220 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April i, 1906. 



COLORADO RUBBER OUTDONE. 



NEW TRADE PUBLICATIONS. 



A^/ K have no pleasure in giving space to any information 

 that nvdv have an unfavorable bearing upon the flour- 

 ishing rubber industry of Colorado, so widely exploited in 

 the press of that state. But it is the province of a trade pa- 

 per to reflect as fullj- as possible the development of its spe- 

 cial field, without fear or favor. Hence, if the glories of that 

 Colorado sheep made famous by discovering a new source of 

 rubber should appear dimmed in comparison with the ex- 

 ploits of a transatlantic rubber yielding goat, the editor may 

 feel regret, but facts are facts — at least until disproved. The 

 story of the goat which follows we are indebted for to a lead- 

 ing New York newspaper, whose proprietor is the American 

 ambassador to the Court of St. James's, and it runs : 



To THE KdiTOR of Thf. TRiiiUNF, — Sir: Referring to the 

 extremely interesting scientific articles in your paper the last 

 few days about "hens laying eggs with handles," "hens produc- 

 ing cooked ham and eggs," the " dog on wheels " and " the cat 

 with wings" leads us once more to encroach on your valuable 

 space by referring to the press dispatclies from Washington regard- 

 ing a ram just imported w-hich feeding on a certain weed grown 

 in Colorado, formed in its stomach a huge indigestible ball, which 

 on examination turned out to be a new chemical substance anala- 

 gous to the best Para rubber. 



The department of agriculture, having their attention called to 

 the matter, experimenting with the stuff, produced rubber shoes, 

 toys, etc.. and efforts will he nuide to stimulate this new industry 

 among farmers ; but, strange and singular as this discovery is, it 

 <loes not compare with rubber produced direct from the mountain 

 goat in the .Austrian Tyrol, near Innsbruck, where, as is well 

 known, is the largest rubber plant in the world known as the Royal 

 Caoutchouc Factory, near which is a striking group of bald and 

 fissured dolomites, where between the Rumerjoch and ,Seegraben- 

 pitzen, grows in great profusion what is known locally as goats- 

 wort, the botanical name of which is Doliclios-Asclepiiis purptira- 

 cetis, of the genus Polygala, which secretes a lactescent fluid much 

 like the sap of the rubber tree, and which, from the most ancient 

 times has been known as the favorite food of the Tyrolese goat. 



Tacitus describes how the soldiers of the Roman emperor Ves- 

 pasius, A. D. 66, discovered that goats' milk when hardened by 

 the heat of the sun becomes elastic like rubber, and blocks of it 

 were sent to Rome and used as springs over the axles of racing 

 chariots (and any one curious in the matter can see one of these 

 ancient chariots in the archoeological department of the Metro, 

 politan Museum of Art this city), but for nearly 2000 years the 

 whole matter seems to have been forgotten imtil some six months 

 ago Herr von Pumpernickel, president of the Austrian Polytechnic 

 College, had his attention called to it. 



He began experimenting with mountain goat's milk in behalf of 

 the rubber factory, and by feeding the animals on pine cones, in 

 conjunction with the goatswort, produced milk impregnated witli 

 turpentine, and by solidifying it with heat andfeediug it through a 

 Foudrinier machine turned out real rubber sheeting and cloth for 

 garments, and in order to ])roduce vulcanized rubber he forced the 

 goats to drink from a sulphur spring near by, and he was thus en- 

 abled to make combs, hairbrushes, syringes, knife handles, etc , 

 by simplj' running the milk into molds, adding meantime color- 

 ing matter required. And this is the reason why the Austrian com- 

 pany furnishes goods so cheaply ; and it bids fair to reduce the 

 price of genuine Para rubber to a verj* few cents a pound. 



FITZ NIGEI,. 

 New-York, March 15, l9<y"i. 



Celestino Nieto and Maximo Parajon have petitioned 

 the Mexican government for a concession to establish a fac- 

 tory for rubber caps for beer bottles. 



TN their Engineers' Catalogue the New York Belting 

 -^ AND P.VCKING Co., LIMITED, aptly illustrate their record 

 as " pioneers " and " leaders " in the manufacture of rubber 

 packing by contrasting on one page a picture of the immense 

 covered wagons so much used at the time this company was 

 founded, and one of a modern commercial motor wagon. 

 The catalogue is devoted to descriptions of a wide range of 

 packings, adapted to many special purposes, together with 

 gaskets, valves, diaphragms, hose, belting, and so on, very 

 many of which are decidedly modern and illustrate the con- 

 stant progress of engineering and mechanical development. 

 r,^ Yi" ^ 6". 48 pages.] 



The M.'vnhattan Rubuer Manufacturing Co. (Passaic, 

 New Jersey), in their new General Catalogue of Mechanical 

 Rubber Goods, not only illustrate and describe a line of staple 

 and special productions, which appears larger and more varied 

 with each succeeding edition, btit is rendered more attractive 

 and interesting by means of a number of well executed illus- 

 trations showing such goods in use. For instance, their il- 

 lustrations of large machinery belts in service ; fire, suction, 

 pneumatic, and divers hose likewise appearing in attractive 

 pictures ; interiors furnished with mats and tiling ; a paper 

 mill with rubber rolls, and so on In many respects this is 

 the best illustrated catalogue which has yet appeared in this 

 field. [5" Y^tYz". 47 pages.] 



The Canadian Rubber Co. of Montreal, Limited, 

 issued under date of March 12 their regular illustrated price 

 list of "Canadian " Rubbers [3M" -< 6". So pages]. ==A 

 special illustrated catalogue relates to the " Royal Canadian 

 Footwear" line, which is a new feature. The manufactur- 

 ers say : " We couldn't improve the wearing quality of our 

 regular brands of rubbers, so we decided to manufacture a 

 special brand carrying highest grade lines, finest finish — and 

 noted above everj'thing else for style. The price will be a 

 little higher than any other rubber on the market." [6" X 

 9". 24 pages.] 



The Gutta Percha and Rubber M.vndf.'vcturing Co. 

 OF Toronto, Limited, issue under date of March 12 their 

 illustrated catalogue of Rttbber Footwear, which as usual is 

 complete and well got up. It is interesting to note that the 

 catalogue includes a line of rubber heels, something which 

 is not yet true of anj- rubber shoe factory in the United 

 States. 13/2" X5'A"- 72 pages.] 



The MERCH.'i.NTs Rubber Co., Limited (Berlin, Ontario), 

 issued their third annual illustrated catalogue and price list 

 of Rtibber Boots and Shoes which includes several novelties 

 of interest in addition to a very varied line of staples. 

 [7" X 6'X". 36 pages.] =^The products of this companj- are 

 handled by retailers direct, and a handsome calendar distri- 

 buted to the trade bj' the company is illustrated with the 

 portraits of forty-five rubber shoe retailers throughout the 

 Dominion, under the heading "The Men You Do Business 

 With." 



ALSO RECEIVED. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio.=Wheels of Fortune. 

 [A Catalogue of Bicycle Tires.] 16 pages. 



.Grand Rapids Felt Boot Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. = Rubber 

 Boots and Shoes, Felt and Knit Boots. 40 pages. 



The Electric Cable Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut. = Voltax [a 

 new non-rubber insulation]. 22 pages. 



