the age of invention-第22节

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manly　assertion　that　somebody　else　did　make　this　invention；　giving　to　that　somebody　a　local　habitation　and　a　name。　We　want　to　know　the　name；　and　the　habitation；　and　the　location　of　the　man　upon　the　face　of　this　globe；　who　invented　vulcanized　rubber；　if　it　be　not　he；　who　now　sits　before　us。

〃Well　there　are　birds　which　fly　in　the　air；　seldom　lighting；　but　often　hovering。　Now　I　think　this　is　a　question　not　to　be　hovered　over；　not　to　be　brooded　over；　and　not　to　be　dealt　with　as　an　infinitesimal　quantity　of　small　things。　It　is　a　case　calling　for　a　manly　admission　and　a　manly　defense。　I　ask　again；　if　there　is　anybody　else　than　Goodyear　who　made　this　invention；　who　is　he？　Is　the　discovery　so　plain　that　it　might　have　come　about　by　accident？　It　is　likely　to　work　important　changes　in　the　arts　everywhere。　IT　INTRODUCES　QUITE　A　NEW　MATERIAL　INTO　THE　MANUFACTURE　OF　THE　ARTS；　THAT　MATERIAL　BEING　NOTHING　LESS　THAN　ELASTIC　METAL。　It　is　hard　like　metal　and　as　elastic　as　pure　original　gum　elastic。　Why；　that　is　as　great　and　momentous　a　phenomenon　occurring　to　men　in　the　progress　of　their　knowledge；　as　it　would　be　for　a　man　to　show　that　iron　and　gold　could　remain　iron　and　gold　and　yet　become　elastic　like　India　Rubber。　It　would　be　just　such　another　result。　Now；　this　fact　cannot　be　denied；　it　cannot　be　secreted；　it　cannot　be　kept　out　of　sight；　somebody　has　made　this　invention。　That　is　certain。　Who　is　he？　Mr。　Hancock　has　been　referred　to。　But　he　expressly　acknowledges　Goodyear　to　be　the　first　inventor。　I　say　that　there　is　not　in　the　world　a　human　being　that　can　stand　up　and　say　that　it　is　his　invention；　except　the　man　who　is　sitting　at　that　table。〃


The　court　found　for　the　plaintiff；　and　this　decision　established　for　all　time　the　claim　of　the　American；　Charles　Goodyear；　to　be　the　sole　inventor　of　vulcanized　rubber。

This　trial　may　be　said　to　be　the　dramatic　climax　in　the　story　of　rubber。　It　celebrated　the　hour　when　the　science　of　invention　turned　a　raw　productwhich　had　tantalized　by　its　promise　and　wrought　ruin　by　its　treacheryinto　a　manufacture　adaptable　to　a　thousand　uses；　adding　to　man's　ease　and　health　and　to　the　locomotion；　construction；　and　communication　of　modern　life。

When　Columbus　revisited　Hayti　on　his　second　voyage；　he　observed　some　natives　playing　with　a　ball。　Now；　ball　games　are　the　oldest　sport　known。　From　the　beginning　of　his　history　man；　like　the　kitten　and　the　puppy；　has　delighted　to　play　with　the　round　thing　that　rolls。　The　men　who　came　with　Columbus　to　conquer　the　Indies　had　brought　their　Castilian　wind…balls　to　play　with　in　idle　hours。　But　at　once　they　found　that　the　balls　of　Hayti　were　incomparably　superior　toys；　they　bounced　better。　These　high　bouncing　balls　were　made；　so　they　learned；　from　a　milky　fluid　of　the　consistency　of　honey　which　the　natives　procured　by　tapping　certain　trees　and　then　cured　over　the　smoke　of　palm　nuts。　A　discovery　which　improved　the　delights　of　ball　games　was　noteworthy。

The　old　Spanish　historian；　Herrera；　gravely　transcribed　in　his　pages　all　that　the　governors　of　Hayti　reported　about　the　bouncing　balls。　Some　fifty　years　later　another　Spanish　historian　related　that　the　natives　of　the　Amazon　valley　made　shoes　of　this　gum；　and　that　Spanish　soldiers　spread　their　cloaks　with　it　to　keep　out　the　rain。　Many　years　later　still；　in　1736；　a　French　astronomer；　who　was　sent　by　his　government　to　Peru　to　measure　an　arc　of　the　meridian；　brought　home　samples　of　the　gum　and　reported　that　the　natives　make　lights　of　it；　〃which　burn　without　a　wick　and　are　very　bright；〃　and　〃shoes　of　it　which　are　waterproof；　and　when　smoked　they　have　the　appearance　of　leather。　They　also　make　pear…shaped　bottles　on　the　necks　of　which　they　fasten　wooden　tubes。　Pressure　on　the　bottle　sends　the　liquid　squirting　out　of　the　tube；　so　they　resemble　syringes。〃　Their　name　for　the　fluid；　he　added；　was　〃cachuchu〃caoutchouc；　we　now　write　it。　Evidently　the　samples　filled　no　important　need　at　the　time；　for　we　hear　no　more　of　the　gum　until　thirty…four　years　afterward。　Then；　so　an　English　writer　tells　us；　a　use　was　found　for　the　gumand　a　name。　A　stationer　accidentally　discovered　that　it　would　erase　pencil　marks；　And；　as　it　came　from　the　Indies　and　rubbed；　of　course　it　was　〃India　rubber。〃

