194 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January 1, 1914. 



Obituary Record. 



GEORGE H. HOOD. 



GEORGE H. HOOD, who for nearly forty years was a 

 leading ligure in American rubber manufacture, died at 

 his home in Hamilton. Massachusetts, on December 3, in 

 his seventy-ninth year. 



Mr. Hood might be classed among tlie pioneers of tlie 

 American rubber trade. When as a young man just reacliing 

 his majority he entered the rubber business, in the 50's. 

 Charles Goodyear was not only alive but was still extremely 

 active in the development of the possibilities of rubber. Soon 

 after the close of the civil war Mr. Hood embarUfd on an 

 independent rubber business, in 

 which he continued until 1870. 

 when he joined with tlie late 

 Robert 1). Evans in the formation 

 of the Eagle Rubber Co., of which 

 he was general manager. Three 

 years later the .American Rubber 

 Co. was formed as a Boston dis- 

 tril)uting agency for the product 

 of the Eagle company and also 

 for handling the footwear of the 

 Meyer Rubber Co., of New 

 Brunswick, New Jersey. Shortly 

 afterwards the American Rubber 

 Co. oecaine a manufacturing con- 

 cern and built a large plant for 

 making footwear and clothing in 

 Cambridge, Mr. Hood still being 

 associated with Mr. Evans in this 

 venture. 



In 187cS Mr. Hood founded a 

 rubber manufacturing company 

 of his own in Chelsea. Massa- 

 cluisetts, calling it the Boston 

 Rubber Co. He devoted his 

 energies to the manufacture of 

 wringer rolls, molded goods and 

 rubber-surface cloths-. Ten years 

 later he bought a factory at 

 I'ranklin, Massachusetts, and 

 began the manufacture of rubber 

 footwear, giving his product the 

 name of the "Bell" brand. He 

 was a man of initiative and of 

 many original ideas, and em- 

 barked on quite a campaign of rublier footwear advertising in 

 publications of national circulation. This proved to lie a 

 profitable course and he soon built up a considerable footwear 

 business. In 1892 he sold his entire interests to the United 

 States Rubber Co., becoming one of the directors of that 

 corporation, but four years later he retired from this connec- 

 tion and was not after that actively engaged in rubber en- 

 terjirises. But his strong personality had stamped itself so 

 deeply upon the rubber trade that notwithstanding his re- 

 tirement so many years ago from active work, he is still re- 

 membered by all except the very youngest meniliers of the 

 trade as a forceful factor in this industry. 



Not all of his energy, however, was absorbed Iiy his interest 

 in rubber manufacture. He was one of the organizers of the 

 Rubber Mutual Insurance Co., a director in the old National 

 Hamilton Bank of Chelsea, and also in traction, light and 

 power companies. After retiring from the United States Rubber 

 Co. he devoted much of his time to travel in foreign countries. 



and being a very keen and intelligent observer he acquired a 

 vast fund of general information, which made his conversation 

 most instructive and interesting. 



His wife died last March, at Palm Beach, [''lorida, liut he 

 is survived 1)y three sons — Frederick C. .\rthur N. and Richard 

 P. Hood — all connected witli tlie Hood Rulilier Co, and by 

 tu(i daughters — Mrs. R. L. Wliitinan and .Miss Helen Hood. 



George H. Hood 



ALBERT T. MORSE. 



With tile passing of .-\Ibert T. Morse, who died in New 

 ^ nrk. December 10. the crude rubber trade will miss one who 



fur many years held a leading 

 ])hicc. Coming from Worcester, 

 Massachusetts, in 1877, he, with 

 his brother, Charles A. Morse, 

 jcpined the staff of Earl Brothers 

 in .\ew York. He developed 

 rajiidly as a salesman, and in 1894 

 began independent operations un- 

 der his own name. 



His sterling worth, his probity 

 and his exactness in his business 

 relations w-on for him many 

 friends, and his marked success — ■ 

 and that of A. T. Morse & Co., 

 when Charles A. entered the firm 

 — was the logical outcome of his 

 abiHty and popularity, and a 

 source of pardonable pride to both 

 of the brothers. 



Mr, Morse saw the rise and 

 success of many rubber manufac- 

 turing companies and the fall of 

 some, and his advice, often sought, 

 was always in the interest of con- 

 servative measures and methods. 



He had many intimates among 

 the leaders of the older generation 

 of rubber men, including E. C. 

 Converse, R. D. Evans, Amaza 

 Spadone, George A. Alden, and 

 men of that type ; and many of 

 the most active crude rubber men 

 of the present generation received 

 from him valuable instruction in 

 tlie science of purchasing crude 

 nibl.ier. He withdrew fri.iii active work in 1911 Init still re- 

 tained an interest in tile linn of Mever & Brow-n. 



BENJAMIN F. VITT 



Benjamin Franklin Vitt, for many years connected with various 

 rubber importing and manufacturing concerns, died at his home 

 in W'oodhaven, Long Island, on December 12. Mr. Vitt began 

 his career with the importing house of Jules S. Abecasis, which 

 was an important factor in the rubber trade for many years. 

 He was with the New York Commercial Co. for about IS years 

 and with the Diamond Rubber Co. for about 5 years. After the 

 amalgamation of the Diamond and Goodrich companies he be- 

 came connected with the rubber importing house of Ed 

 Maurer. retiring from acti\e work about two years ago on 

 account of failing health. 



New York's motor fire apparatus is valued at $1,000,000 and 

 includes 122 pieces. 



