24 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October i, 1903. 



THE OBITUARY RECORD. 



CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS. 



CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS, president of the C. Roberts 

 Rubber Co., of Newark, New Jersey, died at his home in 

 that city on September 20, in his seventy-seventh year. Mr. 

 Roberts was born in 1827 in Manchester, England, where, after 

 remaining in school as long as his parents, who were in moder- 

 ate circumstances, could afford, he found employment in an 

 India-rubber factory. He speedily became an efficient work- 

 man, particularly in the making of stationers' rubber goods. In 

 1849 he came to the United States to install some machinery 

 for a relative who was interested in the rubber industry, and, 



after looking the 

 field over, he de 

 cided to remain 

 here and invest 

 the small capital 

 he had saved in a 

 factory of his own. 

 Beginning in a 

 small way at Prov- 

 idence, he suc- 

 ceeded, and about 

 1858 he removed 

 his business to 

 Newark, shortly 

 afterward making 

 a contract with a 

 large pencil man- 

 ufacturer for rub- 

 ber tips, which ar- 

 rangement was the 

 beginning of what 

 developed into an important business. The pencil manufacturer 

 was Eberhard Faber (New York), who became a partner in the 

 business, conducted for a number of years as Christopher Rob- 

 erts & Co. 



Early in 1899 the company became a corporation under the 

 laws of New Jersey, with Mr. Roberts president and Mr. Faber 

 vice president. The capital stock was $150,000, the majority 

 being held by Mr. Roberts. The factory employed about 100 

 people, and was in constant operation, making only erasers and 

 elastic bands, the total output being taken by the firm of Faber. 

 For two years past Mr. Roberts was prevented by failing 

 health from giving active attention to business. Mr. Roberts 

 at no time had any labor trouble in his factory, and there are 

 men who have worked in the factory since they were boys. Mr. 

 Roberts was unostentatious in his life, and is known to have 

 disbursed in a quiet way a great deal of money in charity, as 

 also did Mrs. Roberts, who died fifteen years ago. The only 

 surviving member of the family is a daughter, Mrs. George S. 

 Coxe, whose husband is connected with the factory. The two 

 sons both died several years ago. Mr. Roberts was a member of 

 the Newark Board of Trade, and until three years ago was a direc- 

 tor in the Essex County Bank. He was a regular attendant at 

 Trinity Church (Episcopal). Aside from his interest in the rub- 

 ber works, Mr. Roberts is understood to have left considerable 

 estate. It is stated that there will be no change in the 

 method of carrying on the business of the Roberts company. 



* * * 



Martin V. Beiger, president of the Mishawaka Woolen 

 Manufacturing Co. (Mishawaka, Indiana) died at South Bend, 

 on September 26, following an operation for appendicitis on 

 September 21. Mr. Beiger was about 58 years of age. He 



served in the civil war in the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth 

 Indiana regiment. At the time of his death he was president of 

 the board of trustees of De Pauw University and a trustee of 

 the Chautauqua Assembly, Chautauqua, New York. Mr. Beiger 

 established, about fourteen years ago, in connection with cap- 

 italists of South Bend and Mishawaka, a woolen manufacturing 

 business, an important product of which was supplies for 

 " combination boots." The company next began buying rubber 

 overs, in order to sell the boots complete. In November, 1896, 

 The India Rubber World stated : " The Mishawaka Woolen 

 Manufacturing Co., it is estimated, will use 75 carloads of rub- 

 ber overs this season, in combination with their knit boots and 

 lumbermen's socks." Two years later a rubber department 

 was added, and placed in charge of Emmett A. Saunders, who 

 had been general superintendent of factories of the United 

 States Rubber Co., the capital of the company being increased 

 for this purpose from $500,000 to $700,000. The company's 

 sales in 1889 were $65,000; in 1902 they amounted to $4,048,000, 



* * * 



John Frederick Seiberling died on September 6, at his 

 home in Akron, Ohio, in his seventieth year. He was a native 

 of Ohio, belonging to an extensive family whose history in that 

 state runs back to 1828. Mr. Seiberling was born on a farm, 

 where the work of harvesting suggested labor saving ideas 

 which he applied to mowing and reaping machines, in the 

 manufacture of which he acquired a fortune. The factory of 

 the J. F. Seiberling Co. became one of Akron's largest and 

 most profitable industries. He became active in many other 

 business enterprises, and was the founder of The India Rubber 

 Co., of Akron, in 1896, employing a factory he had used for- 

 merly for making reapers. Mr. Seiberling was the father of 

 Frank A. Seiberling, general manager of the Goodyear Tire 

 and Rubber Co. (Akron) ; Charles W. Seiberling, secretary of 

 the same company ; and Mrs. S. S. Miller, whose husband is 

 connected with the Buckeye Rubber Co. (Akron). Two broth- 

 ers of the deceased, James H. Seiberling and Monroe Seiber- 

 ling, are interested in the Indiana Insulated Wire and Rubber 

 Co. (Jonesbore, Indiana), the former being president. The 

 Seiberling interests also controlled the late Peoria Rubber and 

 Manufacturing Co. (Peoria, Illinois), the factory of which was 

 closed on being acquired by a combination. Mr. Seiberling 

 was one of the most philanthropic and liberal men of Akron, 

 where his loss is keenly felt. The funeral services, held at his 

 late residence on September 8, were attended by a large num- 

 ber of Akron's most influential citizens. 



* • » 



Charles E. Breeden, of Glenridge, New Jersey, and a re- 

 tired business man of New York, died on August 29 at his sum- 

 mer home in Laconia, New Hampshire. He was born in Bos- 

 ton, June 10, 1842, being the son of Abner Breeden, the first 

 selling agent employed by the Ford Rubber Co., who began 

 the manufacture of rubber shoes at New Brunswick, N. J., in 

 1845. Charles entered the selling agency after it became 

 Breeden & Southwick (New York), handling the product of 

 the leading rubber shoe manufacturers. He later volunteered 

 in the civil war, after which he returned to his old firm, from 

 which he retired in 1871, possessed of a comfortable fortune. 

 His uncle, Benjamin F. Breeden, also of Breeden & Southwick, 

 was one of the founders of the North British Rubber Co., Lim- 

 ited. 



The attorney general of New Jersey has decided that rubber 

 stamps cannot be used in marking ballots to be used in voting 

 in that state this year, for or against the proposed amendments 

 to the state constitution. 



