the age of invention-第23节

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eligious　nature　manifested　itself　early；　and　he　joined　the　Congregational　Church　when　he　was　sixteen。　It　was　at　first　his　intention　to　enter　the　ministry；　which　seemed　to　him　to　offer　the　most　useful　career　of　service；　but；　changing　his　mind；　he　went　to　Philadelphia　to　learn　the　hardware　business　and　on　coming　of　age　was　admitted　to　partnership　in　a　firm　established　there　by　his　father。　The　firm　prospered　for　a　time；　but　an　injudicious　extension　of　credit　led　to　its　suspension。　So　it　happened　that　Goodyear　in　1834；　when　he　became　interested　in　rubber；　was　an　insolvent　debtor；　liable；　under　the　laws　of　the　time；　to　imprisonment。　Soon　afterward；　indeed；　he　was　lodged　in　the　Debtor's　Prison　in　Philadelphia。

　It　would　seem　an　inauspicious　hour　to　begin　a　search　which　might　lead　him　on　in　poverty　for　years　and　end　nowhere。　But；　having　seen　the　need　for　perfect　rubber；　the　thought　had　come　to　him；　with　the　force　of　a　religious　conviction；　that　〃an　object　so　desirable　and　so　important；　and　so　necessary　to　man's　comfort；　as　the　making　of　gum…elastic　available　to　his　use；　was　most　certainly　placed　within　his　reach。〃　Thereafter　he　never　doubted　that　God　had　called　him　to　this　task　and　that　his　efforts　would　be　crowned　with　success。　Concerning　his　prison　experiences；　of　which　the　first　was　not　to　be　the　last；　he　says　that　〃notwithstanding　the　mortification　attending　such　a　trial；〃　if　the　prisoner　has　a　real　aim　〃for　which　to　live　and　hope　over　he　may　add　firmness　to　hope；　and　derive　lasting　advantage　by　having　proved　to　himself　that；　with　a　clear　conscience　and　a　high　purpose；　a　man　may　be　as　happy　within　prison　walls　as　in　any　other　（even　the　most　fortunate）　circumstances　in　life。〃　With　this　spirit　he　met　every　reverse　throughout　the　ten　hard　years　that　followed。

Luckily；　as　he　says；　his　first　experiments　required　no　expensive　equipment。　Fingers　were　the　best　tools　for　working　the　gum。　The　prison　officials　allowed　him　a　bench　and　a　marble　slab；　a　friend　procured　him　a　few　dollars'　worth　of　gum；　which　sold　then　at　five　cents　a　pound；　and　his　wife　contributed　her　rolling　pin。　That　was　the　beginning。

For　a　time　he　believed　that；　by　mixing　the　raw　gum　with　magnesia　and　boiling　it　in　lime；　he　had　overcome　the　stickiness　which　was　the　inherent　difficulty。　He　made　some　sheets　of　white　rubber　which　were　exhibited；　and　also　some　articles　for　sale。　His　hopes　were　dashed　when　he　found　that　weak　acid；　such　as　apple　juice　or　vinegar；　destroyed　his　new　product。　Then　in　1836　he　found　that　the　application　of　aqua　fortis；　or　nitric　acid；　produced　a　〃curing〃　effect　on　the　rubber　and　thought　that　he　had　discovered　the　secret。　Finding　a　partner　with　capital；　he　leased　an　abandoned　rubber　factory　on　Staten　Island。　But　his　partner's　fortune　was　swept　away　in　the　panic　of　1837；　leaving　Goodyear　again　an　insolvent　debtor。　Later　he　found　another　partner　and　went　to　manufacturing　in　the　deserted　plant　at　Roxbury；　with　an　order　from　the　Government　for　a　large　number　of　mail　bags。　This　order　was　given　wide　publicity　and　it　aroused　the　interest　of　manufacturers　throughout　the　country。　But　by　the　time　the　goods　were　ready　for　delivery　the　first　bags　made　had　rotted　from　their　handles。　Only　the　surface　of　the　rubber　had　been　〃cured。〃

This　failure　was　the　last　straw；　as　far　as　Goodyear's　friends　were　concerned。　Only　his　patient　and　devoted　wife　stood　by　him；　she　had　labored；　known　want；　seen　her　children　go　hungry　to　school；　but　she　seems　never　to　have　reproached　her　husband　nor　to　have　doubted　his　ultimate　success。　The　gentleness　and　tenderness　of　his　deportment　in　the　home　made　his　family　cling　to　him　with　deep　affection　and　bear　willingly　any　sacrifice　for　his　sake；　though　his　successive　failures　generally　meant　a　return　of　the　inventor　to　the　debtor's　prison　and　the　casting　of　his　family　upon　charity。

The　nitric　acid　process　had　not　solved　the　problem　but　it　had　been　a　real　step　forward。　It　was　in　the　year　1839；　by　an　accident；　that　he　discovered　the　true　process　of　vulcanization　which　cured　not　the　surface　alone　but　the　whole　mass。　He　was　trying　to　harden　the　gum　by　boiling　it　with　sulphur　on　his　wife's　cookstove　when　he　let　fall　a　lump　of　it　on　the　red　hot　iron　top。　It　vulcanized　instantly。　This　was　an　accident　which　only　Goodyear　could　have　interpreted。　And　it　was　the　last。　The　strange　substance　from　the　jungles　of　the　tropics　had　been　mastered。　It　remained；　however；　to　perfect　the　process；　to　ascertain　the　accurate　formula　and　the　exact　degree　of　heat。　The　Goodyears　were　so　poor　during　these　years　that　they　received　at　any　time　a　barrel　of　flour　from　a　neighbor　thankfully。　There　is　a　tradition　that　on　one　occasion；　when　Goodyear　desired　to　cross　between　Staten　Island　and　New　York；　he　had　to　give　his　umbrella　to　the　ferry　master　as　security　for　his　fare；　and　that　the　name　of　the　ferry　master　was　Cornelius　Vanderbilt；　〃a　man　who　made　much　money　because　he　took　few　chances。〃　The　incident　may　easily　have　occurred；　though　the　ferry　master　could　hardly　have　been　Vanderbilt　himself；　unless　it　had　been　at　an　earlier　date。　Another　tradition　says　that　one　of　Goodyear's　neighbors　described　him　to　an　inquisitive　stranger　thus：　〃You　will　know　him　when　you　see　him；　he　has　on　an　India　rubber　cap；　stock；　coat；　vest；　and　shoes；　and　an　India　rubber　purse　WITHOUT　A　CENT　IN　IT！〃

