What was the intended use of chewing gum when it was first invented in 1869 by William Finley Semple?

Chewing Gum was probably invented by mistake, much like many other products including Aspartame. Thomas Adams was attempting to turn chicle, a rubber that comes from the tree Manilkara chicle, into rubber tires. He attempted to make many, many things out of this natural rubber. One day, in the year 1869, he placed a piece of this rubber in his mouth and enjoyed the taste. He went on to add flavoring, and erected the world's first chewing gum factory. Today, chewing gum is produced using a synthetic rubber base called 1,3-Butadiene; the change because of the high cost of natural chicle.