June i, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



305 



iiimmi^ 



Notable Changes at the "Trenton" Factory. 



THE laboratory as an adjunct to the rubber factory is getting 

 more and more to be an indication of progress. To be 

 sure, many old and successful concerns get along very 

 well without one, but every year their number lessens. 



The installation of an up-to-date and fully equipped laboratory 

 at the works of the Trenton Rubber Manufacturing Co. (Tren- 

 ton, New Jersey) marks such a definite change of policy, and 

 such an awakening to modern requirements, that our visit of 

 investigation was the result. The history of the company has 

 already appeared in The Ixdi.\ Rubber World. A detailed 

 sketch of the newly modeled factory, however, has not hereto- 

 fore been written and is timely. 



The plant is situated on the main line of the Pennsylvania 

 railroad, quite near the magnificent new shops of that great 

 corporation. Most of the buildings are of brick, one story, 

 with monitor tops, affording plenty of light, and the floor space 

 utilized amounts to something like 100,000 square feet. One of 

 the most important things in a rubber mill, particularly in 

 mechanical rubber good, is the water supply. The Trenton 

 Rubber Manufacturing Co. are specially fortunate in this, having 

 their own 8 inch pipe line to Assanpink creek, together with 

 a large artesian well. They have for storage a 110,000 gallon 

 tank, and a 25,000 gallon hot well, in which is stored the water 

 from the calenders, grinders, and presses, for later use in the 

 boilers. The power plant consists of a 350 HP. Corliss engine, a 

 battery of 7 boilers amounting to 450 Hp., together with dynamo 

 for their own electric light plant, underwriters' pumps, and so on. 

 As for rubber machinery, there are 15 mixers, and w^armers. 4 

 calenders, one 30 foot belt press 72 inches wide, one 25 foot 

 double deck press 50 inches wide, 3 double deck 40 inch presses, 

 2 double deck 30 inch presses, a battery of small screw presses, 4 

 tubing machines, together with machinery of special design for 

 hose, belting and packings. 



Under the new arrangement the business has been depanment- 

 ized and is really an aggregation of separate plants for hose. 



belting, and packing; specialties for the automobile trade, includ- 

 ing inner tubes; "Thermidor" brake lining; auto mats, and, the 

 like ; a solid tire department containing five 30 foot vulcanizing 

 molds ; and a specialty department for small work such as horse- 

 shoe pads. On the six acres of ground owned by the company 

 are also their own machine shop, blacksmith shop, and carpenter 

 shop, and a reclaiming plant with a capacity of about 5 tons of 

 finished stock a day. 



The offices are in a separate two story building, close to the 

 factory proper, and connecting on the lower floor with the receiv- 

 ing and shipping rooms. The factory is thoroughly sprinkled 

 throughout, has its own railroad siding, and. as the beginning 

 of this article indicated, has lately built and equipped a fine 



Laboratory — Trextox Ri-bber Maxufacturixc Co. 



