December i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER V/ORLD 



83 



25 H. P. CONSOLIDATED SPEED CONTROLLER DRIVING RUBBER CALENDER. 

 [Hood Rubber Co.'s Factorv, East Watertown, Massachusetts.] 



NEW CONGO RAILWAY PROJECTS. 



STILL another Congo railway is projected. During the past 

 month the Comite Sp6cial Katanga despatched one of 

 their number, Captain Jacques, assisted by a French engineer, 

 on a mission, the object of which is to plan active work in the 

 construction of a railway, about 500 miles in length, starting 

 from Lake Kisale, near the source of the Lualaba river, and 

 running in a southerly direction toward the Rhodesian fron- 

 tier, where it can afterward join the Cape to Cairo line. The 

 Lualaba is the most southern tributary of the Congo, in the 

 province or district of Katanga, and the object of the proposed 

 railway is to open communication beyond the navigable limits 

 of the Congo system, in the southeast. Captain Jacques 

 started on his mission from Naples en route for Zanzibar, with 

 a view to reaching the field of his operations from the east 

 coast of Africa. 



The India Rubber World has noted already the incorpor- 

 ation of a company to construct a railway of 900 miles from the 

 Aruwimi river, in a northeasterly direction, which would open 

 the way to another district exceptionally rich in rubber. The 

 Aruwimi valley was specifically named by the explorer Stanley, 

 some twelve years ago, when, after crossing "the dark conti- 

 nent," he reported the discovery of the coming " world's reser- 

 voir of rubber." The development of these projected lines of 

 railway, by the way, should not be looked upon as too remote 

 to justify the present interest of the rubber trade. 



Twelve years ago the present Congo railway had not been 

 thought of, and the present Congo rubber production, upon 



which is based the important market at Antwerp, had not be- 

 gun. Following the suggestion of Mr. Stanley, the first Congo 

 railway not only has been completed, but has been in successful 

 and profitable operation for several years, while without the 

 road would be impossible the rubber trade now centering at 

 Antwerp. As the world requires more rubber, and it becomes 

 necessary to invade new fields in search of it, the new railways- 

 doubtless will be essential, and The India Rubber World 

 may not have to wait longer to record the completion of the 

 two lines here referred to than it did in the case of the line 

 from Matadi to Leopoldville. 



NEW TREATMENT OF GUTTA-PERCHA. 



AN English patent (No. 18,528 — 1901) granted to Bertram and 

 Milne relates to improvements in the treatment of Gutta- 

 percha, and has for its object the solidification of the mass and 

 the extraction of air and moisture, which cause bubbles and 

 holes in the manufactured article. A masticator is used which 

 may be of any ordinary construction internally, and provided 

 with a steam jacket to heat the material, and a cover for filling 

 and emptying. The cover and other parts of the machine are 

 made airtight and watertight, and by pumps, ejectors.and other 

 means, a vacuum is produced during mastication. While un- 

 der the action of the vacuum, the heated material is kneaded 

 and mixed, and with the air completely extracted and the 

 moisture evaporated and removed, a perfectly solid and homo- 

 geneous mass of Gutta-percha, without air or other bubbles, is 

 obtained. 



