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52 GOODYEAR ON GUM-ELASTIC. 



Europeans had more experience, and understood the manufac- 

 ture of gum-elastic better than the Americans, and did not, hke 

 them, fail in their first attempts. 



In the year 1821, Charles Macintosh, Esq., established the 

 manufacture of the well-known and long-celebrated Macintosh 

 goods. For the information of those who may chance to be un- 

 acquainted with these goods and the method of their manufacture, 

 it may be said they consisted chiefly of wearing apparel, such as 

 coats and capes, and what is generally termed air- work, such as 

 beds, pillows, cushions, life-preservers, &c. The method of man- 

 ufacture consisted in spreading a coat of dissolved gum between 

 two cloths, which rendered them water-proof. The adoption of 

 this method is itself proof of the perishable nature of the gum, 

 and the imperfection of the goods previous to the introduction of 

 the improvements treated of in this work. As the method, in fact, 

 amounts to protecting the gum between two cloths, in order to 

 make its water-proof qualities available, instead of protecting one 

 cloth by either one or two coats of gum on the outside, as is done 

 with the heated or vulcanized article ; and, although thus pro- 

 tected in the Macintosh fabric, the gum is found to melt and 

 penetrate through the meshes of the cloth in a warm climate, or 

 when much worn by those who perspire freely. In the humid 

 atmosphere of England, and in other cold countries, notwithstand- 

 ing their imperfections, these goods have been found extremely 

 useful ; and the inventor not only attained a high reputation, but 

 was thereby enabled to accumulate a very handsome fortune. 



About the year , the manufacture of gum-elastic was 



commenced in France, which consisted almost wholly in pressing 

 the Indian bottles into flat pieces, and afterwards cutting them 

 by machinery into thread, which were wound or braided over 

 with silk, and next woven into suspenders, or sold for guard- 

 chains or other similar purposes. This thread was also used as 

 a warp, and woven into suspenders without covering. The 

 manufacture has been a successful and profitable one, and has 

 been carried on to a very great extent to this time ; for although 

 the elasticity of the article is lost by use, it continues long 



