The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-07-20
OREGON TIRE TO BE
ON MARKET SOON


A party consisting of the executives
of the Columbia Tire Corporation of
Portland visited Hood River Sunday
before last and made the trip to Mount
Hood Lodge in order that Mr.. and Mrs.
Wursburg, of Grand Rapids, Mich
would have a good view of Hood River
valley and Mt Hood. Mr.. Wursburg,
who is the father of r. A. Wursburg,
president of the Columbia Tire Corpor-
alton, is interested in one of the larg-
est department stores of the eastern
city.
Others in the party consisted of Mr..
and Mrs. Alfred A. Aya, Mr.. and Mrs.
L. Wyman, K. C. Mohardt and Mr..
and Mrs. II. S. Riley.
Lewis Wyman, treasurer and pur-
chasing director of the company, re-
mained in Hood River a couple of days
and very interesting account of his
recent trip east with Mr.. Wursburg
to purchase machinery for the new
plant was given. They purchased APP
proximately 500, 900 worth of machin-
cry and the local plant will be the first
in the country to be completely
equipped at prevailing costs of machin-
cry, Mr.. Wyman stated, and in this
respect would have a distinct advan-
tage over two California plants which
were installed more than year ago,
when the cost of equipment was ap-
proximateIy double what it is today.
Besides the machinery purchased in
the east, a large amount of smaller
equipment will be bought from Port
land manufacturers, bringing the total
investment in the plant up to about
$4,000
The building of the Columbia Tire
Corporation now under construction on
an eight acre tract on the O.-W. r. d
N. trackage near Kenton will be COM
pleted September l, according to an
agreement with the Hauser Construc-
tion Co. and it is planned to have the
plant in operation early in October.
Cost of the building and site is about
Sl00, 600. The building is reinforced
concrete fireproof structure two stories
high and so by 300 feet in dimensions.
A spur $50 feet in length connects the
plant with the O.-W. r. & N. tracks.
The machines purchased are all of
the latest and heaviest types for the
work to be done. Some of the ma
chimes are: Three vulcanizers each 30
feet in height and weighing $4,000
pounds for curing tires under pressure
of l. 100 pounds to the square inch; a
cracker and washer for preparing rub
ber for manufacture, weighing Il, 900
pounds, and bias cutter tipping the
scales at 5000 pounds. The vulcan
izers have a 12-foot stroke and are
from 48 to 54 inches in diameter. A
horizontal tubing machine and a great
Uoriofx of aOuiOOnnOf uaa in
cluded in the purchase.
The heaviest single piece of machin-
cry in the plant is the calander used
for rolling out the rubber into sheets
after it comes from the mixing mills |
and laying it on to the tire fabric, |
which is fed between the middle and |
bottom rollers of the mechanism.
Great care is taken in the construction |
of the calander to eliminate vibration. |
which if present, is fatal to the pro-
duction of good tire fabric. The ad-
justment between the rolls is very fine, |
the manufacture of high grade tires |
requiring high degree of accuracy. |
The mechanism for opening and clos
ing the rolls is so geared that it takes
700 turns of the adjusting wheel to
move them one inch. A motor pro-
Vlueu IOr -InlS purpose Is HlJSu Win |
dial which indicates adjustments to a |
fine degree of accuracy.
In addition to the standard equip
ment of the plant, number of labor
saving devices designed by engineers
of the Columbia Tire Corporation are
being manufactured at eastern mills.
The plant will have capacity of 500
tires and 500 tubes daily and will give
to about 300 operatives.
Tire manufacturers in the east are
gradually increasing their output to
keep pace with the growing demand.
Automobile manufacturers are like
wise speeding up their plants and con-
ditions generally are improving in all
branches of manufacturing industry in
the eastern states, Mr.. Wyman averred,
but the situation in the east still is de-
cidedly sub-normal and prosperity is
less evident than on the Pacific Coast.
While manufacturers and business men
are optimistic as to the future, they
are careful not to increase production
beyond the need of the market.