54 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



[November i, 1901. 



larger of the two cuts shows a complete basket, the bottom of 

 which, composed of duck bands, is from i^ to 2 inches from 



the floor, allowing 

 the basket to be 

 moved easily from 

 place to place on 

 the steel runners. 

 The covering con- 

 sists of one piece 

 of duck, folded 

 without seams, 

 and resting on the 

 bands within the 

 frame. The cover- 

 ing is put on under 

 considerable ten- 

 sion and thor- 

 oughly secured with twine and rivets ; besides which the bas- 

 kets are hooped with duck bands and reinforced at all wearing 

 points. There is nowhere any hard surface for the goods to 

 come in contact with and cause 

 breakage or damage. The smaller 

 cut shows a round basket, and a 

 view of the bottom construction 

 common to all the various shapes 

 in which these baskets are made. 

 They are designed for rubber, tex- 

 tile, knitting, and bobbin factories, 

 stores, express companies, etc. The 

 mannfacturers are in receipt of very 

 encouraging letters: "The best basket we ever had in our 

 mills," " Would not know how to do without them," etc. [Mor- 

 ris & Co., Yardville, New Jersey.] 



AN AIR MATTRESS WITH "STAYS." 

 An air mattress without stays is liable to bulge into hillocks 

 and hollows. Many inventors have devised stays intended to 

 prevent this bulging, but what they have produced has proved 

 in most cases either clumsy, or weak, or otherwise unsatisfac- 

 tory. But one inventor, A. A. Young, made a stay for a pneu- 

 matic cushion that goes through to the outer sides, fastening 

 there to a wooden button, with concave under surface, which is 

 vulcanized to the rubber webbing of the mattress. Over the 

 button a cap of rubber webbing is fastened and vulcanized, in- 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CHICAGO. 



PEERLESS." BUTLER." 



suring a thoroughly air tight mattress or cushion, with the 

 strain on the outside. The air sack, in the cushions made un- 

 der Mr. Young's patent, is protected by a covering of ticking or 

 brown duck. These cushions are made in styles for use on 

 ships and yachts — they are in use on the "American Line"' 

 steamers and some United States naval vessels — for camp use, 

 automobile cushions, chair cushions, hospital beds, and for or- 

 dinary household use. [Pneumatic Mattress and Cushion Co., 

 Nos. 2 3 South street. New York.] 



BY A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT. 



THE distribution of garden hose during the past summer 

 was so general throughout the middle west — because of 

 the early and protracted drouth — that the stock in retailers' 

 hands was probably left smaller than for many years, and indi- 

 cations are that a very heavy business will be done by manu- 

 facturers and jobbers this fall and winter for next season's sup- 

 ply. It does seem, however, that the manufacturers would 

 serve their own interests better if they held prices on the 

 lower grades of hose at a point which would enable them to 

 make hose on which they would not have such a large per- 

 centage of defective hose returned. But judging from prices 

 at which some large contracts have already been taken, with 

 guarantees for quite heavy pressures, a lower range of prices is 

 being made than would appear to be comfortable. 



The distribution of belting, particularly in the higher grades, 

 has been large, and generally satisfactory. 



John M. Moulton & Co. have let the contract for belting for 

 a grain elevator they will build in 1902, for the West Shore 

 railroad at Weehawken, New Jersey, to the Diamond Rubber 

 Co. (Akron, Ohio.) There are three more large elevator belt- 

 ing contracts which will shortly be out, for which the compe- 

 tition doubtless will be as keen as it was for the ones recently 

 placed. This lot of belting referred to will not weigh less than 

 60,000 pounds. 



The vehicle and bicycle tire business has been very satisfac- 

 tory, as far as volume goes, and while prices are still pretty 

 close, it is to be presumed they are fairly remunerative for the 

 manufacturers. 



Rubber horseshoes, of which the styles are bewilderingly 

 numerous, are growing more and more in favor, and the outlook 

 is for a large business this coming season. Rubber heels also 

 hold their own and seem to have established themselves as a 

 necessity, and not as a fad. 



The severe and protracted drouth in the early summer in 

 the middle west and northwest, was the cause of a great deal 

 of cancellations in the rubber boot and shoe trade; but on the 

 whole distribution has been very satisfactory, and well ahead 

 of last year. Doubtless jobbers as well as retailers would like 

 to see the very fine weather we have been having come to an 

 end. 



The distribution of druggists' sundries continues very satis- 

 factory, and hard rubber combs are having an extensive sale. In 

 hard rubber goods, the demand for battery jars is constantly 

 increasing, and the distribution of sheet, rod, and tubing is 

 large. Papier mach^ composition seems to be getting a con- 

 siderable share of the telephone specialties, such as receiver 

 shells, mouth-pieces, etc., but hard rubber gets the big end of 

 the business, and a very large one it is. 



There is a good field in Chicago for a hard rubber turner. 

 There must go out of Chicago to New York $300 or $400 worth 

 of work every month from surgical instrument houses for such 

 specialties as ear trumpet pieces and the like. Not enough of 

 any one article is bought to justify the cost of dies and molds 

 and hence these things are all " turned " from tubing. 



The business in fire hose is very good indeed ; one house 

 reports having more orders than they can fill. 



The formation of another rubber plantation company here 

 is reported, with 21,000 acres of land in the state of Chiapas, 

 Mexico. Particulars will probably re forthcoming by next 

 fssue. From the character of the men in charge, and also the 

 favorable location of its land, this promises to be one of the 

 very successful companies. 



