September i, 1905.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



397 



SYNTHETIC RUBBER FROM BASTARD GUMS. 



THE trade has so often been disappointed and fooled in 

 the line of synthetic rubber that its bare mention is apt 

 to bring forth a smile of derision. This is chiefly because so 

 many claims have been put forward by those who really pos- 

 sessed nothing but a fraudulent material to sell for cash. A 

 new line of experiment with a certain cheap bastard gum as a 

 base, however, appears to have merit. Mr. G. E. Heyl-Dia, the 

 rubber expert, holds the theory that the resins present in ;ill 

 rubbers are really due to arrested development in the forma- 

 tion of Caoutchouc molecules. As proof of this, he cites the 

 product of young C<7j^/7/oa^ and all African rubbers, contain- 

 ing often 40 per cent, of resin, and to a less degree all " medi- 

 ums," while the mature Castilloa gives a rubber containing 

 about 7 per cent, and Hevea 2.4 per cent. 



Further, he believes that the so called bastard gums, con- 

 taining large percentages of resin, would, if tree, soil, and cli- 

 mate were favorable, be able to produce finished instead of half 

 created rubber. It is a well known fact that the free resins and 

 the percentage of the same in crude rubber largely fix their 

 commercial value and their value in compounded mixings. 



Contrary to Mr. Heyl-Dia's views, the endeavor of chemists 

 has always been to eliminate or extract the resins. Suppose 

 the many patented and unpatented methods produced the de- 

 sired result, there cannot be any commercial value in such at- 

 tempts, as can easily be seen by a simple valuation. A certain 

 South African loses in washing say 30 per cent. ; the percent- 

 age of resins is 17 per cent. ; the original cost 75 cents. After 

 extraction of the resins one pound of rubber would therefore 

 cost roughly $1.50, while one pound of pure Pani washed and 

 dried is worth $1.58 at current prices. 



Considering that the intrinsic strength of the extracted me- 

 dium is not as great as that of " Para," and further that the 

 treatment costs something in addition should make it obvious 

 to manufacturers that all such work is carried on without the 

 slightest hope of any commercial utility. His experiments, 

 therefore, have been along the line of finishing the work that 

 nature has begun. For example, several crude and vulcanized 

 samples shown to the writer come from a common untractable 

 bistard gum, chemically treated, that seems to be actually 

 transformed into an elastic rubber that takes up compound 

 and vulcanizes readily. His first cost on this was 50 cents a 

 pound, and the product from all physical tests looked to be 

 worth eighty cents. That this line of work is of great interest 

 and value none will deny, and the field for such work when one 

 ponders on the low grade gums and resinous rubbers, is very 

 extensive. 



HOW ONE RUBBER FACTORY MAKES MONEY. 



'' T N spite of the high price of crude rubber our volume of 

 ■^ business the last year has not fallen ofT, while our profits 

 although a trifie less, are entirely satisfactory." 



So said a prominent manufacturer of mechanical rubber 

 goods recently. When questioned as to the policy that he fol- 

 lowed to triumph over what has been considered a great hard- 

 ship to the whole trade he said : 



" In the first place we refused every order that did not show 

 a good living profit. Then we raised prices to fit the extra cost 

 of crude rubber. That was hard work, and the tales that our 

 salesmen brought in of rival concerns doing business for noth- 

 ing would have given us nervous prostration if we had believed 

 them. 



"Then, and this is most important, we scaled down our fac- 



tory costs — not on paper, but in reality. We thought we had 

 a pretty fair system before, but under the spur of necessity it 

 was marvelous what we were able to do in certain lines. Now 

 if rubber and duck go higher, as they probably will, our prices 

 will be advanced again. Another thing, one half of the talk 

 about present price cutting is all moonshine. 



" Every factory has a special advantage in turning out some 

 certain line of goods. That means that they can sell cheaper 

 than some others, and still make a profit. Instead of trying to 

 beat them at their game, I let them have such orders and work 

 along lines in which I know that I have the advantage." 



DEATH OF A CEYLON EDITOR. 



rHE rubber planters of the Far East have reason to regret 

 the death of Mr. Herbert Henry Capper, senior pro- 

 prietor and editor of the Colombo Times of Ceylon, not 

 only on account of his admirable personal qualities and the 

 ability with which his journalistic work has been done, but 

 particularly by reason of the intelligent support which he has 

 given to all sound planting enterprises in Ceylon andihe Straits. 

 Mr. Capper's life was practically all spent in the Far East, where 

 he had a wide experience in affairs, having at one time been 

 in charge of large planting interests after having spent a year 

 in a Mincing lane (London) coffee and produce broker's office. 

 It was this preparation that enabled the Times to keep in such 

 close touch with the planting interests which are at the bottom 

 of the prosperity of Ceylon. 



MONEY IN COLORADO RUBBER. 



[from the durango "hkrald," august 5 ] 



THE two little Odgen boys, who have been watching for a 

 long time for something to turn up so they could make 

 a dollar, were among the first to get out and go to digging rub- 

 ber weed. They are working industriously every day on Florida 

 mesa and have a large pile of the weed ready to haul in. They 

 will make more money this summer than some of the grown-up 

 loafers will make in the whole year. 



WIRELESS TELEGRAPH ON THE AMAZON. 



[from " A PROVINCIA DO PAR.i," JULY 24.] 



YESTERDAY morning new experiments with the wireless 

 telegraph were made at the town of Pinheiro, between 

 the station at that place and the one at Breves. Several dis- 

 patches were exchanged between the two stations, both in 

 code words and in ordinary language, without the occurrence 

 of the slightest error. The following gentlemen, commissioned 

 by the interested New York syndicate, took part in the ex- 

 periments, viz. : Mr. Boyd, manager of the Amazonas compa- 

 ny, and P. Caley, manager of the London Bank. 



It must be taken into account that the dispatches from 

 Breves were not sent by professionals, all of those attached 

 to that station being ill. This foreshadows the complete suc- 

 cess of the wireless telegraph with us, within a short space of 

 time. The favorable result of the experiments was personally 

 communicated to us by Mr. R. Mardock, who was accompa- 

 nied by Dr. Americo Chaves. Dr. Americo Chaves went from 

 Pinheiro to Breves, in order to send us from there the following 

 dispatch, which was very correctly transmitted, reaching us at 

 4.30 P. M : 



Have just attended the wireless experiments. I congratulate myself 

 as well as /}. /"roz/iKrj'a on the splendid results obtained. — Americo 

 Chaves, Pinheiro station. 



