Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-20

For the Journal.
SOME FACTS ABOUT TAPER MAX
ING

The Chinese made paper from fbrous sub
stance reduced to pulp in water some GEN.
turtles before the Christian era.
The Hindoos made the first paper from cot
ton in the seventh century.
The Arabians learned the secret from them
and carried the knowledge with them to Spain,
where they used linen and hemp as well as
cotton.
When they were driven out of CASTLE they
left the art of paper making in the hands Of
the Spanish copquerors.
In 1885 Toledo was noted for its paper mills
and each sheet of paper was then made in a
separate mould, and rags were substituted for
raw cotton.
Paper of an inferior quality was introduced
into nearly every European country during
the eleventh century.
| The European paper makers used stamp
ing machine to reduce their rags to pulp I'M
til the latter part of the eighteenth century,
when the present process of grinding was in
vented by Dutchman-the windmAls of Hol.
land did not furnish power enough to run the
stamping machines, and, in searching for a
substitute, the rag engine was invented.
| The first paper mill in France were built in
1916, and the Germans took up the manufac-
ture soon after.
The first English paper mills were built in
Hartford in 1893, but the business did not
prosper, and England depended on France for
paper till Louis 14th drove the Hugienot
manufacturers out of France.
Before the French immigration, paper
making had been SO great an undertaking,
that the building of mill by one John Spell.
man a German, in Queen Elizabeth's time,
was celebrated by poem which has come
down to the present age. Speilman was re
wsrded with the honor Of knighthood
The manufacture of wall paper was begun
about 1640-and the ancient hangings of cloth
were gradually abolished.
The American colonies were nearly abreast
of the mother country for in 1890, not FIVE
years from the time when the first white pa
per was finished in England mill for the
manufacture of printing, wrapping and writ
ing papers was built at Roxboro, Pa. near
Philadelphia, on tributary of the Schuylkill
river, by VIM. Bradford, Philadelphia prin-
ter and VIM. Rttenhouse, one of the early
Dutch settlers of Germantown.
The next paper mill in the country was ut
Chester Creek, Delaware, in IVA. This mill
supplied Frankiin's printing presses, and fur
nished the paper on which the old Continent
tai money was printed. Franklin was a
great friend of paper-mills and he was instru-
mental in building no less than eighteen.
Massachusetts, secured her first paper mill
by means of a subsidy from the court This
mill was built at Milton in 1880, and contract
ed to make not less than l40 reams of paper dur
ing the fret fifteen months, and after that stip
ulated to furnish at least 500 reams per year.
including twenty-five reams Of writing paper
A. Holyoke paper-maker would laugh a: these
figures, which would not afford him busiaess
for a single day.
Great difficulty was experienced in N. Eng
in obtaining skillful help, and the mill at Mil
ton stood still many years for lack of work
men. Finally a British soldier was found
in the army quartered at Boston during the las t
French war, O75G,) who understood the en-
tire business. Procuring furlough, he went
to Milton, started up the mill and ran it sew
eral months; but when his leave of absence
expired he was obliged to accompany his regi-
ment to Quebec. After his departure the
mill stood still for several years.
The supply through the country fell far
short, of the demand, for it was with the utmost
difficulty that rags could be obtained An
advertisement in the Boston News Letter in
1863 announced that "The bell cart will 20
through the city before the end of the month,
to collect rags for the paper mill at Milton,
when all people that will encourage the pap
er mandatory may dispose of them"
The first paper mill in Conn. was started at
Norwich in 1868. The yankees did not take
hold of the business with much spirit for in
l776 there were only six mills in N. Eng.
while Penn. had forty.
a paper mill at East Hartford in l777 run
by Watson and Ledyard wholly supplied the
Hartford press, then using about 5000 pa
pers weekly. During the Revolution. paper
could not be obtained at any price-in 1776
the Massachusetts Legislature ordered the
committees of public safety, then in existence,
| to appoint in each town some suitable person
to receive rags for the paper mill.
The following story of some of the Pennsyl-
uania paper makers shows that they were
worthy OF taking the first rank in patriotism,
as well as paper manufacture. The Dun
kers, a peculiar religious sect, were the own.
ers of a large mill, near the Revolutionary
battle -field of Brandy-wine. just before the
battle, Washington sent to this mill for paper to
make cartridges. There was no pap er on
hand, but the community had large edition o
Fox's Book of Martyrs, made from their own
paper, just ready for the binder. This they
resolved to send, and in few honrs several
two-horse loads of Fox were on their way to
the American Camp.
When Philadelphia was evacuated by the
British in l77S the Continental army was in
even greater neeu OF cartridge paper, and the
city was searched for paper, and in an old
house formerly occupied by Franklin they
found $500 copies of an old sermon written
during the French war, upon "Defensive
war"
These were at once made into cartridges,
which told well for the defensive side of the
controversy at the battle of Monmouth.
The scarcity of paper in New York was so
great in 1881, that the journal of the second
session of the General Assembly was not pub
lished. the printer being unable to find paper.
Paper making in the United States, seems
to have taken a start soon after the Revolu-
ton, for in 1910 there were 1876 mills in the
country, thirty eight of which were in Mas
sachusetts, and sixty in Pennsylvania.
The paper manufactures Of the United
States in 1920 amounted to SO 900, 900, en-
ploying 5000 persons, (about the number
now employed in Western Massachusetts,
The value of the rags gathered was over
5000 900 per annum. In 1929 the product
had swellei to nearly $1,000, 900, employing
10000 people, while the value of the rags
saved was estimated at So, 5000
| The result of the numerous imprOyeme nj 4