November i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



53 



a year. While he was still treasurer he purchased the patent 

 controlling the Tapley burnishing machines and realized for its 

 owners from royalities on them some $2,000,000. Indeed, this 

 latter enterprise grew so large that he resigned from the man- 

 agement of the McKay company to care for his own interests. 

 In the meantime, in connection with the late Robert E. Cowen, 

 he had been experimenting with a new process for the manu- 

 facture of rubber lined multiple woven cotton hose, at Cam- 

 bridge, Massachusetts. In 1880 was formed the Boston Woven 

 Hose and Rubber Co., which in 1884 was incorporated as the 

 Boston Woven Hose and Rubber Co., which has become one of 

 the largest mechanical rubber manufacturing concerns in the 

 United States. Colonel Dodge was for several years the active 

 head of this company, during which time it became prominent 

 in the bicycle tire manufacture. 



It was in this period that the "single tube" tire was de- 

 veloped, and Colonel Dodge was one of the founders of the 

 Tillinghast Tire Association, the first purpose of which was 

 the protection of the patents on this type of tire. While the 

 litigation which grew up, which was in progress, the patents 

 were in the hands of Colonel Dodge as trustee, and his name 

 appeared as (he plaintiff in the principal tire suits. On November 

 21, 1899, following closely upon the final decision in the Till- 

 inghast suits, the Single Tube Automobile and Bicycle Tire 

 Co., with $1,000,000 capital, filed articles of incorporation in 

 New Jersey. This company has continued to exist, with Colonel 

 Dodge as president, and with an interest held by the Rubber 

 Goods Manufacturing Co., which concern in 1905 was merged 

 with the United States Rubber Co. Thus the latter, which 

 for four years fought the validity of the Tillinghast patents, 

 came to share materially in the profits of the single tube tire 

 monopoly. Colonel Dodge owned a handsome estate in Brook- 

 line, Massachusetts, but when abroad his American address was 

 42 Broadway, New York. Most of his time for several years 

 was spent in Paris, where he maintained a residence at 96 

 Avenue Kleber. 



The late George Pomeroy Dodge, president of the Mineralized 

 Rubber Co. (New York), who died in 1902, was a younger 

 brother of Colonel Dodge, and like him was educated in Europe. 

 He was connected at one time with the rubber works of Charles 

 Macintosh & Co., Limited, in Manchester, and later established a 

 business for himself in America. He was in a way interested 

 in the tire patent litigation and at one time mentioned to the 

 writer of this sketch having contributed $90,000 to its expenses. 



THE LATE FRANK REIFSNIDER. 



Frank Reifsnider, vice-president and general manager of The 

 Aluminum Flake Co., at Akron, Ohio, died on October 27, from 

 a stroke of apoplexy, in the office of his company, aged 64 years. 

 In 1894 The India Rubber World said: "Mr. Reifsnider has 

 been connected with the rubber manufacturing business for 20 

 years, with the exception of a period spent in journalism." In 

 that year The Diamond Rubber Co. was established in Akron, 

 being incorporated on March 26. Mr. Reifsnider was the first 

 president. Connected with him were seven brothers named 

 Sherbondy. three of whom were directors of the new company. 

 The Sherbondys had lately been employes of The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. — with which Mr. Reifsnider had at one time been con- 

 nected — and they at once took up the manufacture of tires, in 

 which the Diamond company in time built up so great a business. 

 Two years later Mr. Reifsnider assisted in organizing and be- 

 came manager of the Akron India Rubber Co., which later was 

 called the India Rubber Co., and finally was merged with the 

 Rubber Goods Manufacturing Co. For the past three years 

 Mr. Reifsnider has been marketing in the rubber trade a com- 

 pounding ingredient called aluminum flake, for which purpose 

 the company headed by him was formed. The office of presidenr 

 was filled by a brother. 



WILLIAM 3. CORBETT. 



William J. Corbett, proprietor of the Danversport Rubber 

 Co. (Danversport, Massachusetts), died on September 23, of 

 heart failure, at his apartment in Worcester street. Boston. Mr. 

 Corbett was 66 years old. For a great many years he was a 

 prominent junk dealer in the part of Boston known as the South 

 Cove, and a large handler of waste rubber. Some 17 years ago 

 he bought a tide mill at Danversport and started manufacturing 

 reclaimed rubber. In the meantime he moved his junk warehouse 

 to A street, South Boston, his principal business there being in 

 paper waste. Mr. Corbett for many years lived the life of a 

 recluse, rarely seeing visitors outside his office, and shunning all 

 social life. He is said to have left an estate valued at about 

 $300,000. His immediate relatives are Frederick Barlow, a 

 half brother, John Barlow, of Montreal, Canada, and James J. 

 Corbett, who is at present in the West. 



* d/t * 



Mrs. Celia Bachrach, w^ho died in Brooklyn, New York, on 

 October 25. in her sixty-second year, was the widow of Joseph 

 Bachrach, a former manufacturer of rubber goods in that bor- 

 ough, whose death occurred five years ago. They are survived 

 by three sons, two of whom are lawyers well known in Brooklyn, 

 and three daughters. 



INDIA-RUBBER GOODS IN COMMERCE. 



EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. 



/"\FFICIAL statement of values of exports of manufactures 

 ^^ of india-rubber and gutta-percha for the month of August, 

 1909, and the first eight months of five calendar years : 



Belting Boots All 



Months. Packing and Other Total. 



and Hose. Shoes. Rubber. 



August, 1909 $167,840 $234,984 $284,971 $687,795 



January to July 996,859 637,090 2,393,563 4,027.512 



Total $1,164,699 $872,074 $2,678,534 $4,715,307 



Total, 1908 813,383 927,084 2,371,374 4,111,841 



Total 1907 920,715 908,440 2,702,777 4,531,932 



Total, 1906 800,245 788,966 2.094,098 3,683,309 



Total, 1905 755,988 767,775 1,918,481 3,442,244 



RUBBER FOOTWEAR IN PERSIA. 



Persia is stated to have imported, during the business year 

 ended March 20, 1907, galoshes and rubber shoes of no less extent 

 than 1,222,077 kilograms [ = 2,688,569 pounds], credited as fol- 

 lows: Russia, 1,155.022 kilos; Austria-Hungary, 50,500; Turkey, 

 5,841; France, 2,930; Germany, 1,665; Great Britain, 700; British, 

 674; not specified, 4,735. 



DEMAND FOR RUBBERS IN SAXONY. 



The United States consular agent at Markneukirchen, in Sax- 

 ony, reports that in that as well as in other mountainous parts 

 of Germany the winters are severe, with snow generally from the 

 end of November until Easter. The sale of American rubber 

 shoes has become extensive and he points out that a larger trade 

 might be done in rubber boots. 



RUBBER FOOTWEAR IN SPAIN 



A steady increase is reported in the importation of rubber 

 footwear into Spain, as indicated by the following figures : 



1906. 1907. 1908. 



Weight (kilograms) 6,982 31,041 44.242 



Value (pesetas) 1 18,694 465,615 676,626 



These goods are supplied chiefly by the United States, Austria, 

 Germany, France, and Sweden, a very small share coming from 

 Great Britain. The United States, by the way, do not appear to 

 have maintained their standing in the Spanish market for rubber 

 footwear, as indicated by the official figures for exports from 

 this country for five fiscal years ending June 30, 1904—107,704 

 pairs; 1905 — 43,541 pairs; 1906 — 89,344 pairs; 1907 — 6,984 pairs; 

 1908 — 20,816 pairs. 



