THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



Interesting Letters From Our Readers. 



PLANS SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT. 

 To THE Editor of Thk India Rubber World: 



DEAR SIR— Now that the war is over, I want to say a bit 

 about what I have tried to do to help. You know, of 

 course, of my boy who went "Over There" and did his bit. As 

 I was bcvond the draft age I tried to use my rubber knowledge 

 for my country. I am, therefore, sending two plans that I sub- 

 mitted'. I do not know whether or not they were useful, but any- 

 how. Uncle Sam knows I tried. 



PHOTECTION OF THE GASOLINE TANK ON BATTLEPLANES. 



This device provides for the protection of gasoline tanks by 

 using rubber sheets that will vulcanize to varying degrees of 

 hardness, thus forming a body of rubber which, when applied 

 to the tank will prevent the rapid loss of gasoline if the tank is 

 punctured. This quality is due to the fact that rubber as de- 

 scribed is not only hard to penetrate, but when penetrated by a 

 bullet a very small hole is left and by the use of rubber of vary- 

 ing degrees of hardness and density the hole will close up and 

 prevent the escape of the gasoline in the tank. . 



I have also provided additional protection against inflammable 

 bullets by the use of asbestos wool or fiber, which is placed out- 

 side of the rubber protection, as it seems reasonable that the 

 action of the asbestos on the bullet will be to nullify its action to 

 a very great e.xtent. The rubber will also assist in this action. 



It is also my purpose to have the rubber protector vulcanized 

 in such a manner that it will be compressed when it is applied 

 to the tank, as this will assist in the desired action. 



PROTECTION OF VESSELS AGAINST DAMAGE BY SHELLS AND 

 lOKPEDOES. 



If a sheet of rubber of suitable thickness and density was 

 placed between the plates of a vessel at the proper distance above 

 and below the water line, and, if necessary, running all around the 

 hull, it would prevent the shattering of the plates when struck 

 by a shell or torpedo and so prevent the loss of the vessel It 

 is a well-known fact that rubber will not shatter^ from the force 

 of explosives, as does iron or steel, and it is this fact that will 

 prevent the loss of the ship when hit by shells or torpedoes 



In the application of this plan rubber sheets of a suitable thick- 

 ness provided with holes for rivets are placed on the hull ot the 

 vessel Then over the rubber is placed a suitable thickness of 

 steel plates which are then riveted through the holes to the hull. 

 Tliis method of protection can also be applied to any vessel al- 

 readv built. Another method of applying the rubber would be 

 to have the rubber sheets molded with a series of cells, the thick- 

 ness of these cells being about three inches. They can be applied 

 to the vessel in the same manner as first described. These cells 

 would have a tendency to absorb the shock of a shell or torpedo 

 especially, as it is a fact that air is a very great absorber of 

 shocks. These cells would be filled with air at atmospheric pres- 

 sure, but when struck by a shell or torpedo would be compressed 

 at the point of contact' and absorb the shock. 



Sincerely. 



Greensburg, Pa. Wilmer Dunbar. 



THE FIRST TUBING MACHINE. 

 To THE Editor of the India Rubber World ; 



DEAR SIR— This is the story of the first tubing machine: 

 One day in August, 1876, a man walked into the office of 

 the late C. B. Dickinson, at the Brooklyn Rubber Works, 349 

 Adams street, Brooklyn, New York, and asked for a place. He 

 said he had worked for the National Rubber Co., Bristol, .Rhode 

 Island. He was hired and after working some weeks he told 

 my father, Andrew E. Cabona, who was superintendent, that he 

 had an idea for a machine that would revolutionize the rubber 

 business. After some talk he disclosed the idea of a tubing 

 machine. Everyone laughed and thought he was crazy, but he 

 kept at it so long that my father looked into the matter and got 

 him to make a rough drawing of the machine. After some hard 

 work the drawing was made and was shown to Mr. Dickinson, 

 who said the man was crazy. Thus the matter was dropped. 

 One day a man by the name of Laflin, who had a place of busi- 

 ness on Ann street. New York, and who did work for the firm. 



dropped in and was shown the drawings, and was asked his 

 oiiinioii. He e.\aniincd them very carefully and said that the 

 idea was practical. He was told to go ahead. The result was 

 the first tubing machine in the United States. It was a very 

 crude machine, geared like a mill, so that it was thrown on a 

 shaft by a clutch. The driving wheel weighed about IJ^ tons 

 and went very slowly. Six lengths of tubing were run at one 

 time and a solid 3j^-inch cord could be driven out. Now, com- 

 ing down to the machine shown in The India Rubber World 

 January 1, 1919, on page 191, some time after it was running, 

 the late Francis H. Holton, who had been a partner of Mr. 

 Dickinson, and was in business at the foot of Adams street, 

 Brooklyn, secured a set of drawings of the machine and changed 

 it so that only a slight, frail machine was made, run by a belt, 

 as all such machines are today. I recognized it as soon as I saw 

 the picture in your paper. I don't know where the late William 

 Kiel heard of the machine, but I know this, that he never in- 

 vented the tubing machine. The man who invented the machine 

 was John Prior, the man to whom C. B. Dickinson gave a job. 

 The man who gave the idea never derived a cent from his in- 

 vention ; what he got was a job which he afterward lost through 

 his own fault. A good many men in the rubber business think 

 the idea of the machine was taken from a macaroni press. It 

 was not; it was developed from the macliine that makes lead 

 pipe. 



Yours truly. 

 Brooklyn, New York. E. A. Cabona. 



JUDICIAL DECISIONS. 



ROSSBACK, kt al. vs. The Mansfield Tire & Rubber Co.— 

 Court of Appeals of New York, November 19, 1918. 

 The Mansfield Tire & Rubber Co. contracted for the purchase 

 of two lots of rubber, on one of w^hich two tons were delivered 

 and paid for, when the balance of the shipments w-ere deferred 

 at the purchaser's request. No deliveries were made on the 

 second contract, as these shipments were also deferred. Ross- 

 back claims that the Mansfield people repudiated the contracts, 

 to which the latter answered that the shipments were deferred 

 by agreement and when they were later demanded, they were 

 refused. The Appelate Di\ision of the Supreme Court decided 

 for the Mansfield people and the Court of Appeals affirmed that 

 decision. (Northeastern Reporter, Volume 121, page 888.) 



CUSTOMS APPRAISER'S DECISIONS. 



Protest 926,439.— On April 4, 1917, F. W. Myers & Co., acting 

 as agents for the Maxwell Motor Co.. made an entry of 2S0 sets 

 of automobile tires and tubes imported at Port Huron, Michigan. 

 The summary attached to the invoice was O.K.'d, as to value, by 

 the appraiser and forwarded to the collector. Four days later 

 the appraiser requested the return of the papers and changed the 

 original summary, which had been permanently attached to the 

 papers, for one prepared by the deputy collector, upon which a 

 notation was made s:iying that the invoice was incorrect without 

 intent to defraud, and reappraising the value, increasing it 10 

 per cent. This was forwarded to the collector on June 21. The 

 protests on reappraisement and re-reappraisement did not nullify 

 the illegality of the appraiser's changes. The protest was sus- 

 tained and the duties were payable only on the amount of the 

 original appraisement. (Treasury Decisions, Vohime 36, No. 

 11.) 



Protest 851.767, of Pitt & Scott (New York). Rubber Wash- 

 ers.— Rubber Washers used in fitting gage-glasses to steam 

 boilers, classified as manufactures of hard rubber dutiable under 



