New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-03-15


wear YOU attribute toJudee Henry Petbo' Of W kes'
barre. Pa while at Meadyille in the same State about
the wear .9l or 1922 the fst suggestion in Az erica
of straw NJ material for paper che CITIZENS Of Mead
Vile have WAYS regarded their former feIow-owns
man Col William Magaw nc the orignGor IN
America o. the above nen ;ioned idea. remember
distinctly that when WIS a boy Col. Magav claimed
TO have discovered and vas regarded by the ope Of
Meadyre Is having discovered that straw wa suit.
able material out Of which TO make paper He took OFT
two or more patents one Of which according 10 an ei
tract from ali ola paper lying before me n ST ha'
been issued in May les, for-'x Valuable Discovery
aud Imlnu, ement in making Paper from Straw. Hs'
and o,ier fsge,able substances BY means Of repar.
ton Of sl.ci aud linz"
The frsi patent which only covered The making of
paper FRos STRAW must have been issued AZ earlier
date though am unable to FIX the exact lime.
nephew @. Mr. Magaw Mr. 5. Chappotin, tells me that
he came 70 Meadve in ls22, and that the discovery
was some Years later Mr. 3. NJ. Green. g,ntlemsn
who e here in 1929 writes -" thatit was some too
or three wears before" an event in his DOM sc life
which occurred IN October ls.S give below extract
from one az letters which be has furnished mo on
this sube0c and also memorandum from MI ID. ID Ok
Of this place a former partnes OF NJ. Mngaw. who
thinks thai 1fr Msgaw chewed some straw in eonse-
oueuce Of previous idea that Il would make paper
The recollection Of Others with whom have spoken is
that the idea was suggested by the chewing and by the
consistency which the straw retained after being
chewed. Tn : latter view must have been shared by
INV father at the date Of the discovery for remember
his remarking on II as an Illustration oil now our
cspacy of 0. .eryaion depended on our previous &c
quirements ia asmuch as be or another might have
cbewed tie sane straw without any a1ch idea suggest
ing itself.
m. extracts which I give below may be rendered
more inelligIb by the following statement Mr. Ala
gaw in compaDy with Mr.. d. Dick. owned an ashery
NJ the north end OF town. Their coparinership ierni
mated in i.22. Whether any had leaobcd ashes
.here subsequently to that date | DO not know. Mr..
Magaws paper.mil in the country was north o. the
Gown that in returning from ii he would Pass by this
s5hery from which according universal recollection,
ba took the that furnished material FOR the dis
ca gery. His son. Who not then born. tes That
ha father addicted chewing whatever he picked
up The material p2r Of Mr.. Green's letter and the
mealorsndurn OF Nh. Dick follows:
-"B,lRK FORGE Pa, Ncr. b. 1904
- ar dear OLD friend, Mi. s, is 3. her
reco elton Of hat occoIed between Col Msgw and my.
self 4 OIL Msysv had beg out OF his paper p nd
when Le returned the hi. house Tie
Colone quite esed and pulling qud ont OF bis
mouth ssid There MAJOR, haze made grand dis.
e,oveTy. Look this. The oai ,t.aw, which have
:, bewed --pullhg /. to pieces II will paper The
oqn,stenet Of this s Sooi o. cco,se rs,s We
su,ined tbs closely sS-ptical the Colonel
possiive. lie mad he is aud succ-eded TO admiration
reu.snber that we'll made d. p impression my mind
Of ts time very soIoas that ths Colonel should
succsd. 49, No from WiIk.sbarre anywhere else
lad made mention Of '0sen straw osper' While lived IN
MesdYs,s which year. ata, Col hsss" Lad made
the discovery and succeeded ;. ML1 GREEN
MEMORANDUM ny d. DICE.
Atkinson, Magaw 4 Carr commenced the erection
N their paperDi January ls2l The discovery in
yentOn, Of straw wrappns, paper took place IN the
Spring or Summer Of Is2s, and was suggested 10 the
mind oil Col Nsgaw follows: Passing by an old
ashery situated in the north end Of the sllage he
some old straw Embedded in lcached ashes partly
uncovered. Az the ashes had been thrown out some
years previous he supposed il TO be rotten. lie pue
some Of il out with effort which indicated that il
was not rotten, but the contrary found IL TO be very
tough but soft. Ii occurred 10 him that wrapping
paper might be made of ito test which he made
wad Of it, and put into his mouth TO mascste il until
he made it into pulp Thus prepared he placed it
plane surface Of wood gave il a spat With a smooth
piece Of board and then applied sufficient pressure 10
spread into thin amna and let il dry; after which
tbe test Of parting indicated oughness that assured
him Of the probability that it would be convertible into
paper He Immediately determined to make the trial
and prepared batch Of the straw by soaking il in
luton of canstc potash put it into the paper mill en-
zine which soon reduced it to perfect pulp, which
was at once tested by the mill.mold with perfect
success.
"A short time after ne granted license TO msuufac
lure the same TO Mr. John Shryock of Chsmbersburg,
and also manufactured it at PhilsdelphiaMr. Aaron
Denman being his Philadelphia partner
since wiring the above, nv brother Mr., \. Baide