726 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1917. 



THE NATHAN COMTYKIT. 



O i Mffll 



A durable and compact con- 

 tainer for the many small articles 

 in daily use by travelers, sol- 

 diers and sailors, is shown in the 

 Xathan Comfykit. The case is 

 made of two-ply rubberized auto 

 cloth in olive-drab, neatly bound, 

 and w-ith many pockets for the 

 various articles, which are 18 in 

 number and range from a safety 

 razor to safety pins. The kit, 

 when opened, is 22J/ by 9 inches 

 and when folded, occupies space 

 measuring 9 by 5 by 2^4 inches. 

 Its weight complete is only 24 

 ounces. [Nathan Novelty Manu- 

 facturing Co., 84 Rcade street. 

 New York City.] 



GERMANY EXTOLS RUBBER SUBSTITUTE GLOVES. 



In a German publication (Silberstein and Cohnan, Zcntralbl. 

 f. Chir., 1916, No. 1) we read that the obvious disadvantages 

 of rubber gloves— namely, their relatively high cost and poor 

 wearing qualities — have led to search after efficient substitutes, 

 one of which consists of a new preparation called "Sterilin," 

 an organic ester which is applied to the hands in liquid form. 

 Drying takes place in a few minutes, leaving a transparent, 

 non-sticky coating impervious to bacteria and unattacked by 

 bcnzin, oils, dihite acids, corrosive sublimate, blood, or pus, 

 yet readily soluble in a preparation accompanying the outfit, or 

 in acetone. It is said that antiseptic substances may be in- 

 corporated to increase the aseptic qualities of the preparation. 



Tliis sounds very fine, but we hazard the guess that the short- 

 age of suitable rubber, not disadvantages of rubber gloves, led 

 to the search for this substitute, and that with the coming of 

 peace the merits of rubber gloves will again be appreciated in 

 Teutonic countries. As a matter of fact, these so-called liquid 

 gloves are not sufficiently durable to enable a surgeon to under- 

 take long operations with them, and when left any length of 

 time on the hands cause them to become numb and swollen. 



HEAVY ELASTIC AVIATION CORD. 



The use of metal springs or odier appliances in airplane con- 

 struction, intended to resist the sudden shock of landing, has 

 proven ineffectual for the purpose, and designers of modern 



airplanes have 

 tried various 

 e-xpedients with 

 unsatis factory 

 results. It is 

 due to the re- 

 markable qual- 

 ity of i n d i a 

 rubber that spe- 

 cially construct- 

 ed heavy elastic 

 cords are suc- 

 cessful in heavy 

 airplane c o n - 

 struction to se- 

 cure the cush- 

 ioning effect 

 when landing. 



The w-heel supports, at both front and rear of the machine, 

 are provided with steel tubes that slide within each other. The 

 rubber cords supply the necessary tension to the sliding supports, 

 so that when the machine is on the ground the weight is cush- 

 ioned by the tension of the rubber cords and when flying they 

 are rela.xed. 



The standard cord is 9/16-inch in diameter, the core being 

 composed of many square rubber threads laid parallel to each 

 other and enclosed in a braided-on cover composed of hard- 

 twisted yarn. Sixteen of these strands are generally used to a 

 machine, but that depends, however, on the weight and style 

 of the ai'-plane. [J. W. Wood Elastic Web Co., Stoughton, Mass- 

 achusetts.] 



ainCK TIRE SERVICE. INC. 



The Quick Tire Service, Inc.. Louisville, Kentucky, has taken 

 over the distribution of United States tires exclusively and has 

 moved into new quarters at Third and Kentucky streets. The 

 building is two stories high and contains 14,000 square feet of 

 floor space. In every detail it is arranged to give prompt tire 

 service to consumers, a special feature being its accessibility on 

 all four sides. .■\. Craig Culbertson, formerly manager of the 

 Compression Tube Co., succeeds C. T. Ballard, Jr., as manager, 

 and .Andrew Ilunnicutt has been made assistant manager. 



RUBBER CASES BEFORE THE BRITISH PRIZE COURT. 



An important rubber case lately came before Sir Samuel 

 Evans, President of the British Prize Court. Messrs. Andre- 

 sen & Muller laid claim to a quantity of rubber shipped on the 

 Norwegian steamship "Bergensfjord," from New York to Bergen. 

 The rubber had been seized as a prize on November 1, 1914, 

 and the Crown claimed condemnation, contending that the 

 goods, consisting of 347 cases of rubber, had been purchased 

 from A. W. Brunn by A. Eber & Sohn, of Hamburg, Germany, 

 through the account of Andresen & Muller as intermediaries. 

 To support their claim, Andresen & Muller could produce a 

 few cables, an invoice and one or two other documents. Counsel 

 for the claimants declared that the documents proved that the 

 purchase was made from their own monies and on their own ac- 

 count. It was, however, held that the documents were obscure 

 and would have to be carefully collated before judgment could 

 be rendered. 



At a more recent sitting of the Prize Court, Sir Samuel 

 Evans, the president, was requested by the Crown to condemn 

 several packages of rubber seized on the three Danish steamers 

 "Hellig Olav," "Oscar 11" and "Frederick VIII." The rubber, 

 done up in 11-pound packages to a total weight of six tons, had 

 been sent from New York to Gothenberg, Sweden. Against 

 this, Phillip Bauer & Co., Inc., New York City, protested on the 

 ground that they were the owners. The Crown contended that 

 the goods were destined for Germany and that, according to 

 the evidence collected from intercepted cables and letters, the 

 true claimants ought to be Phillip Bauer Co., of Hamburg, 

 Germany. 



The order of the Court was tliat the rubber be condemned as 

 prize goods of absolute contraband nature destined for Hamburg. 



.\n order for costs was made against the claimants, who were 

 given leave to appeal. 



TORPEDOED SHIPS NOW LOOTED OF RUBBER. 



.According to the crew of the torpedoed Norwegian steamship 

 "X'englia," captured June 15 by a German submarine and used 

 for 16 days unsuccessfully as a decoy for allied shipping, sub- 

 marine crews whenever possible are looting captured ships of 

 rubber and copper before sinking them. The U-boat commander 

 stated that he had been away from his base for five months, 

 supplies and torpedoes being brought by another U-boat when- 

 ever summoned by wireless. When his cargo hold was filled 

 he would return home, he said. 



