The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-06
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Paper.
Interesting Facts Abou, Its Manufacture and use.

Interesting Facts About It's Manufacture and Use.
Paper car-wheels are composed entire
ly of paper rings pressed together under
a weight of six tons. and then fastened
by means of bolts and steel tires put on
them, when they are ready for use. Laid
loosely the rings stack as high as the
shoulders of an ordinary man. Under
treatment they sink to the thickness re-
quired. If the tire should wear or fall
off the wheel, or the train run from the
track, there would be no danger of their
breaking, as they are very flexible, and
would spring. A paper ball can be rem
dered so solid that nothing but a diamond
tool can cause an indentation into 1t. At
the mill is a square block of compressed
paper fastened on turning lathe, and
so hard that if a fine steel chisel is held
against it when it is moving, instead of
cutting the paper it will break the chisel
into.a hundred pieces. The strength is
astonishing. You can take a f5 note OF
the Bank of England, twist itinto a kind
of rope, suspend 339 pounds upon one
end of it and not injure it in the slight
est degree Bath-tubs and pots are
formed by COMPRISING the paper made
out of linen fbers and annealed-that
is, painted over with composition which
becomes part thereof, and is fire-proof
The tubs last indefinitely. never leak,
and, put in the fire, viii not burn up.
You can beat on them with a hammer
and not iniure them. Plates compress
ed and annealed are very durable; you
cannot only wash them, but drop them
upon the floor and stand upon them.
The fork can be used for any practical
purpose, and the knife can always be
kept sharp Paper can be substituted
for wood, converted int picture frames,
and colored like walnut, cherry and the
like. Bedsteads are fashioned the same
as car wheels, only of long strips instead
of rings. They are very beautiful and
lasting. Cooking or heating stoves are
also annealed, audit is impossible to burn
them out; they are less costly than iron.
A house can be literally constructed of
and furnished with every convenience
in paper. The printing press, type, and
all the fixtures of the office could be con-
cocted of this material, and more cheap
.ly than of the ordinary kind. A COM
plete steam engine can be thus manu-
featured, and do all required duty
Clothes and shoes will come in the fu-
ture. Twenty-nine hours are needed to
transfer linen fiber into car wheel
Solid card-like paper was made as
early as the fifth century, but lis stated
on tie authority Oh. the Arabian histori-
ans. and largely conceded, that linen
paper did not come into use until 1870,
or at most. but short time before. The
cotton card or paper known previously
was of a thick, coarse, woody texture,
brittle and inferior. There is still some
demand for handmade paper, and in a
corner of the l.. L. Brown Paper Com
pany at Adams are simple and mex
pensive appointments for the production
of paper rs it was substantially made
one, two and three hundred years ago.
The call comes largely for use in making
architectural drawinos-for drawing pa
per, in short-in consequence of the fact
that it will not stretch. a point indispens-
able in accurate drawings. The paper
can be creased and rewritten upon A
brisk demand has sprung up for those
papers for wedding and society invita-
ton cards, billet doux, personal CORES
pondence. also business houses where re-
cherche stationery is desirable.