34 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



(ULloBfcR 1. 1910 



The Obituary Record. 



Fr^vncisco Madero. 



PIONEER IN THE GUAYULE INDUSTRY. 



FRANCISCO MADERO, fatlicr of tlic late President Madero 

 of Mexico, and oik- of the tirst to develop the guayuk in- 

 dustry, died at liis resideiKc in N'ew 'S'ork city, September .i, 



aged 67 years. He 

 was born on March 

 11, 1849, at Rio 

 Grande, in the State 

 of Coahuila, and 

 was educated in Bel- 

 g i u in , graduating 

 from college then; 

 with high honor.^. 

 His grandfather, 

 Francisco Madero. 

 owned nearly a mil 

 lion acres of land 

 in Texas, but at the- 

 time of the war bi- 

 tween Mexico and 

 the United States, 

 the family fled i" 

 Mexico, where, witb 

 his son, Evaristo. 

 he settled at Rio 

 Grande. Later the 

 family moved to 

 1' a r r as, Coahuila. 

 where Evaristo and 

 Francisco, his eldest son. assisted materially in building up a 

 new fortune. They bought a large acreage of land at Parras. 

 established cotton mills and planted extensive vineyards, man- 

 ufacturing cloth, raising wheat and making wine. Later, Fran- 

 cisco acquired a cotton plantation to supply cotton for the mills. 

 When it w^as discovered that guayule was a rubber producer, 

 Francisco, his brother, Gustavo, and an American college friend, 

 were among the first to appreciate the value of the discovery, 

 and they at once instituted a factory at Parras for the ex- 

 traction of the gum. They afterwards built factories at several 

 points in Mexico, tiie family acquiring more than 2,000,000 

 acres, or more than 4,000 square miles, where the guayule plant 

 grew wild. Francisco owned, personally, the works at Cuatro 

 Cienegas in Coahuila, the principal factories belonging jointly 

 to himself and other members of the family being the "Compania 

 Explotadora Coahuilense. S. A." at Parras, and the "Compania 

 Ganadera de la Merced, S. A." at Cuatros Cienegas. These 

 plants were fully equipped for the extraction of the gum. In 

 1908 the eight factories were producing 350 tons a month, and 

 an immense business was being done up to the time of the 

 recent internecine war in Mexico, during which his son, Fran- 

 cisco L Madero, then president of the Republic, and another 

 son, Gustavo, were assassinated in February, 1913. The family 

 fled to this country, and have resided in New York City ever 

 since. The entire Madero property was confiscated about a year 

 ago, but a month ago was returned to the family by the present 

 de facto government. 



The deceased was a typical representative of the high-class 

 Mexican family— a wide-awake, enterprising business man, and 

 a polished gentleman. He attained to the thirty-third degree 

 in Masonry. He was fond of searching out deserving, talented 

 young men, and paying for their education. Since his death 

 manv arts of charity hitherto unknown even by his family have 



come t(j light through letters of condolence. He was highly 

 honored in his own country and had many friends there, as 

 well as a wide circle in New York City. 



Francisco Madero married Miss Mercedes Gonzales Trevino, 

 of Monterey, Mexico, who survives him. They had seven sons 

 and four daughters, all of whom are now living except the two 

 above mentioned. 



AN EFFICIENT YOUNG OFFICIAL. 



p.'M'L SCHMIDT, secretary of the Ruljber & Guayule Agency, 

 ^ Inc., New York City, died at the Englewood Hospital, 

 b'.nglewood, New Jersey, on his 29th birthday, after many months 

 of suffering. Mr. Schmidt was born in Hamburg, Germany, 

 September 13, liS87, and received his education in the public 



schools of that city. 

 On graduating he en- 

 tered the office of 

 Weber & Schaer in 

 Hamburg and for ten 

 years occupied stead- 

 ily advancing posi- 

 tions in the rubber 

 department of that 

 concern. Three years 

 ago he came to New 

 "iork City and en- 

 tered the employ of 

 the Rubber & Gua- 

 yule .\gency. Inc., of 

 which he became sec- 

 retary and a director. 

 Early in the pres- 

 ent year Mr. Schmidt 

 made a trip to Mex- 

 ico in behalf of the 

 company, remaining 

 there about two 

 months, during which 

 maladv which was un- 



Paul Schmidt. 



Muic be e\idently contracted a serious 

 doubtedly the ultimate cause of his death. After his return to 

 New York he was operated on for appendicitis, and on account 

 of his weak condition he suffered a relapse,, causing his death 

 on the date mentioned. 



Mr. Schmidt was engaged to be married to an estimable young 

 lady ill Hamburg but, becaiise of the war an<l also on account 

 of his sickness, the wedding had been postponed until November 

 of thi.-i year. He was a joung man of unusual ability and prom- 

 ise and his early demise is the cause of profound regret, not 

 only to his business associates but also to a wide circle of friends 

 and acquaintances which he made during his residence in this 

 country. 



ROBERT J. BOWES. 



Robert J. lioues, fur 27 years connected with the Lawrence 

 Felting Co.. of Millville, Massachusetts, and one of the best 

 known mill men in Southern New England, died at his home 

 in Millville, on September 11. from heart and kidney complica- 

 tions brought on by chronic rheumatism. He was born in Law- 

 rence, Massachusetts. July 16, 1871, and moved to Millville with 

 his parents in 1877, and had lived there ever since. He was 

 educated in the public schools in Millville and Blackstoiie, Massa- 



