The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-05-18
The Green Mountain Pulp C%ompany''
Works.

The mill and works of the Green
Mountain Pulp company are now sub
stantially completed and In full run
ming order. The mill is situated at the
paper-mill falls. so-called, about a mile
northwest of this village.
Last summer the company purchased
the water privileges on both shores of
the stream and in August commenced
to build the works. The dams were re-
built. Including an island 100 feet long,
the dams are 500 feet in length and control
the whole river. From the dam a canal,
on the east side, 500 feet long, 30 feet
wide and six feet deep. carries the water
to the mill. 1t is blasted out of the
solid rock and at either end are heavy
walls of masonry eight feet in thickness.
Strong gates at the entrance to the
canal and at its lower end, where the
flume connects, afford ample means for
regulating the water supply.
The mill itself is So feet long, % feet
| wide and three stories high. In the
lowest story is the 1ume. in which the
wheels set, the pumps and the revolving
screen. The second story contains the
grinders, and on the upper floor is the
saw for cutting up the logs and the
splitting machine. There Is also a wing,
II by % feet and two stories in height.
Below stairs is the boiler for heating
purposes, and above the machines for
getting the pulp into shape for the
market.
The wheels that drive the machinery
are Wetmore turbines, made by the
Sullivan Machine company, Claremont.
N. Ii. The four which furnish power
for the grinders are of 2l0 horsepower
each; a third. of so horsepower, carries
the pumps and screens, and still another.
for the saw. is set and will shortly be
in use. The largest wheels have steel
shafts 5 l-2 inches in diameter.
The grinders, four in number, are the
really important features of the cstab-
lishment. They are the invention of Mr..
Robert Cartmell. a member of the com
pany, by whom they have been patented
both in the United States and Canada.
The patents are owned by. the Green
Mountain Pulp company. The wheel
that does the work is 1 it., 6 in. i'm
diameter and has a rim about 20 inches
i'm width. The grinding is performed by
the emery, with which the rim is
coated to the depth of , inches and to Il
width of IL 81 inches. This wheel,
with the shaft. weighs about Il ton and a
quarter. The wheel runs horizontally
in "A cast-irOn case, somewhat like that
of a common milestone. Arranged
about the case at equal distances are the
six boxes for the wood. which is sawed
into pieces l6 inches in length and split
into billets of various sizes, so that il
can be conveniently packed in the boxes,
The wood is set up endwise in the boxes,
and thus presents its side TO the grind
ing surface; that is, the grain of the
wood is up and down acrOss the face OF
the wheel. Behind the wood. to force
ii against the grinders, are followers,
moved slowly by a system OF gears
The pressure against the Woo in eacf
box is two tons. The boxes are indie
pendent-one or all can be used. Al
each box a jet of water is thrown against
the face of the grinder, to keep it clear
and prevent heating. The grinders. too
are separate. Each sets above its water
wheel, and power is communicated direct
without the intervention of gears. Eacl
grinder, with case, weighs about seven
tons.
From the grinders the pulp goes into
a revolving screen on the floor below
This removes whatever s~plinters there
may be. Thence it is pumped to 8
second and finer screen above and goes
next to a vat in the upper story anC
finally to the donkey machines. The
essential parts of these are a drum Of
fine wire gauze revolving in a vat of the
pulp and water. an endless felt blanket
and an iron roll II inches in diameter
and six feet long. AS the wire drum
revolves it picks up a thin film of the
pulp. This film leaves the drum ant
clings to the blanket. by which it il
carried to the iron roll and winds abOuI
it. In Il few minutes the iron roll il
covered with pulp to the thickness OF
cardboard. 1t is her cut in the direc
ton of the length of the roll, stripped
off and folded up, and is ready FOL
shipment. AS sent away the pulp con
tains G6 per cent of water. 1t is not al
lowed to dry, and on reaching the paper
mill readily dissolves into pulp agail
without further grinding. The produc
of the mill at present is about l6 ton
q day and before long probably 20 ton
will be produced each n hours. Al
the water used in making the pulp is fill
tered and all possible measures taken t.
ensure a fine, clean pulp. According T.
experts the pulp is far superior to an,
hitherto made and it commands a read,
market. About % men are employs
at the mill.
The dam, canal, mill and machiner.
have all been constructed under the pei
sOnal supervision of Mr.. A. III. Fisher o
Bellows Falls, president of the company
and Mr.. Cartmell; and everything is o
the most solid. substantial description
Charles Rogers of New Haven did tn
blasting and masonry and X. &. Mors
of st. Johnsbury built the mill. tn
boiler was set and the plumbing done b
/, Allan Calhoun of M~iddlcbury.
The establishment is adecided additio
to the industries of Middlebury, and a
will rejoice to see it prosper. If it
found that the water power is create
: than required for the present works, it
2 probable that the business will be il
creased, either by putting in more grinC
ers or by adding IA paper mill.
, By land or at sea, II on the prairie
or in the crowded city, Ayers Cathal
tic Pills are the hest for nurOativ