Goodyear's　trials　were　only　beginning。　He　had　the　secret　at　last；　but　nobody　would　believe　him。　He　had　worn　out　even　the　most　sanguine　of　his　friends。　〃That　such　indifference　to　this　discovery；　and　many　incidents　attending　it；　could　have　existed　in　an　intelligent　and　benevolent　community；〃　wrote　Goodyear　later；　〃can　only　be　accounted　for　by　existing　circumstances　in　that　community　The　great　losses　that　had　been　sustained　in　the　manufacture　of　gum…elastic：　the　length　of　time　the　inventor　had　spent　in　what　appeared　to　them　to　be　entirely　fruitless　efforts　to　accomplish　anything　with　it；　added　to　his　recent　misfortunes　and　disappointments；　all　conspired；　with　his　utter　destitution；　to　produce　a　state　of　things　as　unfavorable　to　the　promulgation　of　the　discovery　as　can　well　be　imagined。　He；　however；　felt　in　duty　bound　to　beg　in　earnest；　if　need　be；　sooner　than　that　the　discovery　should　be　lost　to　the　world　and　to　himself。　。　。　。　How　he　subsisted　at　this　period　charity　alone　can　tell；　for　it　is　as　well　to　call　things　by　their　right　names；　and　it　is　little　else　than　charity　when　the　lender　looks　upon　what　he　parts　with　as　a　gift。　The　pawning　or　selling　some　relic　of　better　days　or　some　article　of　necessity　was　a　frequent　expedient。　His　library　had　long　since　disappeared；　but　shortly　after　the　discovery　of　this　process；　he　collected　and　sold　at　auction　the　schoolbooks　of　his　children；　which　brought　him　the　trifling　sum　of　five　dollars；　small　as　the　amount　was；　it　enabled　him　to　proceed。　At　this　step　he　did　not　hesitate。　The　occasion；　and　the　certainty　of　success；　warranted　the　measure　which；　in　other　circumstances；　would　have　been　sacrilege。〃

His　itinerary　during　those　years　is　eloquent。　Wherever　there　was　a　man；　who　had　either　a　grain　of　faith　in　rubber　or　a　little　charity　for　a　frail　and　penniless　monomaniac；　thither　Goodyear　made　his　way。　The　goal　might　be　an　attic　room　or　shed　to　live　in　rent　free；　or　a　few　dollars　for　a　barrel　of　flour　for　the　family　and　a　barrel　of　rubber　for　himself；　or　permission　to　use　a　factory's　ovens　after　hours　and　to　hang　his　rubber　over　the　steam　valves　while　work　went　on。　From　Woburn　in　1839；　the　year　of　his　great　discovery；　he　went　to　Lynn；　from　Lynn　back　to　the　deserted　factory　at　Roxbury。　Again　to　Woburn；　to　Boston；　to　Northampton；　to　Springfield；　to　Naugatuck；　in　five　years　as　many　removes。　When　he　lacked　boat　or　railway　fare；　and　he　generally　did；　he　walked　through　winds　and　rains　and　drifting　snow；　begging　shelter　at　some　cottage　or　farm　where　a　window　lamp　gleamed　kindly。

Goodyear　took　out　his　patent　in　1844。　The　process　he　invented　has　been　changed　little；　if　at　all；　from　that　day　to　this。　He　also　invented　the　perfect　India　rubber　cloth　by　mixing　fiber　with　the　gum　a　discovery　he　considered　rightly　as　secondary　in　importance　only　to　vulcanization。　When　he　died　in　1860　he　had　taken　out　sixty　patents　on　rubber　manufactures。　He　had　seen　his　invention　applied　to　several　hundred　uses；　giving　employment　to　sixty　thousand　persons；　producing　annually　eight　million　dollars'　worth　of　merchandisenumbers　which　would　form　but　a　fraction　of　the　rubber　statistics　of　today。

Everybody；　the　whole　civilized　world　round；　uses　rubber　in　one　form　or　another。　And　rubber　makes　a　belt　around　the　world　in　its　natural　as　well　as　in　its　manufactured　form。　The　rubber…bearing　zone　winds　north　and　south　of　the　equator　through　both　hemispheres。　In　South　America　rubber　is　the　latex　of　certain　trees；　in　Africa　of　trees　and　vines。　The　best　〃wild〃　rubber　still　comes　from　Para　in　Brazil。　It　is　gathered　and　prepared　for　shipment　there　today　by　the　same　methods　the　natives　used　four　hundred　years　ago。　The　natives　in　their　canoes　follow　the　watercourses　into　the　jungles。　They　cut　V…shaped　or　spiral　incisions　in　the　trunks　of　the　trees　that　grow　sheer　to　sixty　feet　before　spreading　their　shade。　At　the　base　of　the　incisions　they　affix　small　clay　cups；　like　swallows'　nests。　Over　the　route　they　return