March I, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



?11 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



THE United Rim Co., of this city, the organization of which 

 ■*■ was mentioned in The India Rubber World, June 1, 1909 

 (page 319) have finally completed and announced a pian for the 

 standardization of automobile tire rims. After July 1 The B. 

 F. Goodrich Co., The Diamond Rubber Co., the Goodyear Tire 

 and Rubber Co., the Hartford Rubber Works Co., Morgan & 

 Wright, and The ( ■ & J Tire Co. will stop the manufacture 

 and sale of rims. Their patent rights have been transferred 

 to the ownership of the United Rim Co., and the latter will lie rise 

 any qualified manufacturer to make rims under these patents, 

 provided he agrees to conform to two standard types that have 

 been worked out. These are both quick detachable rims and 

 combine the best features of the various patents. One of the 

 two will be settled upon later, after the consumer is given an 

 opportunity to express a preference. Later a standard type of 

 demountable rim will be decided upon. Two manufacturers had 

 already been licensed when the company made the announce- 

 ment. The Marsh rim factory of The Diamond Rubber Co., at 

 Columbus. Ohio, is to be abandoned. D. W. Pattern is president 

 of the United Rim Co., and P. W. Litchfield, superintendent of 

 the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., is secretary and treasurer. 

 The offices are at Xo. 102 South Howard street, Akron. 



* * * 



The new plant of the Adamson Machine Co., builders of 

 rubber factory equipment on Carroll street, was completed during 

 February. There are four buildings — a machine shop and a 

 foundry, each 80 x 160 feet and two stories high ; a power house 

 40 x 80 feet ; and a blacksmith shop, 40 x 80 feet. All are built of 

 brick and fireproof, with steel frame, cement tile roofs and con- 

 crete floors. The machine shop and foundry are equipped with 

 two 15-tons electric cranes, the power plant with a 125 h.p. 

 engine, and the blacksmith shop with a 1,400 pound steam 

 hammer. All of the new lathes and shapers in the new plant are 

 equipped with motor drives of the latest design. Mr. Alexander 

 Adamson, general manager of the company, says the plant will 

 be in full operation some time in March, and that its capacity 

 will be three times that of the old plant. 



Fire caused by two explosions of benzene destroyed the plant 

 of the Lyon Rubber Co. on February 10. The company manu- 

 factured surgical goods and rubber specialties, and occupied a 

 four-story building on the bank of the Ohio canal. Mr. O. G. 

 Lyon, principal owner of the business, was washing a strip of 

 rubber with benzene when an ignition occurred, supposedly from 

 friction. A new employe in the room with him was frightened 

 by the explosion and ran out, leaving the stop-cock of the 

 benzene tank open. Mr. Lyon fought for a few moments to 

 extinguish the blaze, and then, seeing the benzene running over 

 the floor, ran out. He was badly burned about the arms and 

 chest. The fire spread through the building and ten minutes later 

 the tank, containing 300 gallons of benzene, exploded, blowing 

 out the walls of the building. Fire Chief Mertz and six firemen 

 were hurt. The building was valued at $20,000. It was a com- 

 plete loss, only partially covered by insurance. Mr. Lyon has not 

 decided whether to rebuild. 



* * * 



The Hon. John Barrett, director of the International Bureau 

 of American Republics, in a speech at the first annual banquet of 

 the Akron Chamber of Commerce, on February 14, urged the 

 rubber manufacturers of this city to lend their interest and in- 

 fluence to the development of commerce with Brazil and other 

 South American countries. "There is no city in the United 

 States," he said, "to which this question comes home more 

 forcibly than to Akron, on account of the large amount of raw- 

 rubber imported here from Brazil." He made a strong plea for 

 a ship subsidy as a medium for the development of the com- 



merce of the United States with South American countries. An 

 address by United States Senator Dick followed that of Mr. 

 Barrett. He declared that commerce with South America must 

 be depended upon by the United States to take the plan of our 

 rapidly diminishing trade with the Orient. The banquet was the 

 largest ever held in the city. When Mr. Barrett left Akron he 

 took with him a present for President Taft in the form of four 

 specimen golf balls, each one representing a different stage of 

 manufacture. He asked for them after he had been condi 

 through the The B. F. Goodrich Co.'s rubber plant. Mr. Barrett 

 also witnessed the process of making automobile tires in the plant 

 of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. 



* # # 



The Portage Rubber Co., of Akron, was incorporated under 

 the laws of Ohio, February 17, by G. H. Doolittle, F. D. I assidy, 

 Marta E. Habicht, T. E. Miller, and J. W. Snyder. The initial 

 capital stock is $10,000. A. S. Mottinger, attorney for the com- 

 pany, said they would start a rubber manufacturing business in 

 this city, but would not discuss the plans. Cleveland men, he 

 said, whose names do not appear in the list of incorporators, are 

 chiefly interested. 



The importance of aviation to the rubber industry w-as shown 

 by the keen interest taken by The B. F. Goodrich Co. in the 

 performance of their tire equipment on the Curtiss machines in 

 the Los Angeles meet. The prizes won by the biplanes of that 

 make were eight or ten in number and the Goodrich company 

 consider the result in a measure as a victory foi them. In one 

 event especially, in which a prize was awarded for quick rising, 

 the resilience and lightness of the tire is thought to have an 

 especially important part. 



Mr. A. EI. Marks and Air. W. B. Miller of The Diamond 

 Rubber Co. have each increased the size of their country estates 

 during the last month. Mr. Marks bought from the county for 

 $37,000 51 acres adjoining land already owned by him, on which 

 will be built his country home. The newly acquired acres will 

 be converted into a deer park. Mr. Miller bought eight acres 

 adjoining his estate on Portage park, paying $2,000 an acre. 



Mr. A. H. Noah, treasurer of The Diamond Rubber Co. left 

 for his vacation on February 8. Fie went directly to Los Angeles 

 and is spending a month in various parts of California. 



Mr. E. H. Cutler, formerly sales manager of the Woonsocket 

 Rubber Co. (Woonsocket, Rhode Island), arrived in Akron 

 during the first week of February, to take up his work as sales 

 manager of the new boot and shoe department of The Diamond 

 Rubber Co. The manufacture of footwear has been stated 

 under direction of J. T. Hart, factory manager of the department. 



* * * 



As a means to stimulate the construction of dwelling houses in 

 this city, to supply the demand created by the arrival of men 

 from other towns to work in local factories, the Akron Chamber 

 of Commerce has instituted a novel plan. A "Build-A-Hottse" 

 club has been started and all persons wishing to build houses to 

 rent or sell are asked to join free of charge. The club will 

 conduct a contest and pay prizes for plans of two classes of 

 houses, one to cost $1,200 and the other $1,800. When the 

 winning plans have been chosen duplicates will be given free to 

 members of the club. Manufacturers will be asked to submit lists 

 of persons desiring to rent or buy homes. 



* * * 



It is understood that shares in The Diamond Rubber Co. have 

 changed hands recently in Akron at 280. The same rate has 

 been paid during the past month for shares of The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co. 



The estimated receipts in the Akron post office for the fiscal 

 year which will close March 31 is $300,000, an increase of $50,000 

 over the year before. This is chiefly ascribed to the increase in 

 mails from general offices of rubber factories here. 



