94 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1908. 



COLORLESS 

 RUBBEB. 



their business is chiefly done with India and other hot coun- 

 tries, where the advantages of asbestos boards and roofing 

 felt as insulators arc fully appreciated. So far there does not 

 seem to have been much progress made in this direction in 

 England, though it is possible that the new Calmon product 

 may create a demand which pure asbestos sheet failed to 

 induce, by reason of its higher price. The Calmon slates, by 

 the way, are made by a process worked out by Hatchel, an 

 Austrian, who has sold the rights to the Hamburg firm. 



Another body which seems to call for notice is the fire felt 

 recently brought out by Alessrs. Turners for covering boil- 

 ers, steam pipes, etc. This material, which is made in sec- 

 tional form, is. composed of pure asbestos fiber loosely fitted 

 in such a way as to combine an infinite number of small air 

 cells, thus assuring a high insulation. It is claimed that in 

 comparison with magnesia and composition it has greater 

 strength and durability, and by not being brittle it does not 

 crumble under excessive vibration. Dust troubles are there- 

 fore avoided. The fact that it can be removed and replaced 

 any number of times without losing its efficiency is certainly 

 a point in its favor. As I have no comparative figures for 

 magnesia I shall not refer to insulating efficiency, but if what 

 I see stated is correct there is very little room for any other 

 material to show itself up as superior. 



From what I hear the seamless teats shown on the Ceylon 

 stand at the late Olympian Exhibition have been a decided 

 trade success. Those on view were 

 made by Leyland and Birmingham 

 Rubber Co. from rubber prepared 

 according to Mr. M. Kelway Bamber's process recently re- 

 ferred to in The India Rubber World, and I understand that 

 the firm have been bombarded with inquiries and orders. 



Dr. David Spence, who has for some time been closely 

 associated with the Liverpool Institute of Tropical Research, 

 which, by the way, has recently come 

 DR. SPENCE. to an end for want of financial sup- 



port, has left the University of Liver- 

 pool for University College, Bristol. Here he has been ap- 

 pointed to organize and institute research in the newly 

 formed department of economic biology. Dr. Spence has 

 recently taken a foremost place among the workers in the 

 field of rubber chemistry, his most recent paper being 'On 

 the Presence of Oxydases in India-rubber, with a Theory in 

 Regard to Their Function in the Latex." In this paper he 

 shows interalia that Weber's conclusions as to the composi- 

 tion of the insoluble constituent of Para rubber are not at all 

 in agreement with the facts. It is possible, now that his 

 sphere of operations has been changed, Dr. Spence may not 

 be able to devote so much time to rubber as has been the 

 case, though I speak without authority on the point. 



I REGRET to record the death of Mr. Henry Speakman, which 



occurred very suddenly while traveling on a train car in Lal- 



ford, though he had been out of health 



OBITTTAKY. for some time. Mr. Speakman was head 



of the firm of Henry Speakman & Sons, 



of St. Mary's arcade, Manchester, dealers in rubber goods. A 



specialty of the firm is rubber-covered rollers for the various 



textile industries, and in this branch the deceased had a wide 



knowledge and trade connection. 



The family litigation which ensued on the death of the 



senior partner of this old established waterproofing works 



has now been amicably settled, and I 



ABBOTT, ANDERSON ^^ informed by Mr. William Abbott 



& ABBOTT. , ,,..,,. J 



that the business will be earned on as 

 of old at the Dod street works, Limehouse, London, E., 

 with some new blood added to the directorate. Besides rub- 

 ber waterproofing in all its branches, the firm have made a 



specialty of oilskin clothing for mariners, a branch in which 

 I believe they have no competitor in the British rubber 

 trade, unless it be from the South Wales Rubber and Brattice 

 Cloth Works at Newport, Monmouth. With regard to this 

 oilskin business, I believe it is a fact that European manu- 

 facturers are behind the Japanese as regards the production 

 of an article that does not undergo a further oxidation when 

 in use, a development which reduces its lasting qualities 

 compared with the Japanese make. 



WATERPROOF GARMENTS IN MEXICO. 



[from "daily consular and trade RETORTS."] 



I N response to an inquiry Vice Consul C. M. Leonard, of Chi- 

 ■'• huahua, submits the following report on the sale of water- 

 proof garments in that part of Mexico : 



"The rainy season in the district extends from July i to Oc- 

 tober I, after which there is practically no rainfall. The rains 

 are of short duration, usually not more than half an hour at a 

 time, and consequently there is small demand for waterproof 

 garments. The few that are imported come mostly from England, 

 owing to the fact that the English manufacturers make a lighter 

 garment, which effects a saving in duty, and that prices are 

 lower in the English market. 



"Waterproof cloths are also imported and made up here, though 

 to a very small extent. In the country districts the people use 

 a poncho for protection against the rain. This consists of a 

 rubber sheet with an opening through the center through which 

 the head is thrust. The garment covers the body and is especially 

 serviceable when riding horseback. 



"For rough use the 'slicker' is also used. In a conversation 

 with an importer of this class of goods I learn that if American 

 manufacturers would turn out these garments of a lighter weight 

 at prices no higher than the English make they would secure a 

 larger market for their goods. The reason for demanding light- 

 weight goods is two-fold ; the saving on duties, as all duties 

 are calculated on the weight of the article, and the rainy season 

 occurring in the summer anything but a very light garment is 

 insupportable. It is also conceded that style and workmanship 

 of the American raincoats are better than foreign makes." 



A GOOD WORD FOR CEARA RUBBER. 



■"TO THE Editor of the India Rubber World: In your 

 •^ November Tiumber (page 65) I notice a short article 

 about Ceara rubber, and seemingly a doubt that it is as good 

 as Para. In a factory in Europe, where I was employed for a 

 time, w-e used large quantities of Ceara in places where others 

 use Para and it was all that could be desired. 



Afterward, when at another factory I met a rubber broker 

 from Liverpool who said to me "Why is it that I cannot sell 

 Ceara to other firms? But no one wants it and we can hardly 

 give it away." So I ordered a ton, and while I was not able 

 on account of not having the right machinery to wash it as 

 clean as I wished, still it did good work. I am aware that if 

 it was in general use the price would be higher, but at the pres- 

 ent price, even with the large percentage of loss in washing, it 

 still remains the best rubber at the price in the market. 



Sewickley, Pennsylvania, November 8, igoS. 



R. E. HOTCHKISS. 



The Ungarische Gummiwaren-Fabriks, Aktiengesellschaft, of 

 Budapest, have established a branch factory at Beson, near Paris, 

 under the name of Societe Franeaise du "Tauril" et du Caout- 

 chouc, for the manufacture of the "Tauril" steam packing [see 

 The India Rubber World, February, 1906 — page 167]. 



The Austrian emperor, Francis Joseph I., will be presented with 

 two motor cars, fitted with "Continental" tires, in commemoration 

 of the completion of the sixtieth year of his reign. 



