20 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



lOctOBEK 1, 19 10. 



As early as 1864, he began manufacturing on a small scale. 

 The unusual economic wave which swept over Germany after the 

 great political events of 1870-71 could not but favorably affect 

 the development of his business, so that in 1875 a new and larger 

 plant had to be erected in Nippes, becoming more important and 

 extensive from year to year. 



The development of applied clectrotechnics in its ever widening 

 range, whose great future possibilities Franz Clouth clearly fore- 

 saw, induced him to erect in 1891, near his former factory, a new 

 building for turning out insulated wire and cables of all kinds. 

 Owing to the extension of his cable works, it appeared desirable 

 that its management, which up to the present time was merged 

 within the joint control of both plants, be made entirely inde- 

 pendent and, accordingly, in 1898, the whole cable department was 

 transformed into an independent enterprise under the firm Land- 

 Seekabclwerkc Aktiengesellschaft. With Herr Clouth as chair- 

 man of the board. One of the chief reasons for this was, besides, 

 the intention to include the manufacture of submarine cables 

 within the range of the business, that the economic development 

 of Germany and especially her colonial expansion policy war- 

 ranted the assumption that in the near future she would be bound 

 to enter into competition with England in the branch of trans- 

 atlantic cable lines. 



These circumstances made Franz Clouth realize the necessity 

 of putting up a submarine cable plant on the coast, and the young 

 company, at his suggestfon,' set to work at once to secure a suit- 

 able site for erecting a branch at Nordenhani, on the lower Weser. 

 The cooperation of the firm with another one and their respec- 

 tive banking groups, first originated the Deutsche .\tlantisch 

 Telegraphen-Gesellschaft, of Cologne, and the Xorddeutschen 

 Seekabclwerkc Aktiengesellschaft, of Nordenham. Franz Clouth 

 undoubtedly deserves the credit of being the father of the Nor- 

 denham works, and consequently of the German marine cable 

 industry in general. It is due to the creative efforts and subse- 

 quent developments at Nordenham that it became possible for 

 Germany to inaugurate an independent ocean cable service. One 

 result was the establishment of the German-Dutch-East-Euro- 

 pean and South American Telegraph companies, in each of which 

 Franz Oouth was a director. 



Recently, Franz Clouth took a strong interest in aeronautics, 

 as he had before in clectrotechnics, and of late became quite 

 active in the construction of air balloons and dirigjbles, one of 

 which gained just recognition for having distinguished itself on 

 the Ila in Frankfort o/M., and in trips to and within Brussels, 



In spite of the enormous amount of personal attention his fac- 

 tories demanded and his great loyalty to unconditional duty that 

 called for the utmost exertions, both on his own part and that of 

 his employe's, Franz Clouth found time to repeatedly make long 

 trips over Europe, and through Africa and India, during which 

 time he made a special study of the conditions bearing on rub- 

 ber-plantation culture. He also wrote a monograph on the rub- 

 ber industry published at Weimar in 1873, 1879 and l8gg. An 

 enlarged English edition of this work entitled, "Rubber, Gutta- 

 percha and Balata," appeared in 1903 in London and New York. 

 In Franz Clouth, the large industrial circles of Cologne and the 

 Rhein country have lost a well renowned person whose tireless 

 activity will be greatly felt even after his death. The employes 

 joined in a public testimonial in which they said : "We have lost 

 an industrial chief and adviser whose high powers of mind and 

 heart we shall honor perpetually, and cherish in our memories." 

 Franz Clouth in 1862 married Miss Theodore Wahlenberg, of 

 Cologne, who died during the Franco-Prussian war. In 1872 

 he married Miss Josephine Baum, of the same city. For some 

 years two sons of Mr. Clouth have been connected actively with 

 his rubber interests. Max Clouth being the active director of the 

 works at Colognc-Nippes. 



TFor a fuller personal sketch of Herr Clouth see The INI)I.^ 

 RuRRER World, April i, 1902— page 207. For a description of 

 the cable works at Nordenham, the issue for January i, 1908.I 



EDUABD FRANKENBERG. 



Edlwru FR.\NKENnERc, the founder and head of the firm, 

 Gammiwerk Eduard Frankcnberg G. m. b. H.. Hamburg. Ger- 

 many, died on August 30. He had worked long and successfully 

 in the production of rubber coated fabrics, and with unremitting 

 zeal for the perfection of technical manufacturing methods. The 

 business of the firm will be continued by his capable and experi- 

 enced associates. 



BRITISH OBITUARY NOTES. 



The death occurred recently of Mr. George Frederick Sheath, 

 the head of the firm of Sheath Brothers, manufacturers of spe- 

 cialties in india-rubber and gutta-percha, in London. The house 

 was founded in 1845 by the late James Sheath, who died in 

 1878, when his brother, the subject of this notice, became the 

 head of the firm. Mr. Sheath was in his eighty-seventh year, 

 but was able to attend to business regularly until within a few 

 months of his death. Mr. James T. T. Sheath, nephew of the 

 deceased and son of the founder of the firm, entered the business 

 in 1886 and became a partner in 1895, and will continue the 

 business. 



The death occurred on August 20 of Mr. Henry Phillips, the 

 agent at Coventry for the North British Rubber Co., Limited, 

 in his seventy-fourth year. He was highly respected in Coventry 

 business circles, and had long been identified with the trade in 

 clincher pneumatic tires. 



RUBBER PRODUCTION OF THE AMAZON. 



' I 'HE amount of rubber produced in the .Amazon region for the 

 •*■ last three crop years has been stated in detail in reports 

 by the imperial German consul at Para, from which these figures 

 are compiled: 



STATE OF P.\RA. 



1907-08. 1908-09. 1909-10. 



Rubber tons 9,428 10,457 9,931 



Caucho 857 1,070 1,130 



Total 10,285 11.527 11,061 



STATE OF AMAZONAS. 



[Including the Federal territory of Acre.] 



Rubber tons 16.771 16,587 18,685 



Caucho 4.969 5,270 5474 



Total 21,740 21,857 24,159 



REPUBLIC OF PERU. 



Rubber tons 3,407 3,176 3,900 



Caucho 1,720 1,853 2,000 



Total 5,127 5,029 5,900 



SUMMARY. 



Rubber tons 29,606 30,220 32,516 



Caucho 7.546 8,193 8,604 



Total tons 37,152 38,413 41.120 



Total pounds 81,905,300 84.685,300 00.653,152 



These figures compare only approximately with those obtained 

 from some other recognized sources and printed from time to 

 time in this journal, but they are of interest in showing whence 

 comes the increased production of rubber in the Amazon valley. 

 While the fact is not shown specifically, the major part of the 

 increase comes from the Acre territory. 



George A. Turner, a life-long resident of Providence, Rhode 

 Island, and a well-known citizen, died at his home there on June 

 17, after being seriously ill for but a short time. He was born 

 October 17, 1834, educated in Providence, and inherited abundant 

 means. He was one of the incorporators of the Davol Rubber 

 Co. and a director thereafter. He visited the offices of the com- 

 pany on the second day before his death. 



