Gutta Percha Tires for Wheels

1849 Scientific American  
An iron master in Fragen, Germany, has lately taken out a patent for a new species of puddling furnace, which he employs for the purpose of converting the iron into steel, du ring the puddling operation. The product is slated to be of superior quality, and is, of course, much cheaper. [The above we take from an exchange. We have noticed it in more than one. It must re fer to the celebrated iron works of Yasselfra gan, and the improvement we are inclined to believe, is the same as that described
more » ... on page 322, VoL 3, Sci. Am. By the Newark (N. J.) Sentinel, we learn that a Mr. Renton, of that place, has also made some valuable discoveries to cheapen the price of iron, by lessening the cost of manufacture. We have seen and noticed quite a number of recent alledged improvements in the manufac ture of iron in our country. The notices which we have seen of these improvements are very fl attering, and yet, for all this, we are told by Conventions of Iron Masters, that we cannot compete with the foreign manufacturers. There must be something wrong on the one side or the other, we cannot solve the difficul_ ty, we mean in respect to the economy of the manufacture on both sides of the water. == Gutta Percha Tires Cor Wheels. We see it noticed in three or four of our Phi ladelphia exchanges, that some tires of carria ges have been made in that city of gutta per chao In our opinion no tire can equal one made of iron. We have never seen any pre pared gutta percha that could endure much heat without beceming soft, and owing to this fact it is not suitable for bands to drive ma chinery in warm apartments. Gutta percha_ horse harness was made in England, and was found to be well adapted for drawing in warm weather, or when the animal was warm, as the traces expanded beautifully and allowed the animal, donkey, or rosinante j;o cl¥ itt "m, a. number rrr rods before the cart or wagon. Bu t gutta percha is a very val ua ble BU b stance, and possesses qualities unknown to a.ny other vegetable product. At 600 of heat it becomes soft and capable of moulding into any form, and at 400 it becpmes hard as horn. Plumbago and the sulphuret of antimony are the best substances with which we are ac quainted to render gutta percha a non-conduc tor of heat, and capable of standing changes in the weather. ,e=-Plan Cor Lowering Steamboat Tunnels.
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican12151849-100a fatcat:e2t36wzpuzbptgc7yewuj6hhze