What's It Wednesday: Summertime - Time to hit the Road.
But first, let’s talk tires and rubber.
Rubber is a natural product of the South American rainforest trees. Christopher Columbus observed Indigenous people playing a game with balls made from the gum of trees. In 1615, the Spanish reported that the Indigenous people harvested a white sap from incisions which were made in trees. However, the value of the white sap wasn’t appreciated until the 1700s. In 1735, Charles-Marie de La Condamine was a member of a geographic expedition to South America. He described the collection of sap from the Hevea tree which was referred to as “caoutchouc” or “weeping wood.’ The following year, La Condamine sent rubber samples of the dried sap to Europe. At first the samples were considered merely scientific curiosities.
It wasn’t until the early 1800’s when Scottish chemist, Charles Macintosh, and Englishman, Thomas Hancock, separately began to experiment with rubber’s properties, that its true value was discovered. In 1823, Macintosh made a sticky solution of rubber and coal-tar naptha which he spread between two layers of fabric, making a waterproof double layer fabric. This was then used to manufacture the rainwear coats known as “mackintoshes.”
Thomas Hancock became a partner of Machintosh’s. Hancock’s initial experiments with dissolving rubber in turpentine to make a liquid rubber that could provide a fabric coating, were not satisfactory. In 1820, he invented a machine consisting of a hollow wooden cylinder with interior spike teeth. Lumps of rubber were be placed in the cylinder. Then a spiked roller was inserted in the cylinder, and, when the roller was turned, the rubber would be reduced to cohesive strips. Pieced together, the rubber strips could be used to make shoe coverings and outer items.
The use of natural rubber in manufacturing still presented one major drawback. Heat softened rubber and cold hardened rubber and caused it to crack. Natural rubber was also sticky and smelly. Enter Charles Goodyear. In 1839, Goodyear developed the process of vulcanization. Goodyear used a mixture of rubber, white lead, and sulfur which when heated created fireproof gum. With further experiments, he produced a “vulcanized” rubber that was extremely durable. It was discovered that zinc oxide activated vulcanization and significantly reduced vulcanization time. Rubber vulcanization is much the same process today. It is what makes rubber durable and useful in so many of today’s items, including car tires.
With the invention of the “modern” bicycle in the 1860s and the ability to make rubber tires instead of wooden or metal bicycle wheels, rubber tire demand took off. The invention of the automobile brought even more demand. By 1900, more than 40,000 tons of rubber were used each year.
One Englishman, Henry George Tyer, brought the rubber industry to Andover, MA.
Henry Tyer came to the U.S. in 1856, settled briefly in New Jersey and then moved to Andover that same year. He set up a factory, the North American Patent Shoe Co. in Ballardvale. Tyer at first made rubber cement and overshoes. He also obtained new patents for the processing of rubber including one using zinc oxide. Tyer’s next patent would allow for the huge expansion of his company. He patented his design rubber overshoes, called “Compos.” Up until then, hunters and soldiers had only leather boots which weren’t very waterproof.
The casualties of the American Civil War led to new medical procedures. During and after the war, the demand for surgical and pharmaceutical equipment grew. Medical tubing, rubber bulbs for eye droppers, syringes and many more products were made by Tyer rubber under the Tyrian trademark.
In 1876, the Tyer Rubber Company was incorporated in a brick mill, in the center of Andover on North Main St. between Lewis St. and Pearson St.
Henry George Tyer died in 1880 but the Tyer Rubber Company continued to do well. Tyer’s son, Horace became president of Tyer Rubber. The company expanded to making sports equipment, such as the rubber centers for golf balls, baseballs, and football bladders as well as hockey pucks. At one time, Tyer Rubber was the sole manufacturer of hockey pucks for the American Hockey League.
In 1909, the company began making automobile tires and tubes.
Then, in 1912, Tyer Rubber added a second factory building, steam-powered, on River St. Recognizing the growing needs of the automobile industry, the new factory was needed to expand the production of automobile tires.
The first tires made by Tyer Rubber were made with white rubber. This was true with many other early tire manufacturers beginning in 1895, with the first rubber tire made by Goodyear Tire Company. As the automobile industry developed, it was discovered that white rubber tires weren’t durable enough. Tire manufacturer’s began adding soot to the rubber compounds, which turned the rubber black. The addition of soot was to improve the lifespan of the rubber tires. Early research had indicated that soot, along with the addition of cotton threads in the tires, increased the strength of tire structure and helped reduce heat damage.
In 1922, the Tyer Rubber ceased the manufacture of tires. Through the following years Tyer expanded production of rubber boots, hot water bottles, tobacco pouches, industrial rubber rollers, pontoons, and sneakers with the familiar white rubber trim. In 1974, Tyer Rubber Company and Converse Corporation merged. The Andover division of Converse Corporation was closed four years later. The building was eventually sold and in the 1980s turned into Andover Commons, a residential complex. That was the end of the rubber industry for Andover.
Of course, automobiles and tires are here to stay. Over the years cars became more modern and so did tires. A compound of carbon black was discovered as a byproduct of the combustion of petroleum products. It was found that the addition of carbon black to the rubber dramatically improves the strength and durability of tires. Tires made today are mostly black. Although classic cars and some luxury models occasionally have whitewall tires – traditional black treads but white sidewalls.
So now that you’ve checked your tires, let the rubber hit the road. It’s time for a road trip! Enjoy the ride!
Thanks for reading!
Where are you traveling to this summer?
What’s your favorite car?
Please share your comments, pictures, or memories. I’d love to hear your stories. You can comment below or email me at mhelmers@andoverhistoryandculture.org
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Marilyn
If you’d like to check out some classic cars this weekend, come to Andover. On Sunday (June 26th) from 9am to 2pm, we’ll be hosting Andover’s 1st annual New England Spring Classic Car Show. Spectators are free. Main St. Rt. 28 will be closed in the center of Andover and about 200 classic, pre-1989 cars will be on display. Should be fun!
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Resources
Andover Center for History and Culture
Andover Historic Preservation Commission
Favorite car? That's a tough question. I did not know how the Europeans found out about rubber. I thought of an anecdote about the Elm House that I discovered. One diner there unfavorably compared the food to Tyre rubber's products.