THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February 1, 1916. 



THE MANAGER OF THE CRAVENETTE CO. 



' I 'HE trade generally is familiar with the term cravenette, but 

 ■*• all are not so well acquainted with the fact that the im- 

 proved processes by which textiles, felt goods and even leathers 

 are made water-repellent or waterproof are to a large extent due 

 to one man, Herbert P. Pearson, the sub- 

 ject of this sketch. 



Mr. Pearson was born in Manchester, 

 England, in 1877, and received his education 

 in that city, graduating from a four years' 

 course at Manchester University, with de- 

 gree of Master of Science in chemistry. 

 Then he spent a year in Germany, studying 

 dyeing, and at a mill in Alsace, familiariz- 

 ing himself with spinning, weaving and 

 finishing. 



Returning to England he associated him- 

 self as chemist to the Bradford Dyers' As- 

 sociation, Limited. This position he occu- 

 pied for seven years, spent largely in the 

 works, where he gained unique practical ex- 

 perience in all the processes through which 

 textile piece goods pass after weaving. 



Then he went to London as consulting 

 chemist, specializing in bleaching and wa- 

 terproofing textiles, and as manager of 

 Pearson Patents, Ltd., and so remained un- 

 til, in 1910, the Cravenette Co. U. S. A., 

 secured his services in establishing in this 

 country processes of his invention for waterproofing straw hats. 

 The next year he again visited this country to start a process for 

 damp-proofing shoes, which he had been investigating in England. 

 In 1912, at the invitation of the late Langdon Geer, Mr. Pear- 

 son entered into the management of the business of the Craven- 

 ette Company, and since Mr. Geer's death in June, 1915, he be- 

 came managing director of the company. 



The Cravenette Company has recently broadened its policy and 

 added to its lines of output. In September a new plant was es- 

 tablished, devoted solely to the cravenette finishing of silk goods, 

 to render them spot-proof. Recently this company has craven- 

 ette finished some rubberized cotton and silk goods, making the 

 surface repellent, so that water does not cling to, or spot the 

 cloth. A garment thus treated needs only to be shaken to become 

 quite dry. This gives some indication of the extension of the 

 field of endeavor of this company, an expansion due almost 

 solely to the study and experimentation of Herbert P. Pearson. 



TRADE NOTES. 



The yarn department of J. Spencer Turner Co., 86 Worth 

 street, New York City, has been consolidated with the business 

 of C. H. & R. L. Stevens, Inc. Hereafter cotton yarns of all 

 counts and descriptions will be supplied to the trade under the 

 personal direction of C. H. and R. L. Stevens. 



The Passaic Cotton Mills, Passaic, New Jersey, has purchased 

 from the New England Cotton Yarn Co., one of the large spin- 

 ning plants at New Bedford, Massachusetts, known as the Rotch 

 mill. It has been entirely renewed to the extent of 55,000 spin- 

 dles. Taylor, Armitage & Co., 346 Broadway, New York, selling 

 agents for the Passaic Cotton Mills, are now in a position to 

 protect their contracts. 



If political conditions in Mexico permit, the Intercontinental 

 Rubber Co. plans to start operations at its plant at Torreon, 

 Mexico, this month, on a scale considerably above that possible 

 at any time since 1913. 



The Atlantic Transport Line, 9-11 Broadway, New York City, 

 the well-known steamship company, has added four fast express 



steamers flying the American flag to its trans-Atlantic service; 

 an obvious advantage to both rubber importers and manu- 

 facturers. 



The Continental Rubber Works, Erie, Pennsylvania, has just 

 completed a new machine shop of steel and concrete, dimensions 

 of which are 75 x 110 feet. It is equipped with an electric crane 

 running the full length of the building. The company has also 

 added to the plant a new factory building, 75 x 226 feet, four 

 stories high, of steel and concrete construction, to be exclusively 

 devoted to the production of automobile, motorcycle and bicycle 

 tires. The company employs about 800 workmen. 



At the second Annual Industrial Safety Exposition at Cleveland, 

 Ohio, January 22 to 29, The B. F. Goodrich Co. made one of the 

 largest displays, showing safety and sanitation methods in use at 

 its Akron factory. These included a gear guard and safety 

 switch box, an anti-scalding wash basin, a non-slipping ladder 

 and a sanitary drinking fountain. A replica in miniature of the 

 medical dispensary of the Goodrich plant was also shown. 



The Mechanical Rubber Co., Chicago, Illinois, has opened an 

 ofifice in Detroit, Michigan, which will be especially devoted to 

 the automobile lines of the company, and is in charge of W. G. 

 Lindsey. 



The Batavia Rubber Co., with factory at Batavia, New York, 

 and general sales and financial offices in New York City, has 

 recently increased its capital in order to extend its development. 

 Charles M. Marvin, formerly of Blake Brothers & Co., has been 

 elected treasurer of the company, and George W. Hodges, of 

 Remick. Hodges & Co., has been added to the board of directors, 

 both of New York City. 



The Fisk Rubber Co., Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, an- 

 nounces that a readjustment of wages and a change in working 

 hours have been made which affect all departments. Under the 

 new schedule the working hours have been decreased from 55 to 

 50 hours a week, and overtime on week days will be paid for as 

 time and a half, and on Sundays as double time. New piece 

 work schedules for machine operators have also been adopted. 



A fire occurred recently in the cloth drying room of the L. 

 Candee & Co., New Haven, Connecticut, the damage being less 

 than $3,000. 



Since the middle of January the B. & R. Rubber Co., North 

 Brookfield, Massachusetts, has been obliged to resort to burning 

 cord wood for steaming purposes owing to irregular receipts of 

 coal via Albany. From 25 to 30 cords of wood have been re- 

 quired daily. 



A serious fire is reported as having destroyed the shops of the 

 Albany Tire Repairing Co., Albany, New York, on January 27. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio, has brought action 

 against the Norwalk Tire & Rubber Co., Norwalk, Connecticut, 

 manufacturer of a tire with white sides and a black tread in 

 which the letter "N" is worked. The plaintiff claims that the 

 trade design and color scheme is a close imitation of a tire it has 

 been marketing, that the public is apt to be deceived by the new 

 product, and that its business has suffered on account of this. 



The Miner Rubber Co., Limited, Granby, Canada, has opened 

 a wholesale warehouse in charge of Angus W. Douglas at Ed- 

 monton, Alberta, where a full line of rubber footwear will be 

 carried. 



The Pierce Co., East Rochester, New York, claims to have 

 increased its output of "Vorite" 30 per cent, in 1915, and has 

 made substantial additions to its plant. 



The Batavia Rubber Co., Batavia, New York, is putting out a 

 red tread tire. 



