The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-09-27
PAPE!, MAKING.
THE CECIL PAPER MIL ON THE
LITTLE ELK
A Peep at the Workings Q: Inc Ingenious
Machinery, and What We Saw.

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Probably no branch OF business has been
more improved in the last half century than
the manufacture of paper. Fifty years age
paper was made by hand-tllat is TO say,
after the material, OF which it was com
posed, Lad been reluceIto pulp by the rude
machinery then in use for that purpose,
chindiyitlual sheet was nodded separated.
from the "vat " which contained the pulp,
by the mouldcr, who dipped the mold, which
was \ sieve made of small copper wire at
tachrd To a wooden frame the size of the
to bring with il enough of the pulp TO form
Il sheet of paper. These sheets We're Kept
Oh the mold for u few NON "uts till the water
partly drained from them, and were then
laid upon y plank called II coorher, boy
standing by to place a piece of felt upon each
successive sheet that was placed on The
pile i'll order 30 keep them from adherng
to each other. When the pile WAS large
enough, tic Wet sheets. with the felt still
between them, We're placed in Il press and
subjected to sufficient pressure to press them
nearly dry, when they Were taken to the
upper story OF the mill, which WAS so con-
air, and hung upon poles or ropes, where
nature finished the driving process. such,
briefly, was the mo''uS "i,@rdn1i by which
the paper used for the literature and COM
merce of half Il century ago was manutac
tured.
The manufacture of paper in this county
has long been one Of the most important
branches of industry, and has added much
to its wealth and the prosperity of its cti-
t,--.t y I,n
manufacture Of paper in this county was
ROBERT CARTER.
He WAS Il native of Delaware county, Pa,
and served an apprenticeship OF seven years
to the business with AN uncle of the late
Norris Lewis, who had a paper mill in that
county. MIR. Carter, then about thirty-tive
years OF age, came to this county in 1915
and purchased the Walnut Hill property,
on which WAS an old grist mill, which he
subsequently used for a drying house, and
soon after erected paper mill, which re-
manned till about 1896, when it was de-
stroyed by fire. This was the origin Of the
Cecil Paper Mill. From that time to the
present the Carter fImily have been actively
engaged in the business. For many years
after that time the tedious old process con-
tinued to he used, and it was not till 1854
that it WAS superseded by the improved
machinery now in use. MI Carter WAS
successful in business, and subsequently
purchased the site OF Cecil wooden mill, Just
above Marley, which he converted into
paper mill, but afterwards disposed Of it to
his relative, the late Norris Lewis.
III 1911 Mr.. Carter purchased ls Marley
Forge, which he converted into paper mill,
and subsequently disposed of it 10 his sons,
Joseph {. and William e., who, like their
brother, |. ID. Carter, the present proprietor
OF Cecil Paper Mill, We're at that tilas large
ly interested in the business.
The Marley Mill, some years ago, became
the property OF Mr.. George W. ChildS, pro-
prietor of the Philadelphia Ledqc., and is
now under the mana cement of Mr. II. l..
Carter, son of |. ID. Carter, Esq. TIL ca
pacity Of III. Marley Mill is greater than
any other in the county, it being capable Of
producing upwards of four tons daily
Large quantities of wheat straw are used i'll
the manufacture of paper at this mill.
Robert Carter, after long and useful life,
most of which he spent i'll developing and
perfecting the manufacture Of paper, died
in 1851, and was succeeded by his son,
+. u. CARTER, ESQ,
who then became the proprietor of Cecil
Paper Mill This mill is situated on the
Little Elk, about seven miles above Elkton,
in us pretty and romantic Il location i, to
be found any where along that stream, and is
one of the best paper mills In the State.
We recently visited this mill and spent part
of n day i'll looking ut it and adnirins the
beauty Of its surroundings and tho pertec-
ton of the machinery it contains. Mr..
Carter has recently given it Il thorough
ovtrhauling and reconstructed Il great part
of the machinery and apparatus. This was
done under the supervision of
MR.. WILLIAM SpRATT.
Il thorough millwright and machinist,
who fully understands all branches of
the business, and has frequently OF late
years been employed in the erection of mills
many hundreds of miles distant in the
Southern and Western States. The first
object Of interest that attracted our atten-
ton was the water wheel, which is 1877
feet in diameter, and made in the same
manner as an ordinary ovcrshot wooden
wheel, except the buckets, which are made
of iron, and so curved as to retain all the
water that falls upon the wheel, which is
a great improvement upon wheels with
wooden buckets, which are apt to waste :.
large part of the wafer. We were next
shown the raw material, of which tho pa
per is made, which consisted of all sorts
and kinds OF old cotton and linen rags,
many of which were as black and dingy
looking as can we'll be imagined, and old
newspapers, which had been read and re-
read, till they were worn out and had final
~ found their way back to the place where
they hal been manufactured, to be worked
over, reprinted, and again started upon
their mission of disseminating the current
news Of the day.
THIS U&SIGHTLT MASS
is put into i large wrought iron cylindrical
boiler, which holds about two tons, along
with Il quantity of soda, ash, and water,
which is heated by steam and made to re-
volye for about twelve hours, when il is
partly hlea,,iied and ra:,iy To lie taken oft
and transferred 10 the engines. whGga more
bleaching powder is added, aid the whole
is washed and blcachcd, and finally reduced
to the proper consistency, 10 be introduced
to the machine, upon which it is made into
paper. The three engines uesd in the Cecil
Paper Mill were designed by Mr.. Spratt,
and are II great Improvement upon most
others in USE being made of cast iron and
having 10 ;eani5 IN them. They weigh
about three tons apiece, and ate Of sniff
cient capacity to hold about 600 pounds
each After the pulp is reduced to the
proper consistency for use, it is started upon
Il subterranean journey in large wooden
trunk Underneath the road to the building
in which the machine is located. The pulp
is now mixed with pIre, clean E'aici, aad
passed IN 4 running stream upon til. lna
chine, which stands i'll long, lew building
especially adapted to the purpose, and after
follewin. the intricate windings of 4 multi
tude of cylinders, many of which are heated
by steam, the milky-lookin. stream energies
from the other end Of it, many feet from
where it entered, in sheet, the length of
whic! is lnIy limited b. the capacity of the
reels upon which 1t Is .so..uG. I'i.L>.s -ol!s
are placed upon the cutting machine, which
is SO constructed rs to cut them into sheets