July t, 1903.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



351 



for twenty-two years and has been superintendent for over 

 twelve yeais. Mr. Howell owns an attractive home in the 

 eighth ward, and represented his ward in the city council In 

 1 890-94. 



The Reliance Rubber Co., the new manufacturing concern 

 mentioned in this column last month, was delayed somewhat 

 in beginning operations, owing to the need of repairs to the 

 power plant which were not at first thought necessary. The 

 company hope to be in full running order, with their water 

 power in first class condition, by July i. William R. Thropp 

 (Trenton) supplied the Reliance company with a 40 >( 40 platen 

 hydraulic press and a screw press. 



The plant of William R. Thropp. by the way, has been ex- 

 tremely busy all the spring and summer with work on rubber 

 machinery and other special contracts. The shop has been 

 operated night and day much of the lime. 



The Hamilton Rubber Manufacturing Co. have received a 

 new 74 inch three platen heavy belting press built by the Far- 

 rel Foundry and Machine Co. (Ansonia, Connecticut). The 

 company have had in contemplation for some time past an ex- 

 tensive addition to their mill, but the matter has been delayed 

 on account of unsettled labor conditions. 



The Mercer Hospital fair, held during the last four days of 

 May, and to which donations of cash or material were made by 

 most of the local rubber companies, resulted in net profits of 

 $2500. 



The net receipts at the Memorial day picnic of the local 

 rubber workers' union amounted to $478. Over 400 members, 

 headed by the Naval Reserve band, and a delegation of the 

 Central Labor Union paraded to the grounds. 



The De Laski & Thropp Circular Woven Tire Co., with an 

 authorized capital of $100,000, was incorporated in the county 

 clerk's office at Trenton on June 25. By the articles of incor- 

 poration the purpose of the company is declared to be " to 

 manufacture automobile and other circular woven tubular fab- 

 rics." The concern begins business with $10,000 paid in. The 

 incorporators are Albert De Laski, Weehawken, N. J., 40 

 shares; Peter D. Thropp, Sheriff Thomas H. Thropp, John E. 

 Thropp, and Frank W. Thropp, all of Trenton, 15 shares each. 

 Under patents of Mr. De Laski, the inventor of the circular 

 hose loom, the company will manufacture automobile and other 

 vehicle tires, the distinctive feature of which will be a base of 

 webbing woven in a circular tubular form by an ingenious ma- 

 chine, the invention of Mr. De Laski. This machine consists 

 of one of his circular hose looms, which by a new attachment 

 and feeding smaller ply yarn to the inner side of the tire than 

 is fed to the tread, causes the weave to assume the circular form. 

 The machine is adjustable and will weave any size tires, from 20 

 inches diameter, up. The company will manufacture a solid rub- 

 ber tire, two styles of single tube, a heavy clincher for automo- 

 biles, and an inner tube tire. One of the weaving machines 

 and the complete machinery for making the tires on a small 

 scale has been installed in the works of the John E. Thropp & 

 Sons Co.. and here the tires are being made. As soon as every 

 detail of the manufacture has been perfected a factory will be 

 erected in this city and the manufacture commenced on a large 

 scale. Mr. De Laski has taken out patents on his process in 

 the United States and nineteen foreign countries. 



The Franklin Rubber Co., incorporated May 29, 1903, 

 under New Jersey laws, to deal in rubber goods ; authorized 

 capital, $1,000,000. The company is referred to as being ex- 

 clusively an inside company and a selling agency of the Mer- 

 cer Rubber Co., manufacturers, of Trenton, and the registered 

 offices in New Jersey are at No. 137 East State street — the 

 headquarters of the Mercer company. The incorporators are 



William H. Sayen, James S. Austin, and William P. Huston, of 

 Philadelphia, and John E. Clancy and John A. Sloan, of Tren- 

 ton — each signing the papers as the holder of 10 shares each of 

 the par value of $100. 



Till: RUBBER TRADE IN KANSAS CITY. 



N 1 . 



1^0 the Editor oj Tin India Rubber World : On the 

 theory that " it's an ill wind that blows no one good " it 

 was thought the trade in rubber goods at least would have been 

 greatly stimulated by the recent floods in Kansas and Kansas 

 City, but dealers in this class o( merchandise say they have suf- 

 fered equally with firms in other lines. In one item, that of 

 rubber boots, there was a strong demand, but it was not suffi- 

 cient to offset the loss in other directions. 



" It is a natural error," said the manager ol one of the leading 

 Kansas City rubber companies yesterday, " to suppose that 

 trade in our line should have been largely increased by reason 

 of the floods and the attendant rains. Our house, doinga busi- 

 ness of half a million dollars a year, wholesale and retail, in Kan- 

 sas City and Kansas City territory, is probably a fair barometer 

 of conditions in the rubber trade. Beginning with the first of 

 the high water here our trade fell off fully one- half and the de- 

 mand for specialties like rubber boots was not sufficient to 

 anywhere near make up for it. There was a demand for rubber 

 boots that could not be supplied. The local stocks were ex- 

 hausted the second day and then all of us who handle this class 

 of goods began to telephone and telegraph over the country 

 (or more. We drew on Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, every 

 city where there was any considerable stock, and drained the 

 western depot of the United States Rubber Co. St. Louis had 

 a flood of its own and couldn't help us. 



" It is safe to say that 3000 pair of hip boots and 6000 pair of 

 knee boots were sold the week when the flood was at its worst. 

 Rut aside from this there was little demand for rubber goods. 

 Comparatively few slickers were sold, and most of them went 

 to the packing companies, which had large forces of men at 

 work where the water was dripping on them. Throughout 

 Kansas City territory the demand for rubber goods fell off. 

 Topeka merchants made practically no orders and the same is 

 true of other cities in the flooded district. Business for two 

 weeks was at a standstill and is just beginning to show signs of 

 picking up. 



" One item of loss to manufacturing firms that has not yet 

 been computed is leather belting. Every foot of belting that 

 was in the water is ruined, as the water melted the cement 

 which held it together and the cost of replacing it will be one 

 of the largest single items of expense in the rehabilitation of 

 milling and manufacturing plants. Here is a bill of $1500 for 

 belting repairs to one milling company and we are to-day ship- 

 ping another 3400 pounds. These are but two instances out of 

 hundreds." 



Inquiry at other places emphasized these statements. At 

 the sporting goods and department stores the rubber boot 

 stock was sold out, but the general trade in rubber goods was 

 as dull as in other lines. A conservative estimate of the amount 

 spent for rubber boots in Kansas City during the flood places 

 it at $30,000. 



A British newspaper mentions a factory on that side of the 

 Atlantic where " old rubber is bought in and converted into 

 sheets which no one but a thorough expert could detect from 

 being a thoroughly good piece of new rubber." The location 

 of the works is not given. 



