Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-09 | Page 38 | The Mile-High Tire Speedway

Mapm Novel Machine on Factory Roof of the Gates Half-Sole. Simple Device Gives Casing Actual Road-Wear Test. Tho only mile-high Bpcodivaj iu the world for tho testing of automobile tires is located almost within, the shadow of the Rocky mountains on tho roof of one of tho large factory building:) of the Gates Rubber company of Denver. After a trip through tho factory a very fitting climax ia a visit to this speedway, not only for the purpose of witnessing the tire testing device, but to gain an uninterrupted view of a most impressive panorama of mountain and plain. Tn the factory tho sharp er-a-c-k-ing sound of tho rubber, as it ia forced into tho numerous milling machines, the boom and roar of tho machines them-belvcs, them-belvcs, and tho innumerable operations ncceasarv in preparing the crude rubber io use, fill tho mind of tho visitor with wonder at tho ingenuity and resourcefulness resource-fulness of man. He watches with interest each operation opera-tion in tho building of the Gates halt-sule halt-sule tiro, all parts of which are done by hand, llo is taken into the storeroom where there are always from 40,000 to 011,000 half-sole tires on hand to supply 1lio demands of the dealers iu more than 800 cities in tho United States. Doing' out onto the roof where this testing machine is spelling "quality" into every half-sole tire, the visitor is again filled with wonder at the unfor-getable unfor-getable beauty and sublimity of tho mountain scene before him. Tho clearness and pureness of the air gives the distant mountains the effect of being but a stone's throw away, and tlie snow-capped peaks have a rugged beauty that is unsurpassed and commanding. com-manding. National Factor. One unconsciously throws back his shoulders and drinks in the pure, clear mountain air. This feature alone has contributed toward making Denver tho home of the Gates Rubber company, and yearly thousands of tourists stop here to enjoy the natural advantages which are an ever-present reality. Look to the east, and as far as the eve can seo and farther, the plains stretch out over eastern Colorado and on to the Mississippi. It is with reluctance that the visitor concentrates his attention on the most important part of tho factory equipment. equip-ment. Mr. Charles C. Gates, president of the Gates Rubber company, remarked that the mile-high speedway, simple as it is, haa been a material factor in the perfection per-fection of the Gates half-hole, tire to its present high standard of durability. This is true, because the Gates half-'?olo half-'?olo tires undergo all of the wear and tear of actual ruad conditions, from the level cement roadway of tho city to the rouh aud treacherous road conditions of the mountains. JSo leniency ia shown and the exacting conditions' of the test adequately demonstrate the wearing qualities of the half-sole tire. The machine itself is comparatively simple, consisting of a loDgirm, revolving revolv-ing iu a huge circle, on the end of which is attached the half-soled tire. A weight equivalent to that of a heavily loaded automobile, is suspended over the tire in such a way that the tire itself carries tho load. The track on which this tire travels is one-half mile long, and its construction reminds the visitor of a "sky-line boulevard.'' boule-vard.'' With its ups and downs and the attendant thrills which characterize a ride over this typo of roadway. A stretch of cement trackway gives the tire momentum, and when it has reached a speed of approximately thirty-five thirty-five miles an hour, it strikes a sandy stretch which causes it to jump and skid. From here it travels over an imitation imi-tation brick roadway, in which some of the bricks are missing, and then it plunges into water and mud. Then up an incline representing a rough mountain moun-tain road, it comes to a 45 degree slope, where it is necessary to jam on the brakes. Thus the tire continues its travels all day and every day until it has given its maximum of mileage. Tire experts are always "on the job" to observe the wearing effects on the tire. Xo phase of the wearing process is overlooked, and whenever a defect is discovered, although it may appear to be of the minutest importance, impor-tance, steps are taken to effect a correction. cor-rection. Thus the mile-high speedway itself has resulted in the establishment of the "More Mileage" slogan for the Gates half-solo tires, and its vantage point for observation lias made it the most 1 popular point for those who find it possible pos-sible to visit the Gates Kubber company factory. 1