SKETCH OF CHARLES GOODYEAR. 693 



wltli caoutclioiic, liis eldest daughter making the first pair of vul- 

 canized shoes that were produced. The gum, dissolved in oil of tur- 

 pentine, colored with lampblack, and hardened with magnesia, was 

 spread upon flannel, and out of this material finely embossed shoes 

 Avere made. But they proved to be a failure in the winter of 1835-'36 

 (Trials of an Inventor, by B. K. Peirce). " It was at this time," says 

 his daughter, " that I remember beginning to see and hear about 

 India rubber. It began to appear in little patches upon the window 

 panes and on the dinner plates. Father took possession of our kitchen 

 for a workshop. He would sit hour after hour, working the gum 

 with his hands." 



Goodyear thought the difiiculty was in the turpentine, Avas glad 

 to get some barrels of unthickened sap (alcohol had been added), and 

 hoped to dry the gum so that it would not decompose. His Irish 

 workman announced that he had made the important discovery — 

 having given his trousers a thorough coating of the liquid-^and was 

 regarded, as may be imagined, with some dismay, until the trousers 

 soon had to be cut off to enable him to rise from his seat by the 

 fire. The inventor was now satisfied that the stickiness belonged to 

 the gum itself, that it was not a result of the process employed. His 

 early failures were made disheartening by the refusal of friends, to 

 whom he had held out high hopes, to extend further aid. He buried a 

 little son, and was obliged to sell his furniture and resort to the pawn- 

 broker, losing the household linen spun by his wife. Yet he did not 

 lose hope, and still felt confident that God was leading him to the 

 accomplishment of his task. This faith sustained him in what is per- 

 haps the most remarhahle pursuit of a discovery in the realm of 

 invention. 



Alone he reached 'New York, worn and rusty, his hands covered 

 with " gum elastic," and was supplied with facilities for experiment. 

 He produced good results by boiling the articles, made with magnesia, 

 in quicklime and water, and made thin sheets of gum for the first 

 time (Hancock had done the same). Somebody being asked how Mr. 

 Goodyear might be known, said, " If you meet a man who has on 

 an India-rubber cap, stock, coat, vest, and shoes, with an India-rubber 

 money purse without a cent of money in it, that is he." He obtained 

 a patent for his new process and medals at the fairs of the Mechanics' 

 and American Institutes in 1835. He manufactured articles, but, alas ! 

 soon found that weak acid neutralized the lime and rendered them 

 sticky. Discouragement only made him more self-sacrificing and de- 

 termined. His next improvement was somewhat accidental, led to a 

 better sale of his products, and advanced him to the threshold of his 

 great discovery. Being of aesthetic tastes, he was always striving to 

 improve the appearance of his goods. He tried aqua fortis (commer- 



