August i, 1907.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



349 



POINTS ON RUBBER TIRES. 



THE BEST WHEEL FOR THE TIRE. 



A N aiitoniobik- supply llrm at Jamaica, Long Island, re- 

 ^^ port 10 The India Ruuuer World having run two Dia- 

 mond tires for 30,000 miles each, without repairs other than 

 the recovering of one of the casings. They write further: 

 "All of these records [including one of 9,000 and one of 

 11,000 miles] were made on White steamers, and all but one 

 on the right front wheel, the other on the left front which 

 conlirms — at least to our satisfaction — our contention that 

 the right front wheel is tlic easiest on the tire, owing to the 

 track which it follows always being the most carefully ob- 

 served by the operator." 



RTTBBER TIRES IN BRAZIL. 



The .American consul general at Rio de Janeiro, in a re- 

 cent report on the market for rubber tires, wrote: "The rub- 

 ber tires now used come principally from France, though 

 some are manufactured in Brazil." In response to a request 

 from The Indl\ Ri'bbeu World for further details, Mr. Ander- 

 son says: 



".'\t the time the report you refer to was written there was 

 an attempt to make solid rubbtr tires on a small scale here, 

 and I am told that the matter was also considered and per- 

 haps tried in Sao Paulo. With the facilities had here, and 

 witli the comparatively small demand for tires in Brazil, the 

 attempts were little more than experiments and have failed." 



Mr. Anderson thinks that a well equipped establishment 

 under proper management — perhaps as a branch of a foreign 

 factory — might be operated successfully in Brazil, but its 

 problem would be first to stimulate the use of rubber tires. 

 Solid rubber tires for a victoria cost at Rio about $140, Amer- 

 ican gold, and pneumatics about $190, including duties and 

 other import costs of substantially 50 per cent. 



CHEAPER TIRES FOR ASSOCIATION MEMBERS. 



Members of the .Association Generale Automobile of 

 France, according to the official licvuc of the association, are 

 entitled to buy many kinds of accessories at a discount from 

 manufacturers' lists, including pneumatic tires of the follow- 

 ing makes, at the reductions stated below; 



Bergougnan .. 20% Dunlop 8% Hutchinson ... 15% 



Bouland lo'/r Dynamic 15% Jenatzy 8% 



Calinon 6'/c Edeline 10% Michelin 5% 



Clincher 14% Electric 20% Persan 10% 



Colonial Rub. . 20% Engelbert .... TO% Torrilhon .... 8% 



Continental ... 8'/f Falconnet .... i.i'I Veritas 10% 



A PNEtTMATIC TIKE SHIELD. 



A RECENT invention relating to vehicle wliccls invohcs the 

 combination with a pneumatic tire of a rigid metallic shield 

 whicli is extended inwardly beyond the middle plane of the 

 pneumatic tire and bears snugly against its sides. The shield 

 comprises two circumferentially separable sections and means 

 for holding them together. The purpose of the shield is to 

 provide spaces between the side bearings and the tread por- 

 tion into which the pneumatic tire may blow when distorted 

 under pressure. Patents have been granted for this invention 

 to John Thomson, of New York, assignor to the Trident 

 Tire Co. 



BRIEF MENTION. 



The Fisk Rubber Co., in addition to their regularly me- 

 chanically fastened type of tire, are building a clincher which 

 is put out for renewal purposes only. It is of their heavy car 

 type of construction and designed to be as nearly puncture 

 proof as a pneumatic can be made. 



S. P. Applewhite has applied to the government of Mexico 

 for a concession to establish in that republic a factory for 

 making pneumatic tires and other articles of rubber. 



How to locate the spot where a puncture occurs is some- 

 thing that a great many enthusiasts and experts spend time 



on, and among late suggestions is one whereby smoke is 

 forced into the tire, coming out later through the puncture; 

 another is to blow a small quantity of fine coloring matter 

 into the tire, dampening the outer surface, and when the air 

 exudes through the hole the coloring matter comes with it 

 and makes a small stain about at the punctured part. Those 

 who have a fine eye for color can select shades that syn- 

 chronize with their neckties or with the body of the car, and 

 not only locate the puncture, but gain some beautiful effects 

 as well. 



LONDON MOTOR 'BUSES. 



THE London motor bus companies, organized with such a 

 flourish a year or so ago, and which were looked to as 

 promising so great a demand for rubber tires, have not fully 

 realized the promises made in their prospectuses. Recently four 

 of the larger companies have been merged, under the name 

 Vanguard Motor Bus Co., Limited, the four old companies 

 going into liquidation. Their shareholders were informed that 

 the limited success of the enterprises had been due (l) to in- 

 convenient restrictions placed upon the motor 'bus traffic by 

 the authorities, and (2) to the great number of accidents to per- 

 sons and property, and the heavy damages which persons with 

 grievances had been able to obtain through the courts. It is 

 believed, however, that more favorable regulations will be ob- 

 tained, that the number of accidents will be lessened as the pub- 

 lic become accustomed to the new vehicles, and that with the 

 decline of popular prejudice the courts will be more lenient in 

 assessing damages. The 'buses in use are carrying millions of 

 passengers, and the companies are learning economies in opera- 

 tion without rendering the service less efficient. 



The Vanguard Motor Bus Co., Limited, at the end of June 

 had 267 'buses licensed for service, and 160 new 'buses, or un- 

 dergoing alterations, for which licenses would be requested. 

 The share and debenture capital authorized is £1,500,000; amount 

 issued to July 6, £990,000. The total number of motor 'buses in 

 London, according to a recent census taken by Motor Traction, 

 was 977, of which 343 were at that time credited to the Vanguard 



Company. 



* * » 



The Berlin General Omnibus Co. have been the subject of 

 unfavorable reports, which have led to a heavy decline in the 

 market price of their shares. A dividend of 15 per cent, was 

 distributed in 1905, and only 5 per cent, last year. The London 

 Financial Nezvs is advised that it is doubtful if there will be 

 any dividend this year. 



MURAC. 



TO THE Editor of The India Rubber World: Our attention 

 has been called to a very interesting article headed "Murac," 

 appearing in the current issue of your journal [June i — page 

 268], but it is hardly consistent with the technical facts to state 

 that we are only using balata in its manufacture. We have the 

 pleasure of informing you that we can successfully convert 

 balata into murac, and as you are no doubt aware, we are always 

 willing to grant any one a full investigation of our process, as 

 our books are opened to all interested parties. We trust you 

 will put us right in this matter, as we want murac to be a hall 

 mark for high standards of mixtures. We enclose a sample of 

 sheeting, made from very cheap Lagos rubber 85 per cent., pure 

 murac (33) 15 per cent., and vulcanized with 10 per cent. 

 sulphur. We are rather proud of the result, as without the 

 addition of murac in this mixture the rubber would have been 

 very lazy and almost unworkable. 



THE BRITISH MURAC SYNDICATE, LIMITED, 



MoBLAND M. Desseau. Manager. 

 London, June 15, 1907. 



