The mirror., 1922-01-05
RUBBER FOR HIGHWAYS


Der would erase pencil marks; and from
this its common name is derived.
Charles Mcintosh, another Englishman,
discovered in the 10Th century that rub
Der could be waterproofed for clothing;
hence the raincoat long known as the
macintosh.
1t is certain that specimens of the raw
rubber-caoutchouc to give it its proper
name-were taken to Europe from India
by La Condamine in 1888, but no use was
found for it until after DR.. Priestley had
named it India-rubber.
There is story that when Columbus dis
covered America in 1892, he found some
of the aboriginals playing with balls that
bounced These curious balls were de-
clared to have been made from milky
substance exuded from certain trees from
it the Indians also made crude shoes, and
garments, even vulcanizing them in
rough way over their wood fires. Samples
of these articles were taken to Spain, and
the story goes on to say that to the King
of Spain Columbus presented complete
suit of rubber clothing waterproof
one day the King wore his suit too long
in the blazing sun, with disastrous results,
for the suit had not been vulcanized.
That story may be rather apocryphal,
for nothing much was done with rubber
until in the United States in 1881 Charles
Goodyear began extensive experiments to
improve the quality of rubber goods. He
was not a trained scientist, but was fas-
cinated by the study of rubber. In his
notebook was found this statement:
81 was encouraged in my efforts to i'm
prove the quality of rubber goods by the
reflection that that which is hidden and
unknown and cannot be discovered by
scientific research will most likely be dis
covered by accident if at all, and by the
man who applies himself most persistently
to the subject, and is most observing Of
everything relating thereto"
This being Goodyear's belief, he ne
elected the wants of his family and bor-
rowed all the money he could from
friends and persisted In experimenting
with rubber for seven years before he
achieved success
In 1885 he manufactured shoes, but
failed and became bankrupt. Still Good
year persisted, willing to proceed with his
experiments in face of the fact that he knew
he was bringing great distress upon him
self and family and knew that he would
be debarred from sympathy of other people.
From Nathaniel Haywood another in
vestigator in England, and his family,
Goodyear learned to mix sulphur with rub
Der, but it never occurred to him to try the
effect of heat until he accidentally dropped
some of the compound on hot stove.
That accident" meant everything to
the rubber business.
Rubber has come into almost innumer-
able contacts with modern life. An Of
fetal of one large rubber company declares
that rubber is with US from the cradle to
the grave-the nipple on the nursing bot
tie and the little bumpers on the lid of the
casket." Speaking of rubber he continues:
Whether it be found in the hose of the
city fire department., an ice-bag to reduce
a fever, hot-water bottle to check chill,
or an automobile tire to reduce shock and
jar, it is singular fact that the funda-
mental purpose of rubber is to conserve
human life and promote comfort. Wher-
ever it is used it is always protecting
something. 1t is the rubber receiver and
transmitter that makes the telephone safe.
1t is the rubber raincoat that keeps you
dry, and rubber insulation conserves elec-
trical power. 1t prevents waste in thou
sand different ways"
Over one hundred years ago an ingen-
ious Englshman invented a self-propelled