568 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



(August 1, 1913. 



in the place, while other graduates from that Edgeworth 

 factory are holding various offices in the company. 



Young Elisha Converse, grandson of Deacon Elisha S. 

 Converse, founder of the Boston Rubber Shoe Co., and also 

 grandson of Deacon John H. Parker, of leather sole rubber 

 boot fame, is but working out the i)ractical policy, long estab- 

 lished, of learning the business "from the ground up," and 

 the knowledge thus gained is likely to stand him in good 

 stead when he is called higher in the interests of the business 

 Started so long ago by his distinguished and revered ancestor. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By a Resident Corrcst>ondent. 



■ I "HE large balloon "Goodyear." which has been given many 

 trials in and about Akron during the last few months. 

 was a winner in the National Race held July 4 from Kan- 

 sas City, which makes it one of the contestants represent- 

 ing America in the International contest to be held in France 

 in October. The "Goodyear" in its flight from Kansas City 

 on the Fourth was in the air twenty hours and during that 



The "Gooiive.\r" B.\lloox at Kans.\s City. 



time traveled approximately 650 miles. The landing was at 

 West Branch, Michigan. The balloon was in charge of Ralph 

 Upson, pilot, and R. A. D. Preston, aide. One severe storm 

 was encountered, at 2 o'clock July 5, when passing the state 

 line between Iowa and Illinois — a severe wind and rain- 

 storm, which cooled the atmosphere materially, thus causing 

 the gas in the immense bag to contract, thereby shortening 



the flight. Mr. Preston obtained many interesting views during 

 his trip, several of which were taken above the clouds. 



The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. is building another 

 new branch, in Long Island City, New York, to be completed 

 in about six weeks. It is located at the corner of Jackson 

 avenue and Honeywell street and is to be four stories high, 

 275 feet long and 50 feet wide, equipped with a complete 

 showroom, warehouse, wheel shop and general repair shop. 



The Goodyear company is promoting a new system of ad- 

 vertising, whereby at a minimum cost dealers are supplied 

 with signs which will advertise their local business and at 

 the same time carry mention of the Goodyear company. 

 This minimum cost is brought about by the purchasing of 

 a great number of these signs and supplying them to the 

 trade at less than purchase price. 



The wireless apparatus of the Goodyear company's Detroit 

 branch supplied the news to the steamer "City of Detroit," 

 cruising from Detroit to Cleveland, on which the semi-annual 

 meeting of the Society of Automobile Engineers was held. 

 This apparatus, which has been in service over a year, was 

 installed in order to gain quick and at all times efficient 

 communication with the factory in Akron. During the recent 

 flood, when all other lines of communication failed, the Good- 

 year home office was in close touch with the branch at De- 

 troit, and during the terrific windstorm on the Lakes this 

 tower was gratuitously offered to the D. & C. company, 

 which was thus enabled to keep in connection with its boats. 



A large number of Englishmen and members of the Society 

 of Automobile Engineers made a trip from Cleveland to 

 -Akron to visit various rubber factories, having attended the 

 semi-aimual meeting of this society aboard the steamer "City of 

 Detroit." The point that impressed the English visitors most 

 was the idea of specializing, as being developed in the .American 

 tire factories. 



E. R. Hall, chief of the experimental department of The 

 Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., says: "Several years ago 

 .America looked to Europe for ideas in not only structural 

 tendencies in foreign motor cars, but also in tire designing. 

 But now the tables are turned and it is safe to say that 

 America is fully several years ahead. In this country we have 

 special tires made for different classes of work; special tires 

 for electrics and gasoline cars; special tires for trucks. The 

 tires are being built more for the particular work they must 

 do than formerly." 



Storage room during business hours for the automobiles 

 of the Goodyear company's officers and department heads is 

 requiring more space as the capacity of the plant and the 

 working force increase. The East Market street building, 

 which has been occupied as a garage, is now found to be 

 inadequate for this purpose, and another building of equal 

 capacity is soon to be erected by the company. 

 * * * 



The Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., which only recently 

 took possession of a new addition to its already extensive 

 plant, has started work on another new structure, a building 

 permit having been granted for a four-story brick and steel 

 factory building, to cost $90,000. The Firestone plant, which 

 now covers fifteen acres and gives employment to more than 

 3.000 persons, is said to be the largest plant in the world 

 devoting its energies exclusively to the manufacture of tires, 

 the daily output of its finished product having been stated by 

 a director of the company to be fifty tons. This enormous 

 business was started about fifteen years ago, when H. S. 

 Firestone, president of the company, commenced operations 

 in a small way at Miller and Sweitzer streets, manufacturing 

 "The Firestone Side-Wire Carriage Tire." With the growth 

 of the enterprise, additions have been erected from time to 

 time, each in its turn embodying all the latest ideas in sanita- 

 tion, fire prevention, etc. It is aimed to complete this latest 



