October i, igo-] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



17 



Among the Tire Makers. 



NEW MIDGLEY UNIVERSAl EIM. 



THE Midgley rim for automobile tires as now being placed 

 on the market for 1908, while the same in principle as 

 the rim marketed under this name hitherto, embodies 

 some improvements of note which have been designed with a 

 view to simplicity. The most radical departure from the old rim 

 is that the new rim, instead of being hollow, is rolled out of 

 a solid piece of steel, by reason of which the rim may be fitted 

 to wheels with less labor than formerly. 



Another point is the incorporation in the rim proper of a 

 clinch as on the standard Clincher rim, necessitating the use of 

 but one detachable bead, which fits in the groove on the outer 

 edge of the rim as in the past. Formerly there were two detach- 

 able beads, making the two sides of the rim alike. When this 

 bead is fitted with the clincher side in, the rim takes any stand- 

 ard make of clincher tire and by simply reversing the bead and 

 fitting a rubber filler in the permanent clinch on the rim, a 

 Dunlop tire can be used, as the filler is so made as to fit in the 

 clinch and exactly correspond to the straight edge of the detach- 

 able ring which ac- 

 commodates the Dun- 

 lop tire. 



The two illustra- 

 tions herewith show 

 (l) the Midgley rim, 

 designed for the 

 Clincher type of tire 

 and (2) the same rim 

 designed for Dunlop 

 tires, the latter hav- 

 ing a rubber filler in 

 the clinch on the left. 

 The inside dimensions 

 of the Midgley Universal rim and the width at the tire seat are 

 exactly the same as the standard Clincher dimensions. 



The method of drawing up the bead is by means of the turn- 

 buckle which has been employed since the first Midgley detach- 

 able rim was placed upon the market, in the autumn of 1904. 



The Midgley Manufacturing Co. (Columbus, Ohio) announce 

 that during four years, ending July 28 last, 118,294 Midgley rims 

 for automobiles were made by them and shipped on bona fide 

 orders. The Midgley company have been adding 100.000 square 

 feet of floor space to their plant and installing additional ma- 

 chinery at a cost of $60,000. 



SWINEHART TIRES IN EUROPE. 



During a recent visit to Europe Mr. B. C. Swinchart, vice 

 president of The Swinehart Clincher Tire and Rubber Co. 

 (Akron, Ohio), entered into arrangements with Actiengesell- 

 schaft Metzeler & Co., of Munich, for the manufacture and sale 

 of tires in Germany and England, under the Swinehart patents. 

 Messrs. Metzeler have purchased the patents for Germany and 

 leased the rights for Great Britain. 



LEATHER MOTOR TIRES. 



The Antioak automobile tires are made from specially tanned 

 leather produced under a secret process by the Antioak Leather 

 Co., a California corporation owning a large factory at Los 

 Angeles. This leather has been put to a number of uses, includ- 

 ing the making of tire covers. The leather as treated for tires 

 is referred to as not afifected by use in the wet or by heat, light, 

 or oil, and does not harden or crack. Antioak tires are made of 

 two or three thicknesses of this specially prepared leather, with 

 an anti-friction coating between the layers. The tires are manu- 

 factured also at Los Angeles by the Antioak Tire Co., a corpora- 



dunlop type. 



New Midgley Rim. 



tion of New Jersey, with an authorized capital of $1,000,000, 

 one-half of 7 per cent, cumulative preferred stock and one-half 

 common. The Antioak Tire Co. have offices at No. 200 Broad- 

 way, New York, and are called the parent company. Selling 

 companies are being organized in the various states, such com- 

 panies having been Incorporated in New York, New Jersey, Con- 

 necticut, and California, and others are in process of formation. 

 New York Antioak Auto Tire Co., the incorporation of which 

 was reported in The India Rubber World August i (page 353), 

 have opened an office at Nos. 1781-1783 Broadway, New York. 



THE BIOYCLE TIRE TRADE. 



One is strongly reminded of earlier days in the trade by the 

 reappearance of catalogues of bicycle tires, a type of trade pub- 

 lication which, following the decline in cycling, practically dis- 

 appeared. Such a catalogue has just been issued by Morgan & 

 Wright (Detroit, Michigan), forming a neat brochure of 48 pages, 

 in which are described not only the double tube tires with which 

 the firm have been so long identified, but also single tube and 

 cushion tires together with a long list of sundries and specialties 

 for use in connection with use for tires and their repair. The 

 firm announce themselves optimistic regarding the future of the 

 bicycle. They say that while in 1904 the total output of wheels 

 in the United States did not exceed 200,000, this amount was in- 

 creased to over 500,000 in 1906, with estimated requirements 

 for the present year of 750,000. 



From other quarters evidence comes of a growing in cycling 

 in this country. The second midsummer meeting of the Cycle 

 Manufacturing Association at Atlantic City this year, in con- 

 nection with two allied associations — makers of accessories and 

 the bicycle jobbers — was largely attended, and those present 

 evinced great enthusiasm over the condition of the trades which 

 they represent. This feeling was shared by The Bicycle World, 

 which regards the .Atlantic City meeting as marking "the birth of 

 a new bicycle trade." 



mieactjlum, for cjiring punctttres. 



A NEW compound called "Miraculum" has been introduced to 

 the tire trade in England, the injection of which into inner tubes 

 is intended to render them immune from punctures. The prepara- 

 tion is understood to have originated in Australia, and its con- 

 stituents thus far remain a secret, but it is described as a serai- 

 liquid, similar in appearance and thickness to cream, which is 

 injected through the valve and spreads over the inner surface 

 of the tube as the wheel revolves, being at all times in readiness 

 to fill any puncture that may be sustained by the tire. Miraculum 

 is claimed not to solidify in the tubes or evaporate; not to prevent 

 tubes from being patched or vulcanized in the usual manner; 

 and not to affect the resiliency of tires. Besides, it is referred to 

 as preserving the rubber rather than affecting it injuriously. 



A company has been registered in England under the style 

 Miraculum, Limited, with ^25,000 [=$121,662.50] capital, for ex- 

 ploiting the new material. The prospectus of the company men- 

 tions a number of tests which seem to support the claims made 

 for the compound. The secretary of the company is Arthur E. 

 Cowley, and the registered office, 48, Dover street, W., London. 

 The United States consul at Birmingham reports that "Miracu- 

 lum" is to be introduced into the American market. 



TIRE COMPANY NOTES. 



The Detroit branch of the Hartford Rubber Works Co., at 

 No. 256 Jefferson avenue, has been placed in charge of H. C. 

 Severance, formerly of the home office, and who has been con- 

 nected with the company from boyhood. 



Charles Measure, long and widely known in the automobile 



