Milford chronicle., 1943-02-19
RUBBER RECOVERED
By The National Board of Fire
Underwriters

RI BEER RECOVERED
By The National Board of Fire
Underwriters
When the history OF this war is
finally written, ii is certain that the
research historian cannot give ma
jol credit for the final victory OF
the United Nations to their adVan
tage in warlike preparations nor to
their accessibility in sources of
many critical raw materials, in
cluding rubber or tin. II may even
be that the records will not show
any appreciable superiority of
military or naval command on the
side of the free peoples of the
world.
But one Incompatible asset of the
Allies is certain to weigh heavily
in their favor in the final outcome
the ingenuity and ability of free
enterprise to adapt itself quickly
and successfully to meeting and
mastering emergencies.
Documenting the historians con-
clusions will be the case of the
Fall River fire on October -. 1871.
which consumed between and IL
per cent Of Americas supply of
crude rubber and caused govern
ment and rubber industry experts
to agree that any appreciable sal
wage was prOhlematical. To say the
least. Remembering its peacetime
lessons, however. private enter
prise rejected the word "impos-
sible" and began to experiment with
one of the strangest and most sue
cessful of modern Enterprises
mining melted rubber with steam
shovels.
Had it not been for this salvage
attempt. the equipment of airplanes
and tanks and other war machines
would have been seriously handi-
capped. But asa result of this Op-
Grafton. 10000 tons of rubber. pre-
viOusly feared to have been de-
stroyed by fire, was reclaimed for
use in the war effort.
The Japs were well along with
their secret preparations to over
whelm Pearl Harbor. Singapore.
and the worlds ma or rubber
sources. when tho fire occurred al
tho nlant Of Tho Firest0Ne Rubber
and LateX Products Company in
Fall River Massachusetts. Before
it was eXtinguished several days
late". the con fagra'i0n destroyed
20 buildings contai~ing $4,000 tons
If crude rubber. The severity of
Ibis catastrouhe TO our inadequate
rubber supply was soon made
evident by the sequence
If events at Pearl HarbOr. Java.
Burma and Malaga through which
he japanese gained control of the
'hief sources of our raw rubber
While this shortage of rubber has
iince tended to revolutionize our
'ivilian life. it threatened to be a
major disaster for our military
orces and those of our Allies.
We needed untold quantities of
ubber for the tires and gasoline
anks of airplanes: for the treads
# tanks; for insulation of war ma
hines and for many other pur-
,oses. The loss of these tons of
rude rubber at Fall River has been ,
'ointed to frequently as an out
tanding example of what fire. as l
n ally of the Axis. can do to crit {
cal materials. ,
3 tut American business men ,
iould not concede that the rubber $
ias lost. AS a result of their de- !
and ingenuity much of {
he rubber which was supposedly f
estrOyed at Fall River is today on T.
he treads of tanks in North Africa Il
nd ill the tires of planes battling h
le Axis on many fronts. s
The ruins of the F'irestone plant
,oked much like pictures of Lon y
on during the early days of the o
eIman air war. Little rubber n
as in sight except where a spongy II
Ianket had flowed across streets II
ear the warehouses. Principally a
sible were gaunt walls reminis- fl
snt of Roman or Grecian ruins. II
nd great masses of bricks, granite t,
locks and debris. o-
Despite the hopeless outlook. the a
ubber Reserve Corporation. The n
irestone Company and the fire in ~
france companies which had the "
surance on the buildings and 81
Ieir contents, agreed to try to W
llvage any unspoiled crude rubber ri
Id selected the Underwriters Sal W
lge Company of New York to do ii
e job. This company is owned ia
Id operated by the fire insurance cr
and it functions in SO al
ates. It's salvage operations w
we extended from saddle soap to m
lie laces, from rugs to cargoes
we'd from torpedoed American h,
erchant ships-in fact, to prac- w
ally anything that is demaged to
fire or water but still can be sr
claimed. ne
The salvage operations began on IN
.tober 28, 1941. First it was
cessary to tear down what re-
lined of the walls and to remove
yers of fire-blackened wreckage.
fore the last of 500 truck loads
debris had been cleared away, it
s apparent that some of the rub
r could be recovered. How much, CT
s still anybody's guess, but the
ount visible justified the ex- II
use of the attempt. The method
ally developed for digging out on
rubber was very similar to at
rip" mining. Seven great SHOW
a crane and dozen. large va