294 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



M/ 



1919. 



1,100,000 respirators by June 30, 1918. In July arrangements 

 were made with The B. F. Goodrich Co., The Goodyear Tire & 

 Rubber Co., and the United States Rubber Co. to supply 320,000 

 complete face-pieces ready for assembly, and the same quantity 

 (if other rubber pans including flexible hose, llutlcr valves. 



Cotton Sad Cloth 



ANGLE TUBE ASSEMBLY 



Fir.. 5.— Tube Assembly Showing Rubber AIouth-piece, Flutter 

 Valve and Flexible Hose. 



mouth-pieces, rubber diaphragm check valves and rubber wash- 

 ers for the die-casting assembly. The B. F. Goodrich Co. showed 

 a very fine cooperative spirit in assisting the other two com- 

 panies to bid intelligently by giving them the benefit of its prev- 

 ious mask-making experience which included not only the Army 

 order for 25,000 but also a Navy order. Without this assist- 

 ance the other two companies would have been reluctant to bid 

 on a proposition which was not worked out in complete design 

 and specification. This marked the beginning of the coopera- 

 tion which continued between these companies on all matters 

 pertaining to gas masks. This spirit of cooperation was univers- 

 ally evident among the various rubber companies who later 

 supplied material. It is not going too far to say, based on gas- 

 mask experience, that such cooperation carried into all lines 

 would not only benefit all participating but would advance the 

 industry. After all, no company has a monopoly on good ideas 

 The months of July, August, September, and Octobei 1917 

 were consumed in getting various mold equipment and in de 

 vising methods of manufacturing. During this period an 1 

 fact until the end of the year, questions of design and spin 

 tions were in a state of flux, partly because the Gas Dt I i 

 Service required time to determine various important det i 

 of design and partly because one company after another wliiI I 

 find an improvement in method or design which would W i 

 such advantage that it-s adoption by all was desirable ■\gaiii 

 the Gas Defense Service had realized the importance of the 

 highest perfection necessary in a respirator and conscquenth 

 insisted on high standards of deliveries. The manufacturer^ i 

 the other hand, without detailed and sufficient specifications wnl 

 frequent changes coming through, with a vivid impression .-i 

 the need of rapid action, and not as clear a vision of the need of 

 extreme perfection, made deliveries of masks and parts which 

 necessitated high rejections at the assembly plant. It was a most 

 trying period and only the real desire on the part of all involved 

 to see that our soldiers had good gas masks, kept the various 

 elements together through this time. 



RUBBER MANUFACTURING COMMITTEE FORMED. 



In November, Colonel Dewey, at the suggestion of the rubber 



manufacturers, organized a rubber manufacturing committee, 

 composed of Dr. W. C. Gcer, of The B. F. Goodrich Co., chair- 

 man. Dr. T. 11. Whittelsey, of the United States Rubber Co., and 

 C. R. Johnson, of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. This was 

 done with the realization that the rubber companies should be 

 in necessary touch with gas defense problems and that they 

 could render considerable aid in the preparation of specifications. 

 A quotation of the minutes of the first meeting indicates the 

 spirit vviih which the committee worked. 



(a) It is decided that the committee itself should help the 

 Gas Defense Service in so far as research, development and 

 s|KiilK:ation problems are concerned. The problems of produc- 

 tion \olume, production distribution, relationships of personnel, 

 tic. are to be divorced from the work of this committee. 



(b; It is agreed that where new ideas are developed which 

 may have value to other parts of the rubber industry, preliminary 

 tests of both the raw and fabricated product shall be conducted 

 without a full disclosure of tlie exact nature of the process by 

 whicli the articles are made. It is, however, definitely agreed 

 that whenever the Gas Defense Service feels that the tests in 

 tlieinselves show that the product is needed and should be used 

 un soldiers in the field, the whole committee shall then be given 

 every single detail of design, composition, and methods of manu- 

 facture in so far as it is possible to describe such details with- 

 out the use of detailed dimension drawings or photographs. 



(c) It is agreed that no member of the committee commit 

 himself to the policy of inviting other rubber interests into his 

 factory. 



(d) The Gas Defense Service agrees that in the future, it 

 will wherever possible before making any changes in specifica- 

 tion nr in methods of inspection, submit an outline of the changes 

 to this committee for its comment. Furthermore, it agrees that 

 in so far as possible it will see that the committee is kept in- 

 formed regarding the less confidential features of gas warfare. 



Tliis committee prepared in frequent conference the complete 

 specifications of the rubber materials used in gas masks and 

 carried on by means of the available laboratorj' facilities many 

 development and research problems the solution of which was 

 urgently needed by the Gas Defense Service. 



Early in January the writer entered the Gas Defense Service 

 and was replaced on the committee by William Stephens, of The 

 Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. This committee was at that time 

 officially recognized by The Rubber Association of America as 

 its representative on gas defense matters. It continued to give 



valuable service during the period of the war. It was enlarged 

 in personnel in September. 1918. as follows : Dr. W. C. Geer, 

 chairman. The B. F. Goodrich Co.; Dr. Theodore Whittelsey, 

 United States Rubber Co.; William Stephens. The- Goodyear Tire 

 & Rubber Co.; T. \V. Miller. The Faultless Rubber Co.: L. C. 



