286 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March I, 1916. 



HOW THE RELIEF FUND FOR BELGIAN REFUGEES WAS SPENT. 



It will 1)6 recalled that the usual aiiiuial dinner of tlie Ruhhrr 

 Chih was not held in 1915. the members having decided liy a large 

 majurity to contribute the money generally spent for this purpose 

 to tlic .\merican Red Cross, the Belgian Relief Fund and other 

 humane agencies that were relieving suffering caused by the war 

 in Europe. The contributions were prompt and generous. 



The money for the relief of Belgian refugees was turned over 

 to Captain Ernest E. Buckleton, president and general manager 

 of the Northwestern Rubber Co., Liverpool, England, who at that 

 time was spending a few weeks in the United States. Captain 

 Buckleton, who was well known among the rubber trade both in 

 England and in this country, in addition to liberal contributions 

 of money donated the use of a house that he owned in Liverpool 

 for the refugees. This house, which was opened on October 17. 

 1914, gave hospitable accommodations to thirty-one refugees, 

 principally women and children of the better class. The Rubber 

 Club of America, Inc., through its generous contributions, has 

 aided materially in supporting this worthy work. 



The home is under the management of a housekeeper, and at 

 present has but fourteen inmates. Sufficient funds are reported 

 in hand to run it until April 1, when it is proposed to close the 

 house and turn the refugees ovei" to the Liverpool committee, to- 

 gether with any remaining funds. It is interesting to note that of 

 the 200,000 Belgian refugees in England over 1,300 were taken 

 care of in Liverpool, whose citizens, like Captain Buckleton, re- 

 sponded freely to the call of humanity. 



SEUNION OF THE EMBARGO COMMITTEE. 



The Xew York members of the Embargo Committee, consist- 

 ing of George B. Hodgman, H. Stuart Hotchkiss and William 

 E. Bruiyn, held a reunion dinner on Wednesday, February 9, at 

 Sherry's, in New York City, at which .\rthur H. Marks, of 

 .Akron. Ohio, the other member, was the guest of honor. It will 

 be recalled that this committee was largely responsible for the 

 successful lifting of the rubber embargo in January. 1915. 



THE TIRE FACTORY SERVICE BUREAU ORGANIZES. 



The Tire Factory Service Bureau, Akron, Ohio, has been or- 

 ganized to assist tire manufacturers by furnishing e.xpert advice 

 and supervision. It supplies a want frequently felt by manu- 

 facturers, of a source from which assistance necessary to adjust 

 complications or remedy defects can be secured. The service 

 given by the bureau consists of mold and core designing, pur- 

 chasing and installing equipment, selecting crude rubber, com- 

 pounding, tire construction, overcoming manufacturing defects, 

 priimoting efficiency, scrap utilization, e.xperimental service, etc. 



ANALYSIS OF RUBBER FLOOR COVERINGS. 



The amount of rubber used in commercial samples of floor 

 tiling has been made the subject of investigation and report by 

 the International Association for Rubber Cultivation in the 

 Netherlands East Indies. 



Slight wear and softness combined with elasticity are con- 

 sidered the chief advantages of rublier tiling over other floor 

 coverings. Grinding tests were made for ascertaining the wear- 

 ing qualities and the hardness of the samples was determined by 

 the Breuil "elasto-durometer." The percentage of rubber in the 

 samples was determined by deducting the sum of the resin, 

 alcoholic extract and the part insoluble in parafiin from 100. 



The author presents a tabulation of his analytic results, includ- 

 ing thirty-five samples, seventeen of which are commercial prod- 

 ucts and the balance samples made in the Government Experi- 

 mental Station at Delft. The. conclusion presented is that mini- 

 mum percentage of new rubber for a mixture for floor cover- 

 ing should be from, twenty to thirty per cent. The recommenda- 

 tion is made that the purchaser make the rubber content a mat- 

 ter of specification to be checked by analysis. 



CAUSES OF SPREADER FIRES. 



To the Editor of The I.nuia Rubber Wori.u : 



I have had the fires on which the curve, published in your issue 

 of February 1, 1916, on Humidity and Rubber Spreaders, looked 

 up and they are as follows : 



.T.XNIJ.ARV, SIX FIRKS. 

 January 23, 1893. Cause unknown. 

 January 25, 1909. Friction. 



January 10, 1911. Static electricity, from the electro-static ca- 

 pacity of a man's body when handling gasoline. 

 January 26, 1912. Static electricity, due to cloth friction on 



spreaders. 

 January 9, 1913. Cause unknown. 



January 31, 1913. Static electricity from a knife in the hand of 

 a workman on a rubber spreader. Static capacity of the 

 man's body probably a factor. 



FEBRUAKY, SIX FIRES. 

 February 3, 1911. Cause unknown. 

 February 15, 1911. Cause unknown. 

 February 16, 1911. Friction in machinery. 

 February IS, 1912. Cause unknown. 

 February 17, 1912. Cause unknown. 

 February 8, 1913. Static electricity. 



MARCH, FOUR FIRES. 

 March 24, 1911. Cause static electricity. 

 March 2, 1912. Cause static electricity. 

 March 5, 1913. Cause unknown. 

 March 5, 1913. Cause unknown. 



APRIL, THREE FIRES. 

 April 7, 1909. Static electricity. 

 April 26, 1911. Static electricity. 

 April 29, 1912. Static electricity. 



MAY, TWO FIRES. 

 May 1, 1912. Static electricity. 

 May 17, 1912. Static electricity. 



JUNE, ONE FIRE. 

 June 11, 1907. Cause unknown. 



SEPTEMBER, TWO FIRES. 

 September 21, 1910. Cause, static electricity. 

 September 27, 1912. Cause unknown. 



DECEMBER. THREE FIRES. 

 December 8, 1907. Cause unknown. 

 December 7, 1908. Cause unknown. 

 December 8, 1908. Cause unknown. 



Yours very truly, 



F. J. Ho.xiE, 



Engiueer and Special Inspector, 

 Boston, Mass. .\ssociated Factoty Mutual Fire Insurance Cos. 



NEW TRADE PUBLICATIONS. 



Katzcnbach & Bullock Co., Trenton, New Jersey, has issued 

 a convenient pocket catalogue of chemicals and colors. The 

 list includes a line of industrial chemicals, oils, colors, etc., 

 employed in the rubber trade. 



An interesting method of tire repairing which really consists 

 of rebuilding the injured part of the casing, is described in the 

 January issue of "The Goodrich." distributed by The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio. 



The net price list of Beacon Falls Rubber Footwear, issued 

 under date of January 1, by the Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Co., 

 Beacon Falls, Connecticut, is a 40-page booklet, illustrating the 

 "Top Notch" footwear. 



"Insuring the Coal Supply" is the title of a new pamphlet just 

 issued by the Link-Belt Co., Chicago, Illinois, showing methods 

 of handling coal in large industrial works. "Wagon and Truck 

 Loaders" is another pamphlet sent out by the same concern 

 describing small mechanical loading conveyors. 



