280 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June i, 1906. 



THE OBITUARY RECORD. 



W. H CUMMINGS. 

 \ A riUJAM H. CUMMINGS died on tlie evening of May 

 * * 9 at Iiis home. No. 386 Kerjjen avenue, Jersey City, 

 after a brief illnes.s. Accompanied by Mrs. Cummings, he 

 had devoted a vacation of several weeks to travel in the 

 southern United States and in Mexico, and immediately 

 after their return home both were attacked by pneumonia, 

 and Mrs. Cummings was still seriously ill at the time of her 

 husband's death. 



Mr. Cummings was born November 5, 1844, at Troy, New 

 York, whence his family removed, while he was still very 



young, to Jersey 

 City. His father, 

 also named Wil- 

 1 i a m H. Cum- 

 mings, wa.s at 

 one time promi- 

 nent in the car 

 building indus- 

 try, and estab- 

 lished the Cum- 

 mings Car Works 

 at Jersey City. 

 Upon his death 

 the son, associ- 

 ated with an old- 

 er brother, suc- 

 ceeded to the 

 business, and in 

 1868 they built 

 more extensive 

 works at West 

 Bergen, but the 

 business was liquidated after the financial panic of 1873. 



The subject of this sketch shortly after the date last men- 

 tioned engaged in the business of commission merchant in 

 old rubber scrap, which he conducted successful!}' to the end 

 of his life. His business was located in New York citj', and 

 latterly at Nos. 54-56 Harrison street. He had three sons, 

 who became interested in the business successively as they 

 grew up, and for a number of years the style of the business 

 has been William H. Cummings & Sons. The business is 

 being continued under the same firm style by the three 

 brothers, William L., lulward O., and Harold H. 



Mr. Cummings was one of the two oldest members of the 

 West Side Methodist Episcopal church, in Jersey City. He 

 was a member of the official board and activelj' interested in 

 the affairs of the church, and in other charitable work. He 

 was a member of the board of directors of the Home of the 

 Homeless, and was deeply interested in the work of the 

 Newman Mission. I\Ir. Cummings became very widely 

 known in the rubber trade, during his connection with it 

 of more than 30 years, and formed many warm friendships. 

 Funeral services were conducted at the late home of Mr. 

 Cummings on Saturday afternoon. May 12. 



* * « 



WILLIAM FIRTH. 



The death is reported, at Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 



30, of William Firth, at the age of 78. Mr. Firth filled 



the position of secretary of the North British Rubber Co., 



WILLIAM H. CUMMINGS. 



limited, from the formation of that company, in the summer 

 of 1857, continuously for 48 years. In reporting his retire- 

 ment from that position The India Rubber World [June 

 I, 1905] stated that he had outlived all the founders of the 

 company and the original directors and officers, and practi- 

 cally all the original employes of wliatever capacitj'. His 

 devotion to their interests, for so long a time, was of great 

 benefit to the company, while his personal character was 

 such as to endear him to all with whom he was associated. 



-X- -X- * 



CARL VON SIEMENS. 



The death is reported at Mentone. France, of Carl Hein- 

 rich von Siemens, in his seventy-eighth jear. He was born 

 at Menzendorf, in Mecklenburg, on March 3, 1829. His 

 brothers owed much to him for the energj' with which he 

 helped to further the extension and practical applicatirn of 

 their inventions, more especially in Russia. During many 

 years he conducted the manufactory of the Messrs. Siemens, 

 at St. Petersburg, for telegraph apparatus, dynamos, etc. 

 During eleven years he was in London, assisting in the 

 management of Siemens Brothers & Co., Limited (of which 

 he was chairman of the board at the time of his death), but 

 after the death of Dr. W. von Siemens he took up his resi- 

 dence in Berlin. Carl von Siemens was personally in 

 charge of the laying of the first transatlantic cable con- 

 tracted for by the firm of Siemens Brothers. He received 

 decorations from various countries in acknowledgment of 

 his services, and hereditary rank of nobility was conferred 

 upon him in Russia in 1895. 



* « * 



Thom,\s D. Quinlan, a traveling salesman for the Good- 

 year Rubber Co., and connected with that companj- for many 

 years, died at the residence of his parents at Detroit, Michi- 

 gan, on INIay 10. 



INDIA-RUBBER GOODS IN COMMERCE. 



EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. 



Ol-I'ICIAL statement of values of exports of manufac- 

 tures of India rubber and Gutta-percha, for March, 

 1906, and the first nine months of five fiscal j-ears, begin- 

 ning July I, from the treasury department at Washington: 



^ I ^IIE new Motor Vehicle law in New Jersey, adopted dur- 

 -^ ing the past month, contains this prohibition of chain 

 grips on automobile tires : 



No motor vehicle shall be fitted with a chain when used except 

 on gravel, macadam, or other made roads, except upon natural 

 dirt, asphalt, cobble, Belgium block or vitrified brick pavements ; 

 provided, however, that tires may be fitted with a chain when used 

 upon roads covered with a coating of at least one inch of snow ox 

 ice, 



