JCXE I, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



319 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



AS a result of the incorporation and organization of the 

 United Rim Co., an outgrowth of the old Clincher Rim 

 Manufacturers' Association, the final step will be taken toward 

 the complete standardization of automobile tire rims of all makes, 

 and the season of 1910 will undoubtedly see all the rim com- 

 panies making a product of nearly the same design. The realiza- 

 tion of a uniform rim has been the desire of automobile manu- 

 facturers for years. The old rim association accomplished the 

 cooperation of the rim manufacturers to the extent that uniform 

 sizes of clinchers were established, but owing to the fact that 

 the detachable features of each make were of a different de- 

 sign, the standardization was not entirely satisfactory. The 

 United Rim Co. was incorporated on April 23 as an Akron com- 

 pany, under the laws of Ohio, by E. C. Shaw, general manager 

 of The B. F. Goodrich Co. ; H. E. Raymond, vice-president of 

 the Goodrich company; A. H. Marks, vice-president of the Dia- 

 mond Rubber Co. ; P. W. Litchfield, superintendent of the Good- 

 year Tire and Rubber Co., and Ernest Hopkinson, representing 

 the United States Rubber Co. The company was incorporated 

 with a capital stock of $10,000, but H. E. Raymond says it will 

 own no property. Offices will be situated in this city. Douglas 

 Patton, of Akron, and who is not connected with any rubber 

 company, was elected president, E. C. Shaw vice-president, and 

 P. W. Litchfield secretary and treasurer. Several meetings of 

 the company have been held, and progress is being made in the 

 development of a uniform detachable rim that will possess the 

 best features of the Marsh, Goodyear, Goodrich and JMidgely 

 rims. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. lost heavily in a fire which destroyed a 

 seven-story power and storage building belonging to the Hower 

 P-uilding, in this city, on May 18. On account of the fact that 

 the Goodrich company were cramped for room in their factory 

 by reason of the removal of several old factory buildings, they 

 had been storing their surplus stock in the Hower building. At 

 the time the fire broke out they had $225,000 worth of rubber 

 goods in the building, consisting principally of tires, with a 

 quantity of packing fabric. None was saved, but the stock was 

 entirely covered by insurance. The Diamond Rubber Co. had 

 been using the same storehouse, but fortunately had removed 

 some $20,000 worth of goods a short time before the fire, so 

 that they escape loss. The destruction of the rubber represented 

 a greater loss than that of the building itself. 



Engineers of the B. F. Goodrich Co. have been faced by a 

 puzzling problem to replace the factory building containing the 

 milling department without interfering with this important and 

 essential part of rubber manufacture. As a result they have 

 devised a way of bringing about the change without once stop- 

 ping the mills. The old building is being torn down about the 

 ears of the workmen while they are sheltered by a temporary 

 room. The new fireproof structure, to take the place of the old 

 building, will be built up around the mills, substituting the old 

 walls for the new by degrees. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. claim a victory for their tires in four 

 prominent endurance runs during May held at Pittsburg, Ilar- 

 risburg, Detroit and New York. In the Detroit race six out of 

 the eight cars with perfect scores were equipped with Goodrich 

 tires. The New York run was a "one gallon efficiency contest" 

 in which each car entered was allowed one gallon of gasolene and 

 the scores computed by multiplying the weight in pounds of each 

 car by the miles covered. The winning car was equipped with 

 the new Palmer Web electric tire, manufactured to secure re- 

 siliency. That It distanced the second car by 4,000 "pound 

 miles" is believed by the Goodrich company to prove that re- 

 siliency in tires is an appreciable factor in saving power. 



The .Adamson Machine Co. have started the construction of a 

 new plant in East .Akron. It will consist of four buildings — a 



machine shop, two stories high, 80x160 feet; a foundry one story 

 high of the same dimensions, and a power house and a black- 

 smith shop, each 45x80 feet. The company have been heretofore 

 engaged in the manufacture of machinery for rubber-molded 

 goods of all kinds. The new plant will be equipped to manufac- 

 ture heavier machinery for the rubber industry, and also clay 

 and pottery machinery. Two 40-foot traveling cranes w-ill be 

 installed. The new plant with equipment will cost $100,000. It 

 is planned to have it completed November i. 



A scheme for the combination of the Swinehart Clincher Tire 

 and Rubber Co. and the Mansfield Rubber Co. was proposed 

 last month, but after considering the proposition the former 

 company decided not to take it up. It was also proposed to move 

 the Swinehart factory to Canton and increase its capital stock by 

 taking in other interests. James A. Sw'inehart, president of the 

 company, said that no such plan would be carried out. He said 

 that if the company do change their location it will not be this 

 year. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. are watching with interest the result 

 of Ed Spooner's exploring tour from Denver to Mexico City in 

 preparation for the "Flag-to-Flag" run to be held in September. 

 Spooner is driving a Chalmers-Detroit car equipped with Dia- 

 mond tires and Marsh rims. G. A. Wahlgreen, of Denver, has 

 donated a cup for the winner of the contest. The Diamond 

 company also expects to equip a number of the cars in the Cobe 

 trophy race to be held at Crown Point, Indiana, June 18 and 19, 

 with demountable rims. A new type of demountable manufac- 

 tured by this company was tried out by Joe Tracy, the expert 

 racing driver, on the Vanderbilt course in May by making a run 

 of eight laps around the course at an average speed of 60 miles 

 an hour. He made a complete change of tire and rim on one 

 wheel in 30 seconds, including time taken to stop and start. The 

 former record was 57 seconds. The new demountable rim has 

 been placed on the market and the advantage is claimed for it 

 over former demountables that it can be put on and off tlie 

 wheel without tools. 



Igniter cable as an automobile accessory has been receiving 

 considerable attention by The Diamond Rubber Co. recently. 

 Heretofore the automobile trade has given little consideration to 

 this attachment, but it is the belief of the Diamond company that 

 the successful operation of an automobile engine depends much 

 upon the compounding and manufacture of insulated cable for 

 this purpose. 



Mr. Ohio C. Barber, a director of The Diamond Rubber Co., 

 was given a dinner at the Portage County Club in honor of his 

 sixty-eighth birthday on the evening of April 20. The occasion 

 also celebrated his retirement from active business life as presi- 

 dent of the Diamond Match Co. F. A. Hardy, of Chicago, presi- 

 dent of The Diamond Rubber Co., was present. Mr. Barber will 

 spend his time in farming on his large estate near .Akron. 



O. J. Woodard has been placed in charge of the sales man- 

 agement of the insulated wire and cable department of The Dia- 

 mond Rubber Co. He succeeds E. B. Williams, who has gone to 

 the Stein Double Cushion Tire Co. as manager of sales de- 

 partment.. O. F. Houben continues as factory superintendent of 

 the Diamond's wire department. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. secured the vacation of parts of 

 two streets by the Akron city council, on May 3, in preparation 

 for the erection of a new five-story factory building, announced 

 in last month's Indi.'V Rubber World. The company will soon 

 be ready to begin work on the addition. 



It is announced that enlargements are to be made to the plant 

 of the Star Rubber Co. of this city during the coming summer. 

 They now manufacture seamless rubber goods. Officers of the 

 company are not ready to make known the details of their plans. 



The Falls Rubber Co., of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is a new 

 corporation promoted by E. M. Young. The practical man is to 

 be William Sherbondy, who was with the Goodrich company 

 for 23 years and with the Diamond company when it was 



