110 GOODYEAR ON GU M- E L A S T I C . 



In order to avail himself of the use of some furniture in pos- 

 session of a younger brother, as well as his services in the fac- 

 tory, he assumed the support of his family, and placed them with 

 his own in a cottage connected with the establishment on Staten 

 Island. Having access to the machinery, he succeeded in 

 making a few articles to sell, for the supply of their immediate 

 wants. 



An attempt was made to draw the attention of the sharehold- 

 ers of this establishment to the new improvement, in order that 

 they might revive their business, and also benefit the inventor. 

 But the failure of their attempts to manufacture the gum had 

 been so disastrous, that during the six months he was there he 

 was never able to get an individual to the factory, to look at the 

 invention, or even to look after the premises, so completely were 

 they abandoned. 



It is, perhaps, worthy of remark, that during the first years of 

 his experiments, until after he had discovered the heating or 

 vulcanizing process, and became certain that he had attained 

 his object, he made it an invariable practice to test the value of 

 the various experiments, by wearing some article of apparel 

 made from the material, that he might as soon as possible arrive 

 at correct conclusions respecting them ; the wearing of gum- 

 elastic about the person being one of the severest tests to which 

 it can be put. 



An anecdote may be related which exhibits in its true light, 

 not only the opinion of the public as relates to the enthusiasm of 

 the inventor, but also his poverty. 



A gentleman being inquired of how he might be recognized, 

 said, "If you meet a man who has on an India rubber cap, 

 stock, coat, vest, and shoes, with an India rubber money purse, 

 without a cent of money in it, that is he." 



Late in the summer of 1836 he succeeded in obtaining a 

 small loan from a friend ; collected a handful of his best speci- 

 mens and went to Roxbury, Massachusetts, for the purpose of 

 ascertaining what might be done there. He was kindly received 

 there by some gentlemen who were formerly his customers in 



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