February i, 1904.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



169 



Have the rubber manufacturers at iast solved the problem 

 of speed in tire construction? The question is one which 

 naturally appeals to the interest of automobilists. At least The 

 Diamond Rubber Co. claim to have reached a point in tire de- 

 velopment where they can be reasonably certain of being able 

 to turn out any number of tires, all equally fast. What is of 

 particular interest is the ability to supply a set of tires, each 

 one of which shall be as fast, and no faster than the others. 



" Up to this time," said an official of this company, " rubber 

 manufacturers have constructed their tires for racing on a hit 

 and miss plan. They never knew until the tires were tested 

 whether one of a set would be faster than the others or not. 

 In turning out a set of automobile tires for racing no one could 

 tell to a certainty whether all would be fast. They had to be 

 tested. Now we know to an absolute certainty just how fast 

 our racing tires are. We know the secret of making racing 

 tires uniform in speed, and it will open a new era in the 

 manufacture of fast tires." 



The Diamond Rubber Co., by the way, made the tires used 

 on the Packard "Grey Wolf" which, at Daytona, Florida, on 

 January 4, broke all American records by running a mile in 

 462 5 seconds and a kilometer in 29 2-5 seconds. These are 

 also world's records on cars of its class. As illustrating the 

 terrific strain to which tires are subjected in speed trials of this 

 sort, it may be noted that the track of the " Grey Wolf " in the 

 sand showed that very frequently the car was absolutely clear 

 of the ground. These leaps covered distances as great as eight 

 feet by actual measurement. As their sudden release from re- 

 sistance increased the rapidity with which the wheels revolved 

 to an almost incredible extent, the effect upon the tires when 

 the car again struck the sand and obtained traction may easily 



be imagined. 



* * # 



Jacob Pfeifker, Jr., president of the Miller Rubber Manu- 

 facturing Co., of Akron, has filed a suit in the common pleas 

 court here, praying for the recovery of 189 shares in the com- 

 pany, of the par value of $50 each, issued to Harvey L. Miller, 

 and for an injunction to prevent a transfer of the shares by Mr. 

 Miller while the case is pending. The complaint alleges that 

 the shares in question were allotted to Miller without any pay- 

 ment for the same, on the understanding that he was to remain 

 in the employ of the company, instead of which he has since 

 gone to the Canton Rubber Co., where he is using information 

 gained from his former employers, to their detriment. Later 

 The Miller Rubber Manufacturing Co. filed a suit in the com- 

 mon pleas court of Stark county, against the Canton Rubber 

 Co., alleging infringement of the trade marks of the former 



company as applied to rubber gloves, face masks, and the like. 



* * * 



The receiver of the People's Hard Rubber Co., James W. 

 Hoffert, has filed his final report in the probate court at Akron. 

 He states that he received from the sale of personal property 

 $85,000; sale of desperate claims. $100; on collections, etc., 

 $10,557.52 ; a total of $95,657.52. For disbursement to general 

 creditors there will be $91,381.02, which, the assignee states, 

 will pay a dividend of 71485 percent. The real estate of the 

 defunct company some time ago brought $80,000. The Peo- 

 ple's Hard Rubber Co. was incorporated in 1901, with $200,000 

 capital ; the factory was closed in November, 1902, and an 



assignment followed in December. 



» * * 



The plant of the Superior Rubber and Manufacturing Co., at 

 Cuyahoga Falls, is not yet in operation, although its promoter. 

 Mayor E. M. Young, of that town, had promised that it would 

 be in operation by the first of the year. All of the machinery 



has not been installed, and according to the latest statement of 

 Mayor Young, the company will be reorganized, a large num- 

 ber of the original stockholders having failed to pay for their 

 stock. It is understood that an effort will be made to secure 



capital in the East. 



* » * 



The Swineharrt Clincher Tire and Rubber Co., of Akron, was 

 incorporated January 14, under Ohio laws, with $100,000 capi- 

 tal by James A. Swinehart, F. Siegrist, Frank Kearns, Henry 

 Feuchter, and Ben. O. Swinehart, to exploit a new solid rubber 

 tire patented by the first named. Although the organization 

 of the company has not been com- 

 pleted, offices have been opened in 

 Akron and the work of securing a 

 market for the tires begun. It is in- 

 tended, in time, to build a factory, 

 but at present the company will con- 

 tract for the manufacture of their 

 tires. This is the first solid tire, for 

 automobile use, so constructed as to 

 fit G & J clincher rims, and it is 

 pointed out that this rim, by reason of its lightness, has advan- 

 ages over tthe heavier channel used with other solid tires. The 

 side wire is used, as in the Firestone tire, but in the Swinehait 

 tire it extends but half way into the tire. A wire is also run 

 around the rim in the center of the tire, but this has no part in 

 keeping the tire on the rim. In case it is necessary to remove the 

 tire, the middle wire, which is made of soft metal, is melted by 

 the application of electricity, it in turn melting the cement, and 

 allowing the tire to be pulled from the rim. This is a feature 

 seen in no other solid tire, according to the claims of the 

 S.vinehart company. The tire tread is corrugated, and great 

 things are claimed for it. 



» * ♦ 



The annual meeting of The B. F. Goodrich Co. was held on 

 January 13, and resulted in the reelection of the old officers, as 

 follows: George T. Perkins, president; Bertram G. Work, vice 

 president; George W. Crouse, second vice president; R. P. 

 Marvin, secretary ; W. A. Folger, treasurer ; W. A. Means, as- 

 sistant treasurer; F. H. Mason, general manager of works. 

 These officers, in connection with Charles C. Goodrich, com- 

 pose the board of directors. The reports for the year, it is 

 understood, proved to be very satisfactory. 



At the annual meeting of the Summit Rubber Co. (Barber- 

 ton), held on January 12, the following officers were elected ; 

 C. A. Brouse, president; A. Warner, vice president; Mrs. 

 Dilla Warner, treasurer; E. M. Hollinger, secretary. The di- 

 rectors are E. M. Hollinger, C. A. Brouse, A. Warner, George 

 B. Spencer, Mrs. Delia Warner. 



Trouble between the employers and the iron molders of the 

 city this month resulted in the J. K. Williams Machine Co., 

 manufacturers of rubber machinery, closing their foundry de- 

 partment for a few days. The molders went out because of a 

 decrease in wages which took effect at the first of the year, but 

 those in the Williams company's plant have returned to woik. 



Among the Akron men who attended the New York auto- 

 mobile show were Messrs. W. B. Miller, of The Diamond Rub- 

 ber Co. ; H. E. Raymond, of The B. F. Goodrich Co. ; L. E. Sis- 

 ler, H. S. Firestone, and S. G. Carkhuff, and J. M. Gilbert of 

 the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. ; C. W. Seiberling and H. J. 

 Dingman of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and A. J. 

 Swinehart, of the new Swinehart company. 



Mr. Frank A. Seiberling, general manager of the Goodyear 

 Tire and Rubber Co., has returned home from a visit of several 

 weeks in the south. 



