50 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^^^ORLD 



[November i, 1902. 



CORNER STONE LAYING AT A RUBBER FACTORY. 



THE corner stone of the new factory of the Vulcanized 

 Rubber Co., at Morrisville, Pennsylvania, which is to 

 supersede the plant now occupied by the company 

 was laid with appropriate ceremonies on tlie afternoon 

 of October 18, in the presence of a number of invited guests, 

 who afterwards were entertained at a banquet by the officers of 

 the company. At the hour named for the ceremonies, i o'clock, 

 a cornet solo brought the guests and the employes of the fac- 

 tory together in front of a stand handsomely draped with Amer- 

 ican flags. On the stind were Messrs. Myer Dittenhoefer, pres- 

 ident of the company ; Theodore E. Studley, secretary and 

 treasurer; George Pellinger, vice president and general mana- 

 ger ; S. H. Dodd, a director ; F. B. Gilkeson a well known at- 

 torney of Bristol, Pennsylvania, and counsel for the company ; 

 and Henry C. Pearson, editor of The India Rubber World. 

 Afterthe " Star Spangled Banner" had been played, President 

 Dittenhoefer arose and said : 



We are assembled here today to lay the corner stone of a new home 

 of industry, and thank you for your presence, which adds grace and 

 dignity to the occasion. 



It is a little more than fifty years ago that Nelson Goodyear discov- 

 ered the process of making Hard Rubber. Since that time its uses 

 have broadened and extended, and to-day the world could hardly get 

 along without it. The wonderful progress made in telegraphy, tele- 

 phoning, and electricity, is owing greatly to the use of Hard Rubber. 

 The arts and sciences are tributary to it. 



Having settled some years ago in the borough of Morrisville, this 

 border town of the great Keystone state, and finding that the factory 

 occupied by us a short distance from this spot had become inadequate, 

 the directors of the Vulcanized Rubber Co. decided upon an enlarge- 

 ment of the plant, and today, with your assistance, we lay the corner 

 stone of this new building, which when completed will be a model 

 plant, and will have room enough to employ a larger number of people 

 than could be housed in the old factory. May it prove of benefit to all 

 concerned — to the borough of Morrisville, to the people employed, and 

 to the owners. 



May the good feeling which in the past has always existed between 

 employers and employed, continue, as in my estimation the success of 

 any business is greatly based on a mutual feeling of harmony among 

 those engaged in it. And now, as I have been taught to always invoke 

 the aid of Deity before entering on any great or important undertaking, 

 I do so now, imploring and invoking the Great Architect of the Universe 

 to bless our work and so guide us that it may continue to be a benefit 

 to all concerned. 



Stepping down to the corner stone, Mr. Dittenhoefer said: 



In this box we place a copy of the Holy Bible, a gift of .Squire 

 Wright ; a copy of The India Rubber World, whose Kditor is with 

 us ; copies of the New York Htrald, the Trenton True Anttrican, and 

 the Trenton State Gazette; an illustrated catalogue of the Vulcanized 

 Rubber Co.'s products ; a beautiful engrossed parchment containing 

 the names of the officers and all the people employed by our company — 

 the work of Mr. Van Buskirk, one of our old and faithful foremen ; a 

 hard rubber tablet on which is engraved the names of the officers ; and 

 samples of various products of our handicraft. 



Taking this trowel, the main instrument of the builder's craft, I 

 spread the cement which will unite this stone inseparably to our build- 

 ing. May this be a symbol that the Cement of Harmony will always 

 be with us and unite us for the common weal. 



Returning to the stand, President Dittenhoefer introduced 

 the Hon. Mr. Gilkeson, who spoke for ten or fifteen minutes 

 very eloquently. At the close of his speech the guests and 

 pfiicers of the company, the managers and foremen of the 



factory, and the borough officers of Morrisville, entered car- 

 riages and were driven to Trenton, where, at Hildebiecht's 

 cafe, a luncheon was seived. the menu being as follows : 



The banquet room was tastefully decorated with candelebra, 

 palms, and cut flowers. Covers were laid for fifty. President 

 Dittenhoefer presided gracefully as toastmaster. his introduc- 

 tion in every case being most happy. 



Superintendent A. M. Sawyer was the first to be introduced. 

 In a short speech he referred to the harmony which existed be- 

 tween the officials of the company and their employe's. He 

 proposed the toast " The Man Behind the Guns of the Fac- 

 tory," referring to Vice President George Pellinger, which toast 

 was drunk amid cheers. 



Mr. M. Houman, of Paterson, the architect who drew the 

 plans for the buildings, responded to the toast "Our Assembled 

 Guests." He referred to the improved factory conditions that 

 now prevail, said the employe must be regarded as more than 

 a mere machine, and spoke of the consideration which theoffi- 

 cials of the Vulcanized company had always shown to the rank 

 and file of its employes. 



Mr. Theodore E. Studley, of New York, secretary and treasur- 

 er of the company, proposed the toast "All Honor to the Men 

 Who Made the Success of the Company possible." Briefly he 

 sketched the early difficulties of the company and paid warm 

 tributes to President Dittenhoefer and Vice President Pellin- 

 ger. His remarks were punctuated with much wit. 



Mr. Henry C. Pearson, editor of The India Rubber World, 

 by means of a humorous story, pointed out that the company 

 had been born to new prosperity. He proposed the toast " The 

 Young Men Who Comprise the Vulcanized Rubber Co." 



Vice President Pellinger, "the Man from Akron," was called 

 on and responded briefly. 



Mr. C. H. Gantz, president of the Morrisville council, re- 

 sponded to the toast, " The Borough of Morrisville." He re- 

 ferred to the laying of the corner stone as the opening of the 

 door of Morrisville commercially, and said the new factory 

 would be a monument to the borough's progress. 



Mr. Leo Lichtenstein, a salesman for the company, made a 

 brief speech and Councilman Charles Taylor, of Morrisville, 

 and W. Humphreys, agent there for the Pennsylvania Railroad 

 Co., also spoke. 



The favors were unique. They consisted of beautiful minia- 

 ture bDxesin exact imitation of guitars, mandolins, and banjos ; 

 also imitation cigars, each of which when opened revealed a 

 tiny doll and the inscription "Now Will You be Good ? " 



