Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 53.djvu/713

Rh with caoutchouc, his eldest daughter making the first pair of vulcanized shoes that were produced. The gum, dissolved in oil of turpentine, colored with lampblack, and hardened with magnesia, was spread upon flannel, and out of this material finely embossed shoes were made. But they proved to be a failure in the winter of 1835-'36 (Trials of an Inventor, by B. K. Peirce). "It was at this time," says his daughter, "that I remember beginning to see and hear about India rubber. It began to appear in little patches upon the window panes and on the dinner plates. Father took possession of our kitchen for a workshop. He would sit hour after hour, working the gum with his hands."

Goodyear thought the difficulty was in the turpentine, was glad to get some barrels of unthickened sap (alcohol had been added), and hoped to dry the gum so that it would not decompose. His Irish workman announced that he had made the important discovery—having given his trousers a thorough coating of the liquid-and was regarded, as may be imagined, with some dismay, until the trousers soon had to be cut off to enable him to rise from his seat by the fire. The inventor was now satisfied that the stickiness belonged to the gum itself, that it was not a result of the process employed. His early failures were made disheartening by the refusal of friends, to whom he had held out high hopes, to extend further aid. He buried a little son, and was obliged to sell his furniture and resort to the pawnbroker, losing the household linen spun by his wife. Yet he did not lose hope, and still felt confident that God was leading him to the accomplishment of his task. This faith sustained him in what is perhaps the most remarkable pursuit of a discovery in the realm of invention.

Alone he reached New York, worn and rusty, his hands covered with "gum elastic," and was supplied with facilities for experiment. He produced good results by boiling the articles, made with magnesia, in quicklime and water, and made thin sheets of gum for the first time (Hancock had done the same). Somebody being asked how Mr. Goodyear might be known, 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." He obtained a patent for his new process and medals at the fairs of the Mechanics' and American Institutes in 1835. He manufactured articles, but, alas! soon found that weak acid neutralized the lime and rendered them sticky. Discouragement only made him more self-sacrificing and determined. His next improvement was somewhat accidental, led to a better sale of his products, and advanced him to the threshold of his great discovery. Being of aesthetic tastes, he was always striving to improve the appearance of his goods. He tried aqua fortis