Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-29
% For the Kennebsc journal.
A FEW MORE FACTS ABOUT PAPER
M1ETNE

| These with many more gathered from city and
| country in our own land, by the shrewd tin
peddler, and the sharp eyed chiffionier, go to
| fill up the paper makers stock-house. Inc
| rags are Invested of al! buttons and hooks,
| cut into strips, busted, boiled, washed, again
cut or torn, washed, ground, bieached, beat
and again ground when it is ready for use.
During the beating process, coloring matter
| is added to give the paper any required
| shade. From 200 to 1000 pounds of rags are
worked at time. The records of paper
making says the Springfield Union are rath-
er musty, but we read that in 1887 the new
town of Pittsfeld, western Massachusetts,
sought for an act of incorporation from the
Legislature as paper making company but
were not successful. But somewhere between
that time and 1876 mill was built-a small
hand mill on Mil! river, known for two gen
eratons past as the Ames paper mill. Also
about this time small hand mill was built in
Suffield, Conn. In 1901 Zenas Crane, Henry
Wiswell and John Willard built mill at
Dalton, and in order to secure a stock of
rags, they inserted the following advertise
ment in the Pittsheld Sun:
AMERICANS!
Encourage your own Manufactures,
and they will Improve.
Ladies, save your RAGS.
As the Subscribers have it in contempla-
ton to erect PAPER MILL in Dalton the
ensuing Spring: and the business being very
beneficial to the community at large, they
flatter themselves that they shall meet with
due encouragement. And every woman who
has the good of her country at heart, and the
interests of her own family, will patronize
them by saving her rags, and sending them to
their Mandatory, or to the nearest Store
keeper, for which the Subscribers will give
generous price
HENRY WIwNELL,
ZENAs CRANE,
JOHN WILLARD,
People had but little confidence in the sue
cess of the undertaking: troubles and losses
make up the eventful history of early paper
making among the Berkshire hills.
Holyoke stands as the belle for making fine
writing paper, far beyond any other town or
city in the United States, yea she challenges
the world. 40 tons of fine writing paper
made every day-40 tons, what town or city
in the new or old world can come up to this.
Lee was once the largest paper making town
in the country, but long since she yielded the
palm to her more ambitious rival.
The writing paper makers of western Mas
sachusetts make eighty tons Of paper a day,
giving employment to over 1000 hands. and
produce manufactured goods worth at least
ten million of dollars.
The manufacture of 90 tons of book and
newspaper per day is no small item, while
more than half of tine collar paper used in the
country is made in the four western coun.
ties of Massachusetts.
All the paper mills combined employ 5000
hands, and make $l4, 900, 900 wortl, of paper
annually, as will be seen by the following
tables which will show the location, name,
and annual product: Holyoke-Parsons,
$4,000; Valley, 2O0,000 Holyoke, $780,
600; Whiting, e Mills, $l,25OOOO; Mas
sosoit, 275,000; Beebe & Holbrook, 800, 900;
Union, 100000; Riverside, 100000; West
Observation-Disclosures, $4,000; Aga
wan, $4,000; Worthy, 10000; Westfeld-
Jessup & Latin, 5000; Crane Bros, 2OO,-
900; Collins Depot-Collns, 100000;
South Hadley Falls-Carew, 200, 900; Hamp-
shire, $4,000; NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. $780,
600; Huntington-Massasoit. 225, 900; Chaplin
& Gould, 100000. Lee-Harrison Garfield
G mills) 100000; Benton Bros, 100000;
Chaffee & Hamlin, 10000; May & Rogers,
900; South Lee-Hurlbut, G. mills)
100000; Housatonic-Owen, 100000; New
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 100, 900; Dalton-Bart-
lett 6 Cutting, 125, 900; Weston, 375 900; Car
son & Brown, 100000; Pittsfed-Colt,
$4,000. South Adams L. L. Brown, 6
mills) $4,000. West Cunnngham-L. L.
Brown, $4,000. Total o,36O, 900.
There are four mills engaged at Holyok
in making collar paper, one at Loudvile, one
at Lee, and one at Dalton--the annual pro-
duct of which is 81 100000.
In book and newspaper making there are
ten mills engaged. Holyoke two, Collins De-
pot one, Turner's Falls one, Lee three, New
Marlboro one, Housatonic one. The annu-
al product of which is 81, $780, 900.
A recent Austrian invastiuaf0r Dr A1hi.
nus Rudel, calculates the yearly production
in all civilized parts of the world as amount
ing to 1880 100000 pounds. This quantity
is manufactured in 1850 factories, which
employ 10000 male and 10000 female
hands, besides 100, 900 workmen occupied in
collecting and asserting rags. The factories,
when in full working order represent mon
ey value of not less than $3.50, 900. 900 gold,
and the value of the annual paper production
lie estimated at Sl95, 900, 900 gold. The pro-
ducton of the United States, with a popula-
ton of 80. 100000, reaches up to 374, 900, 900
pounds, but their consumption exceeds this
quantity by 5000 900 pounds, which are sup.
piled by importation. Every American uses
annually on an average, ten and one fourth
pounds of paper while Mexico, with Central
America, consumes only two pounds; and
British America five and one half pounds per
head. The consumption in European coun-
tries is eleven and one half pounds per head
in Great Britain, eight in Germany, seven
and one half in Austria and in Italy, one and
one half in Spain, and in Russia but one
pound.
But these figures will not justify us in
drawing any rigid conclusions as to the liter
AIRY occupations or mental requirements of
the respective countries, though they give us
general idea thereof; for one. third of all
this immense quantity of paper consists of
paper hangings, pasteboards, shavings, wrap
ping sheets, one half of all the production is
printing paper, and the remaining ne-sixth
is writing paper. The consumption in civil
lized countries averages per head Ave pounds
of paper, five newspaper copies, and ten let
tiers. Fifty years ago, two and one half
pounds paper were supposed to be the aver
age. In round numbers, DR.. Rudel distrib-
utes the annual paper "crop," into the follow
ing departments; Government Offices, 200.-
600, 900 pounds; Schools, $50, 600, 700 pounds
Commerce, 240.000,000 pounds; Industrial
Manufactures, 10000. 900 pounds; Private
Correspondence, l00,000,000; Printing 900,-
600, 900; Total, 1900 600, 900 pounds.
The msterial for making paper is also an
interesting item of knowledge to all lovers of
learning and for the benefit of such, | sub