318 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[JUNI 



1904. 



that McClurg was responsible for the accident in that he failed 

 to keep his hands above the rollers as he had been instructed. 

 As such an accident had never happened before, the court held 

 that the company were not bound to guard against it. " It is 

 not negligence on the part of a master to fail to instruct an 

 employe to avoid an injury which the master had no right to 

 expect would happen," said the court. " It is only to the injuries 

 that is likely to occur that he is bound to anticipate and guard 

 against. The danger was obvious. He needed no instructions 

 to keep his hands from the rollers. He disregarded his instruc- 

 tions and cannot recover." 



REBUILDING OF A RUBBER PLANT. 



The contract for rebuilding the Plymouth plant of the 

 Boston Woven Hose and Rubber Co. has been awarded to 

 Ernest L. Sampson, of Plymouth. This plant was partially de- 

 stroyed by fire in January, with a loss of much valuable machin- 

 ery. The large brick building is intact, and in addition to repair- 

 ing the wooden buildings, a new brick structure, 40X80 feet and 

 four stories high, has been planned, to be used as part of the re- 

 claiming works. A new devulcanizer house for the large heat- 

 ers will also be built. The new buildings will be of the most 

 approved fire proof construction. A complete system of fire 

 protection will be installed, including automatic sprinklers to 

 be supplied from a 25,000 gallon tank placed on a steel tower 

 15 feet higher than the highest sprinkler head. An Under- 

 writers' pump of 750 gallons per minute capacity will be con- 

 nected with tank, sprinklers, and fire hydrant. The boiler 

 house, which supplies steam for running the plant, has been 

 rendered thoroughly fireproof. A new 100 horse power boiler 

 has been added to the one already in use. The steam generat- 

 ing plant is used as an auxiliary to the water power which runs 

 most of the machinery of the mill. It was the exceptional wa- 

 ter power facilities at Plymouth which induced the company to 

 establish their plant here. A series of turbine wheels convey 

 the power from the tributary ponds and streams, which furnish 

 an economical and never failing source of supply. 



The new building will be devoted to the reclaiming of rub- 

 ber. In this building will be the grinders, the separators, tanks, 

 and washers used in the various processes of reclaiming. The 

 rubber will be carried from one department to another by con- 

 veyors. So many labor saving appliances will be introduced 

 that a small number of men can do the work that a few years 

 ago would have required a large force of operatives. A part of 

 the plant is devoted to the manufacture of linen fire hose, 

 which is woven on specially constructed looms. Other looms 

 weave the cotton duck for the company's special grades of hose 

 or belting. 



The Boston Woven Hose and Rubber Co. is one of the few 

 rubber companies that manufacture every part of their prod- 

 uct, taking rubber in the crude stage and the cotton before it 

 is twisted into strands for weaving, and turning out the com- 

 pleted hose, belt, or other mechanical rubber goods. 



THE GUTTA PERCHA COMPANY AFTER THE FIRE. 



The illustration on this page shows how complete was the 

 ruin of the warehouses and general offices of the Gutta Percha 

 and Rubber Manufacturing Co. of Toronto, Limited, at Nos. 

 45. 47, and 49 West Front street, Toronto, in the great fire of 

 April 19. As indicated in our last issue, however, the complete- 

 ness of this ruin, though representing $500,000 in money, has 

 not had the effect of interfering with the business of the com- 

 pany. One of their largest customers wrote to the firm ten 

 days after the fire : 



We might say, that so far as our orders from day to day are concerned, 

 they have practically been delivered as heretofore, with almost no delay, 



and had we not read of the fire, we would hardly be aware from any in- 

 convenience that we are suffering, that one had taken place. 



The fire started at about 8 P. M. some two blocks from this 

 building, and when President H. D. Warren arrived on the 

 scene a little later there were hopes that the property could be 

 saved. He promptly turned on the electric lights throughout 

 the premises, so as to attract any of the office staff who might 

 come down town, of whom there were soun a dozen on hand. 

 It was soon seen, however, that the building was doomed, and 

 an hour was spent in filling the vaults with such things as might 

 be serviceable in continuing the business, special vaults having 

 been built several years ago in anticipation of a destructive fire. 

 All the books, records, letter files, and documents of the com- 

 pany were regularly kept there, but on the night in question 

 the contents of every desk throughout the building was sys- 

 tematically placed in the vaults and thus escaped destruction. 

 The company have now in hand all the current memoranda so 

 valuable in carrying on business. They saved for instance, all 

 fire hose record threads and many other such things that would 

 not ordinarily be kept in a vault. This work was kept up until 

 Mr. Warren and his clerks had been repeatedly warned to leave 

 the building, and they closed the vaults at the last moment at 

 which it was possible to escape with their lives. No attempt was 

 made to save any merchandise, but, being insured fully, the 

 company are not concerned in this regard. There has never 

 been a time before when the company were so well fixed to re- 

 place the burned stock. Their third new and largest mill room, 

 with its 1000 HP. engine, is completed and running. They 

 have never before had such a large supply of crude rubber, cot- 

 ton, reclaimed rubber, and ingredients generally. Besides, for 

 the first time in some years they have a large reserve of coal, 

 so that everything is propitious for a large and speedy output, 

 besides which their factory force of 600 and their office staff of 

 60 are working enthusiastically to offset any inconvenience 

 caused by the fire. While the fire was raging the company's 

 chief engineer quietly contracted for 1,000,000 brick and for 

 the first call on the services of two of the largest mason and 

 carpenter contractors. Before midnight temporary offices had 

 been arranged for, at No. 15 Wellington street, East, and by 10 

 the next morning the clerical force was at work, while goods 

 were being shipped in from the factory. It is understood that 

 the work of rebuilding will be postponed, however, on account 

 of certain requirements in the new building laws and the dis- 

 position of the insurance companies to advance rates. 



