow from four tons 10 forty.
. three tons So In 1907 the output
,eaGnea t9go tons: in 1911, 1850
o oon aol IN isib. 10000 tons. and in 1919
Brazilian output grew from liz
tons In 1900 until 1t reached jts msxi
mum OF 42,41G TOM in Iois 49,