About　the　year　1820　American　merchantmen；　plying　between　Brazil　and　New　England；　sometimes　carried　rubber　as　ballast　on　the　home　voyage　and　dumped　it　on　the　wharves　at　Boston。　One　of　the　shipmasters　exhibited　to　his　friends　a　pair　of　native　shoes　fancifully　gilded。　Another；　with　more　foresight；　brought　home　five　hundred　pairs；　ungilded；　and　offered　them　for　sale。　They　were　thick；　clumsily　shaped；　and　heavy；　but　they　sold。　There　was　a　demand　for　more。　In　a　few　years　half　a　million　pairs　were　being　imported　annually。　New　England　manufacturers　bid　against　one　another　along　the　wharves　for　the　gum　which　had　been　used　as　ballast　and　began　to　make　rubber　shoes。

European　vessels　had　also　carried　rubber　home；　and　experiments　were　being　made　with　it　in　France　and　Britain。　A　Frenchman　manufactured　suspenders　by　cutting　a　native　bottle　into　fine　threads　and　running　them　through　a　narrow　cloth　web。　And　Macintosh；　a　chemist　of　Glasgow；　inserted　rubber　treated　with　naphtha　between　thin　pieces　of　cloth　and　evolved　the　garment　that　still　bears　his　name。

At　first　the　new　business　in　rubber　yielded　profits。　The　cost　of　the　raw　material　was　infinitesimal；　and　there　was　a　demand　for　the　finished　articles。　In　Roxbury；　Massachusetts；　a　firm　manufacturing　patent　leather　treated　raw　rubber　with　turpentine　and　lampblack　and　spread　it　on　cloth；　in　an　effort　to　produce　a　waterproof　leather。　The　process　appeared　to　be　a　complete　success；　and　a　large　capital　was　employed　to　make　handsome　shoes　and　clothing　out　of　the　new　product　and　in　opening　shops　in　the　large　cities　for　their　sale。　Merchants　throughout　the　country　placed　orders　for　these　goods；　which；　as　it　happened；　were　made　and　shipped　in　winter。

But；　when　summer　came；　the　huge　profits　of　the　manufacturers　literally　melted　away；　for　the　beautiful　garments　decomposed　in　the　heat；　and　loads　of　them；　melting　and　running　together；　were　being　returned　to　the　factory。　And　they　filled　Roxbury　with　such　noisome　odors　that　they　had　to　be　taken　out　at　dead　of　night　and　buried　deep　in　the　earth。

And　not　only　did　these　rubber　garments　melt　in　the　heat。　It　presently　transpired　that　severe　frost　stiffened　them　to　the　rigidity　of　granite。　Daniel　Webster　had　had　some　experience　in　this　matter　himself。　〃A　friend　in　New　York；〃　he　said；　〃sent　me　a　very　fine　cloak　of　India　Rubber；　and　a　hat　of　the　same　material。　I　did　not　succeed　very　well　with　them。　I　took　the　cloak　one　day　and　set　it　out　in　the　cold。　It　stood　very　well　by　itself。　I　surmounted　it　with　the　hat；　and　many　persons　passing　by　supposed　they　saw；　standing　by　the　porch；　the　Farmer　of　Marshfield。〃

It　was　in　the　year　1834；　shortly　after　the　Roxbury　manufacturers　had　come　to　realize　that　their　process　was　worthless　and　that　their　great　fortune　was　only　a　mirage；　and　just　before　these　facts　became　generally　known；　that　Charles　Goodyear　made　his　entrance　on　the　scene。　He　appeared　first　as　a　customer　in　the　company's　store　in　New　York　and　bought　a　rubber　life…preserver。　When　he　returned　some　weeks　later　with　a　plan　for　improving　the　tube；　the　manager　confided　to　him　the　sad　tragedy　of　rubber；　pointing　out　that　no　improvement　in　the　manufactured　articles　would　meet　the　difficulty；　but　that　fame　and　fortune　awaited　the　inventor　of　a　process　that　would　keep　rubber　dry　and　firm　and　flexible　in　all　weathers。

Goodyear　felt　that　he　had　a　call　from　God。　〃He　who　directs　the　operations　of　the　mind；〃　he　wrote　at　a　later　date；　〃can　turn　it　to　the　development　of　the　properties　of　Nature　in　his　own　way；　and　at　the　time　when　they　are　specially　needed。　The　creature　imagines　he　is　executing　some　plan　of　his　own；　while　he　is　simply　an　instrument　in　the　hands　of　his　Maker　for　executing　the　divine　purposes　of　beneficence　to　the　race。〃　It　was　in　the　spirit　of　a　crusader；　consecrated　to　a　particular　service；　that　this　man　took　up　the　problem　of　rubber。　The　words　quoted　are　a　fitting　preface　for　the　story　of　the　years　that　followed；　which　is　a　tale　of　endurance　and　persistent　activity　under　sufferings　and　disappointments　such　as　are　scarcely　paralleled　even　in　the　pages　of　invention；　darkened　as　they　often　are　by　poverty　and　defeat。

Charles　Goodyear　was　born　at　New　Haven；　December　29；　1800；　the　son　of　Amasa　Goodyear　and　descendant　of　Stephen　Goodyear　who　was　associated　with　Theophilus　Eaton；　the　first　governor　of　the　Puritan　colony　of　New　Haven。　It　was　natural　that　Charles　should　turn　his　mind　to　invention；　as　he　did　even　when　a　boy；　for　his　father；　a　pioneer　in　the　manufacture　of　American　hardware；　was　the　inventor　of　a　steel　hayfork　which　replaced　the　heavy　iron　fork　of　prior　days　and　lightened　and　expedited　the　labor　of　the　fields。　When　Charles　was　seven　his　father　moved　to　Naugatuck　and　manufactured　the　first　pearl　buttons　made　in　America；　during　the　War　of　1812　the　Goodyear　factory　supplied　metal　buttons　to　the　Government。　Charles；　a　studious；　serious　boy；　was　the　close　companion　of　his　father。　His　deeply　religious　nature　manifested　itself　early；　and　he　joined　the　Congregational　Church　when　he　was　sixteen