The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-06-04
paper.mnkinx at Cumberland mills.

The extensive paper mills at Cumberland
Mills, or "Congin" as the place is often called
are owned by s. D. Warreu & Co. of Boston,
The majority of the paper manufactured mere
is made of rags, but little wood pulp being
used. The rags used come from foreign coun-
tries, but few rags made here being used. Ihey
are bought in London and packed especially
for this firm They are shipped here In YES
sells and 90 over the Portland & Rochester road
to the mills.
1t may be of interest for our readers TO foiio"
these dirty rags through the mill and see them
come out nice clean white paper. The rags
are hoisted into the second story of one of the
large brick buildings, where the bales are taxi
en- apart and the rags put through thrasher
to tear them apart and take the dirt out. When
this is done they are ready for the girls to sort
out and take out all wooden rags. They are
then placed upon an endless band and carried
into another room where they ATE cut up into
very short bits. From here they 90 down
spout into boiler in a room beneath. These
boilers are made of the best boiler plate and are
subject to great heat while the rags are boiling.
The boilers revolve very slowly keeping the
rags moving. This process is to discharge the
coors in the colored rags. large quantity OF
lime is put in to assist in the process. After
boiling the rags for about 20 hours they are
placed in large vat and washed. This re-
moves all the color and by passing through
rollers in the vat the tibers are pulled out Al
this stage the rags are considered half MADE
into paper. The pulp is then taken into the
bleachery depar tment and thoroughly WHIT
ened 1t is then placed in vat something
similar to the one where it was washed. Here
the fiber is drawn out and it is ready to Do
ground up in a machine similar to coffee
mill. From here it is carried into a room
above where it is made into paper. 1t is wa
tered until very thin, and run on an endless
belt just the width that it is required to have
the paper After passing short distance on
the belt the pulp passes under roller to
squeeze the water ont. 1t passes from the oeit
to blanket which is used to keep the paper In
place. 1t next goes over several hot rollers
which dries the paper slowly; then through
several large heavy rollers to press the paper
smooth. 1t is then wound upon coil and Is
ready to be cut into required sizes. This is
done in another room, where girls set behind
the cutters and pick out any defective sheets
LDdI COme tuTOuBu. EIUu ehio AoonA 'AS S-SO''
are taken into the packing room where num-
Der of girls are employed counting the sheets.
They are then put up and sent to market.
The buildings occupy about an acre and
half On the opposite of the stream from the
mills the firm have just erected a large black
smith and repair shop where they employ
twenty workmen. In the mill the employ
about three hundred hands, half Of them being
girls.
The mill has six paper machines the small
lest one being So inches wide and the largest
80 inches About Is tons OF paper is turned out
daily. The water power is an excellent one
having 20 feet head. The arrangements for
the prevention of fire in and about the building
are excellent. The rooms have numerous water
pipes running through them, SO arranged that
bs turning on the water at the hydrant every
room can be flooded. The whole force is Or
ganized into fire department, and they have
regular drills to keep up the discipline
In order to make transportation more easy it
is proposed to build a branch track from the |
Rochester directly to the mill. An iron bridge |
will be put across the river opposite the mill.
Mr. George w. Hammond is agent for the |
firm ard Mr..W. M. Longley, superintendent.