BUCKEYE RIM.
Mention here should be made, however, of the invention in this country at this time of what has been popularly known as the Morgan & Wright inner tube tire, and which differed from the detachable inner tube tires in its construction, the outer shoe resembling a hosepipe tire with the exception that on its inner or rim side it is slit open for about six inches each side of the valve stem, and the inner tube is drawn into the shoe through this opening. When the tube is placed in position the slits, which have eye-holes on their sides, are laced together, and the tire is cemented to the rim. The Morgan & Wright tire is one of the most popular on the market, and has been improved by placing in the inside of the inner tube what is known as a quick repair strip.
The Quick Repair strip is simply the addition of a thin web or film of rubber which lies inside of the inner tube next to the rim. They also make this year, for the first time, a single tube tire containing this quick repair strip, so that punctures can be easily repaired without plugs and with the added advantage of permanence. This tire also has a valve which can be removed so that a defective valve stem does not mean a ruined tire. In making the tire the inner rubber lining is vulcanized before the tire is built up instead of afterward, so that it is much less likely to have holes in it or leak. Another advantage of this type of single tube tire is that large cuts in it can be readily vulcanized.
The Palmer tire is also one of the original tires that has survived. In construction the Palmer tire differs from other pneumatics in that linen threads are used instead of woven cotton fabric. To use the language of the inventor, “Upon a pure gum tube is wound spirally two layers of thread; each thread imbedded in rubber and out of contact with its neighbors, the two layers separated from each other by a wall of pure rubber, and one wound at an angle of forty-five degrees to the other. This method makes a seamless, endless, spirally laid tube, unequalled in strength, speed and durability, in combination with resiliency. Its advantages are summed up as follows: Each thread being laid straight under high tension and at a tangent to the rim of the wheel, power is transmitted without loss. Each thread being separated from all neighboring threads by an elastic body of rubber, they are free to move over each other without friction to the limits of the elasticity of the said rubber. This, in combination with the construction described, gives the greatest possible speed and resiliency. By reason of the threads being separately cushioned by soft rubber, the whole strength of the fibres is utilized. As there is absolutely no friction between the threads, they cannot wear each other out. Hence durability is assured. As there are but one hundred and twenty threads in the whole tube each extending spirally around its entire length and imbedded in an elastic body, any inequality in tension adjusts itself. As the tube is seamless there is no chance of its bursting through bad joints.”
A well-known detachable inner tube tire is that known as the Liberty. It resembles the Dunlop in its general construction, save that the wires instead of being endless are joined together at their ends by a turnbuckle, having right and lefthand threads, and after the outer shoe is placed in the steel rim these turnbuckles are slipped into holes cut into the edges of the rim on the opposite side, and operated and adjusted by inserting a wire key into the holes in the turnbuckles. In using this tire on a wooden rim, however, the turnbuckles are not exposed, but lie on the interior edge of the rim, so that by deflating the tire slightly and pushing the shoe back the turnbuckles are exposed and can be readily operated.
Among the old tire makers who are still in the field are the New York Belting and Packing Company. Their League Special single tube tire is a high speed road tire, constructed of precisely the same rubber and fabric used in the League racing tire, the quantity of each being practically doubled, to give the strength and wear required for road service. The rubber is fine Para, the fabric Sea Island, strong and light, woven so that each individual thread has free play in every direction. This elasticity of texture permits the tire to yield instantly to obstructions, carries it over small obstacles without jolt or jar and reduces vibration to a marked degree.
The Vim tire people, who were the first in the field with the famous pebble tread tire, are this year showing a new design which they call the “Vim Serrate.” This tire has a narrow strip of perfectly smooth rubber about three-eighths of an inch wide encircling the tire on the tread. On either side of this strip are eight fine and accurately moulded corrugations. The effect of this construction is to produce a tire which has a perfectly smooth tread when the tire is vertical, but which when the wheel is inclined at an angle in rounding corners will bring these serrations in contact with the ground, thus counteracting the natural tendency of the tire to slip in turning corners at speed. This design combines the advantages of both the smooth and pebble tread, and in addition to its utility in this direction gives the tire a very stylish appearance. The Serrate is being fitted to a very generous number of the early ’98 model sample wheels. Its appearance is certainly in its favor, but it remains to be seen how well it will take with the public.