374 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August i, 1906. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



BV A RKSIDENT CORRUSl'ONDKNT. 



TO THK IvDiTOR OF The India Ruhhkk WoRi.i) I For the 

 first time in many years the Akron rubber factories 

 are working full force during the summer months in order to 

 turn out the large number of orders that are on hand and are 

 coming in. Especially is this true in the tire branch. All of 

 the tire manufacturers report an active trade and during the 

 past month more than 20 carloads of tires have been shii)ptd 

 out of Akron to various points. The rubber specialty manu- 

 facturers and druggists' sundries manufacturers also report 

 a good trade. The chief trouble at all the factories is the 

 lack of the requisite amount of experienced help. 



A genuine building boom that is now on in /Vkron is indic- 

 ative of the remarkable growth of the local rubber indus- 

 tries. The majority of the plants are constructing additions 

 to care for the increased trade which has been manifest this 

 year. The Diamond Rubber Co. have let a contract for a 

 large building to be erected on the property recently ac- 

 quired by it on Jackson street adjoining their present plant. 

 The building will be one story, but later as the demand for 

 room increases additional stories will be added. The build- 

 ing will be 2S8X150 feet. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. are erecting a five story building 

 on South Main street, between two of their other buildings. 

 This building when completed will be used exclusively for 

 the company's growing tire business Steel girders and wiie 

 netting are being used throughout. This framework will be 

 encased by solid walls of concrete. The tire manufacture 

 requires extra heavy machinery and to support the new 

 equipment an extra strong building is needed. The engi- 

 neering and construction corps of the company spent manj- 

 weeks in examining factory buildings all over the countrj- 

 and at last decided upon this method of construction. When 

 completed the building will be the most substantial in the 

 city, if not in the state, and as nearly fireproof as possible. 



Property owners have remonstrated against the permanent 

 vacation of Fourth street for the benefit of the Buckej'e 

 Rubber Co., who desire a portion of the street for the pur- 

 pose of branching out. The company made application to 

 the council for the use of a portion of the street and asked 

 that that portion required be vacated. The property owners 

 are willing that the council grant the company' the right to 

 use the street, but not vacate it. The Buckeye Rubber Co. 

 are contemplating several changes in their plant. 



Large shipments have been made during the month by the 

 Biggs Boiler Co., of Akron, of vulcanizers and devulcanizt-rs 

 which the company manufacture. The shipments have been 

 made mostly to Eastern mills. 



.4 partnership under the name of Arenson & Squires has 

 been formed in .Akron to deal in scrap rubber. The partners 

 are Edward Arenson and M. Squires. They will open a 

 warehouse at No. 80 East Exchange street. 



The officers of the Panama Crude Rubber Co., which was 

 organized in .\kron several months ago, are actively engaged 

 in arranging plans for the operation of the company this fall. 

 The company are securing a large acreage of land in Central 

 America where they expect to cultivate rubber trees. The 

 plans are still premature and the officers of the company are 

 not prepared to divulge their plans at this time. The com- 

 pany have a paid up capital stock of $300,000. 



The will of the late Richard P. Marvin, secretary of The 

 H. F. Goodrich Co., has been filed for probate. It shows 

 that the estate was approximately $150,000. The distribu- 

 tion is to be made as follows : Grace T. Marvin, the widow, 

 $100,000 and the homestead and about 6 acres of land in 

 Akron; Mary M. (Goodrich, a sister, $5000; Sarah Jane 

 Hall, a sister, $5000; Robert N. Marvin, a brother, $5000; 

 Charles C. Goodrich, a nephew, $5000; Isabella Good- 

 rich Breckinridge, a niece, $5000; Kate P. Marvin, $3000; 

 Isabella Marvin Sheldon, Maud Marvin Patterson, Joseph 

 Cabell Breckinridge. Marvin Cook Wilson, Julia Sheldon, 

 and Alfred Lohman each $1000; Anna B. Perkins, $2000 and 

 Carl I<ohman $3000. The residue of the estate is to go to 

 the widow, who with Charles C. Goodrich are named in the 

 will as executors. 



A. F. Libis, one of the department managers of The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co., has returned from San Francisco where he 

 has been in the interest of the company. Mr. Libis states 

 that the Goodrich company will soon be located in San 

 Francisco again and that at present the company is enjoying 

 as brisk a trade as though the citj' had never been devas- 

 tated. 



While Akron furnishes a large per cent, of the automobile 

 tires used throughout the country, this city is to have its 

 first automobile manufactury. An organization of the 

 Williams Motor Car Co. was effected July 17 by the election 

 of the following officers: President, J. F. Townsend ; vice 

 president and general manager, H. A. Williams ; treasurer, 

 Henrj' Robinson ; secretary, L. D. Slusser. The company 

 has been incorporated under the laws of South Dakota with 

 a capital stock of $5, 000, 000 and will manufacture automobiles 

 under the Williams patent. G. Frank Fries, of Buffalo, New 

 York, an expert in the automobile trade has been engaged as 

 superintendent of manufacturing. The Williams machine will 

 be different from all other automobiles in several features. 

 They are to have steel rims with solid rubber tires, making 

 an artillery wheel ; also air brakes. Two leading character- 

 istics are the three point suspension principle and the cen- 

 trally driven power. 



Mr. William B. Miller, secretary of the Diamond Rubber Co., 

 is in San Francisco, where he will remain for several weeks 

 looking after the company's interests. Mr. Miller while in 

 the West will adjust the losses of the company by reason of 

 the great fire. He will also procure a new site for the loca- 

 tion of the branch plant that the companj' operate in the 

 West. 



A scrap rubber warehouse is to be established in .4kron 

 by L. .'Mbert & Son, of Trenton, New Jersey. This firm has 

 a special agent in this city and the business has grown to 

 such extent that a warehouse is quite essential. 



Rubber Scrap Prices. 



New York quotations — prices paid by consumers 

 load lots in cents per pound — are slightly higher : 



()]i\ Rubber Boots and Shoes Domestic S^ 



Do - Foreign 71^ 



Pneumatic Bicycle Tires 7 ^ 



Solid Rubber Wagon and Carriage Tires 8>^ 



White Trinuned Rubber 10)^ 



Heavy Black Rubber i'4 



Air Brake Hose ■}}* 



Fire and Large Hose 2% 



Garden Hose 2},^ 



Matting i X 



for car- 



f^8% 



® 3% 

 @3 

 ®2% 

 @i3^ 



