March 1. 1916.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



311 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By Our Rcjiular Correspondent. 

 /^OXTIXL'i'.l) and, if anything, increasing activity is the rule 

 ^^ in the riil)l)er industry of this state. .^11 of the manufactur-' 

 ing plants through Rhode Island are being rushed to the limit of 

 present facilities. There is plenty of opportunity for several 

 liundred additional employees, if competent, and more than 

 one concern would immediately increase its factory capacity if 

 desirable help could be obtained. That Rhode Island is not the 

 only place where a shortage of desirable help is being e.\peri- 

 cnced may be gathered from the number of advertisements ap- 

 pearing in the local newspapers calling for experienced rubber 

 workers to take positions in plants in other sections of the 

 country. 



Orders for hundreds of cases of rubber footwear came to hand 

 after the stormy weather in the early part of February, ma- 

 terially accelerating conditions and causing heavy inroads on 

 stocks. 



The 500 employees at the Woonsocket plant of tlie .American 

 Wringer Co. the first of the month received an increase of 5 

 per cent in wages. The new superintendent, Jesse P. Walsh, is 

 making changes and improvements beneficial to the employees. 

 Mr. Walsh, who was chosen to succeed the late Michael M. 

 Flynn, has been with the company 43 years, 35 of which he lias 

 been either foreman or assistant superintendent. 



At the annual meeting held a few days ago no change was 

 made in the list of officers, the six former directors being re- 

 elected. The statement for the year ending December 31. 1915, 

 shows gross earnings. $179,597.75; reserve from 1915. $15,000: 

 expenses, $116,676.92; surplus on January 1, 1915, $180,000; divi- 

 dends paid, $85,125; dividend declared payal)le January 15, 

 1916, $28,375; depreciation, $4,420. The surplus un Januarv 1, 

 1916, is $140,000. 



The Phillips Insulated Wire Co., of Pawtucket, is seeking to 

 have its capital stock increased to $2,500,000. A bill to authorize 

 the issuing of 25,000 shares of common stock with a par value 

 of $100 has been introduced in the Rhode Island legislature, 

 and referred to the Senate committee on corporations. The 

 company was chartered at the May session, 1892, with a capital 

 stock of $100,000. The incorporators were Herbert O. Phillips 

 and Edgar B. Phillips. 



The plant of the Xational India Rubber Co. at Bristol is 

 l)eing operated almost exclusively to the production of tennis 

 shoes, though large quantities of insulated wire are being shipped 

 for export. The tennis shoe production of this plant during 

 h'ebruary was far in excess of any previous month in the history 

 of the concern. 



Edward E. Bunn, secretary to Vice-President Le Baron C. 

 Colt, of the National India Rubber Co., who was conlined to 

 his house at Bristol since the middle of the month by an at- 

 tack of diphtheria, is slowly convalescing. 



Colonel Samuel P. Colt, president of the United States Rublier 

 t 'I., is planning numerous improvements and additions to his 

 I luntry estate at Bristol, and has engaged Frank .\. Crabb, an 

 engineer from VNilliamsburg. Ohio, as superintendent. The 

 new barn is practically completed on the exterior, and work is 

 licing pushed on the interior of the building, which is to cost 

 approximately $100,000. 



Colonel Colt left Providence about the middle of the montii 

 in his private car, with a party of friends, fur Wasbinnton and 

 I'alm Beach. Florida. They remained a coujile of days at \\ ash- 

 ington, and will stay at Palm Beach about ten days. 



AUTOMOBILE SHOW CALENDAR FOR MARCH. 



March 1-7.— Fargo, .N'orth Dakota. .Auspices, Gate City .Auto- 

 mobile Show Corporation, W. M. Bell, manager. 



March 4-11.— Boston, Massachusetts. Fourteenth annual show. 

 Mechanics' Hall. 



March 8-11.— l)aveni>ort, Iowa. Tri-City sixth annual show. 

 Coliseum, CJ. V. liermeister, manager. 



March 8-11. — Mason C'ity, Iowa. Second annual show. Aus- 

 pices, Local .Automobile Dealers. Armory, W II. llathorn, 

 secretary. 



March 8-11.— Moline. Illinois. .Annual Tri-City show. Pro- 

 moter, Tri-City Automobile Trade Association. 



March 8-11.— Rock Island, IlHnois. Annual Tri-City show. 

 Promoter, Tri-City -Automobile Trade Association. 



March 8-15.— Brooklyn, New York. .Annual show. .Auspices, 

 Brooklyn Motor Vehicle Dealers' .Association. 



March 13-18.— Reading, Penn.sylvania. Berkshire Hotel. 



March 15-18.— Trenton, New Jersey. .Armory, J. L. Brock, 

 manager. 



March 21-25.— Deadwood, South Dakota. .Auditorium. Aus- 

 pices, Deadwood Businessmen's Club, G. K. Kilter, manager. 



March 28-April 3.— Manchester, New Hampshire. .Auspices, 

 Couture Brothers' Academy, 



INFLAMMABILITY OF GASOLENE VAPOR WITH AIR. 



Interesting data on the inflammable limits of mixtures of 

 gasolene vapor and air, together with the method of determin- 

 ing the gasolene content in such vapor are given in Technical 

 Paper 115, recently issued by the Department of Interior, Bu- 

 reau of Mines, Washington, D. C. 



The tests for the range of explosion were made in a Hempel 

 explosion pipette. Combustion was deemed complete when upon 

 the ignition of the mixture, flame filled the vessel as far as could 

 be judged by the eye. Measuring the percentage of gasolene 

 vapor in the mixture it was found that no visible results were 

 obtained until somewhere between 1.9 and 2 per cent, gasolene 

 vapor. .At 2 per cent, there was complete inflammation. Experi- 

 ments showed that complete inflammation resulted up to as high 

 as 6 per cent., after which only incomplete inflammation resulted. 

 Another set of experiments brought the figure at the lower 

 limit down to 1.5 per cent, gasolene vapor. This was for gaso- 

 lene of 73 degrees Baume. A new set of experiments was made 

 to determine if the low limit for 73-degree gasolene was differ- 

 ent from that of what is known as cleaners' naphtha which has 

 a Baume rating of 59 or 60 degrees. It was found that complete 

 inflammation started between 1.4 and 1.5 per cent, ga.solene va- 

 por. Roughly, it may be stated therefore, that a mixture is 

 explosive between the ranges of 1.4 and 6.4 per cent, gasolene 

 vapor as far as complete combustion is concerned. 



SIX USES FOR AN OLD RAINCOAT. 



Wearing apparel discarded by the original owner as unsuitable 

 for further service is often made over for the use of another, 

 but seldom is any garment capable of conversion into quite so 

 many articles of utility as those suggested for the worn-out rain- 

 coat. These suggestions, which were evidently compiled by some 

 housewife become adept by long experience in the art of "making 

 ends meet," are as follows : First, rip the raincoat apart and 

 wash it thoroughly, after which it may be turned into: A large 

 apron for household use— when scrubbing or washing; a 

 chemistry apron for the daughter in high school ; a dusting cap 

 and sleeve protectors ; cases for sponges, brushes and toilet 

 articles; a cover to tie over the laimdry basket, and a lining for 

 the laundry basket when the soiled linen is sent to the "wet wash." 

 Thus, whenever father and the boys come out in new up-to-date 

 raincoats, mother and the girls may indulge in comfort and 

 protection limited only by their ingenuity and the sizes of the 

 discarded garments. 



