206 
described in the German patent No. 76,773, having first been freed 
from water and dirt by melting. Mixtures may be made according 
to the purpose for which they are intended, in a proportion of 50 
parts vvax^and 50 parts Caoutchouc, or 40 wax, 10 oil, and 50 
Caoutchouc. Outside of palm wax”(carnauba wax), few vegetable 
waxes are known that possess a high melting point, and it is ad- 
visable, therefore, as in German patent No. 111,088 to raise the 
melting point of the wax before kneading. It is also advisable that 
the rubber be first well dried. The result claimed is a homogeneous 
product, possessing the characteristics of Gutta-percha and particu- 
larly, the electrical properties of the latter. 
Gkntsch’s Gutta-percha, it is stated, behaves like the natural 
product, except that it possesses a higher softening point and becomes 
firm again at a somewhat higher temperature than natural Gutta- 
percha. This is held to be greatly to its advantage, as making it 
serviceable as an insulator for wires made or erected in situations 
where the temperature is apt to rise above the normal. Added to 
this advantage is the low cost of production, as compared with 
natural Gutta-percha. In addition to its use in insulation work, 
the new material is mentioned as being suitable for manufacturing 
certain belting and for various other' industrial uses, the new product 
being given different characteristics for each. 
A report of a visit to Mr. Gkntsch’s factory, by Ed. C. de 
Segundo, a.m.i.c.e., in February last, describes the work as there 
carried on as comprising these ingredients ; Wax (mineral), tar or 
pitch, resin, and India-rubber. A mixture of resin, wax and tar 
was thrown into a kneading machine, steam being applied from 
below, to keep the temperature at the proper point. Twenty 
minutes later, the mass having been kneaded meanwhile, the steam 
was turned off and the rubber (cut into small pieces) added, being 
fed in slowly to prevent jamming of the knives of the kneading 
machine. The machine was stopped from time to time to test the 
condition of the mass, and at the end of three hours the solution of 
the rubber was found to be complete and the mass was removed 
from the machine and passed between rollers, coming out in slabs 
l inch thick — the finished material While the best Para rubber was 
used, Mr. Segundo considers this unnecessary, believing that a 
mixture of rubbers of lower grades would effect the same purpose. 
The inventor is said to have occupied himself with this material 
for seven years, and after five years of observation and testing, the 
German postal authorities certify that it is a proper substitute for 
Gutta-percha for insulating wires and cables. Two cables, in fact, 
have been laid for the Government— a submarine cable about 5^ 
miles long in the North Sea and a telegraph cable about £ mile 
long in a river. These cables were made by Felten & Guilleaune 
(Muihein-on-Rhine) who acquired the German patents in March, 
1901, and who, as a result of their experience with the material, 
have since acquired the Austrian, Hungarian and Russian patents, 
and have begun the manufacture of the material in Austria as well 
as in Germany. 
The English rights have been acquired by the New Gutta-Percha 
Company, Limited, registered on J uly 3.0 with a capital of ^200,000, 
and with offices at Dashwood House, New Broad Street, London, 
