The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-04-28

inside of which they heard great
threshing and churning going on, the
work, very evidently, of whirling
shaft that passed in at one side.
"This shaft" said Mr.. Cranch,
"turns cylinder covered with iron
spikes, and the case in which it is en-
closed is spiked in the same way. The
wet rags are put into the vat with
water. This machinery is put to work.
and the rags, as they pass between the
spiked cylinder and the stationary
spikes, are of course torn to shreds, and
mixed all up into pulp with the
water. 1t passes slowly around, in one
continuous current, every part in turn
passing through the mill, and being
ground finer and finer, till it is re-
duced to uniform pulp, bookings good
deal like corn-starch pudding. Then
it is drawn off into large tub just be.
low us, and is bleached by putting in a
chemical preparation. Then the size is
added; if it is to be writing-paper, the
ruling done, the edges trimmed, and
the mark of our firm stamped in each
corner. Let me take you now into the
machine-room.n er s..
The clatter of the wheels and rafting
machinery almost deafened Susie and
her mother, when they entered the room
in question. Susie did not ask for any
information while in there, for she knew
she could not hear herself speak. The
room was long one, down the
middle of which extended machine
with wheels and cylinder revolving
this way and that, and a strip of paper
passing over and under and around the
| moving parts till its career was cut short
at one end by pair of revolving shears
that shipped it off into great sheets. At
one end of the long machine was a vat
or tub, into which the pulp was pumped
up from below. In this tub a horizon
tai cylinder was revolving. |t.' esd. E
"This cylinder" said Mr.. Cranch,
coming close to Susie and speaking very
loud, sis covered with very fine brass
wire-cloth The pump drawing off the
contents of this cylinder, the pulp is
sucked against its surface when the
water passes in, leaving on the cylinder
q sheet of the more solid part. AS the
cylinder turns, this keeps coming up
above the liquid mass, and is imme-
| diately taken off in one continuous strip
by this endless belt, you see, of soft
cloth, which this roller presses against
it. You see that the paper, only soft
film at this period of its composition,
passes over and under successive rollers,
and is pressed and dried as it goes, until
it runs off from the cloth and passes
around those three large cylinders,
which are heated by steam inside. From
these, you see, it comes off dry and COM
plete, strip of paper about a yard
wide. Then it goes on and meets that
little wheel, which splits it in the mid
die, and gives it to the shears to cut off.
So, you see, while at one end this strip
of paper is being formed from the pulp,
at the other it is being cut off into
sheets. ....#.
"These sheets are carried in great
piles on barrow, into the wareroom,
where we count them out, fold them,
do them up in bundles, and leave them
all ready for ruling, marking and trim
ming . 49, ..... .t..
Dear me-" said Susie, with sigh,
show much trouble about . sheet of
paper!"
Her mother smiled.
"Do you want to see the vat into
which the pulp falls?' asked Mr..
Cranch, as they left the machine-room.
Eyes, SIR answered Susie; 81 am so
much interested that l want to see
everything"
They went below by flight of rath-
er dark stairs, and found themselves
again within the sound of machinery
All was pitch dark, except on one side
where tallow candle flared dismally.
On the other side was tremendous
roaring fire, which supplied steam for
drying and heating operations, and for
boiling the pulp. The sound of ma
chinery came from another direction,
mingled with the dashing noise of the
water falling from the great water
wheel slowly revolving and working the
machinery of the mill.
! They went next into the room where
the paper was ruled. An endless band
of cloth, on which the sheets of paper
were drawn along, one after the other,
ran under set of pens, kept constantly
filled with blue ink, and fixed as far
apart as it was necessary for the lines
to be. This ruled a set of parallel lines,
running the whole length of the sheet
The pens were made of brass, all joined
toSeIHcI ny pleCc dt tHc' IOp, very
much like a coarse comb. In this top
piece ran a little channel, into which the
ink was poured, and in each pen was
little tube down which the ink flowed to
its point. "
''How do you manage to leave the
fourth page of sheet of note-paper
blankP" asked Mrs. Harvey, who de-
sired that Susie should learn all that was
possible about this ruling process.
"That is managed very simply" an
swered Mr.. Cranch; "we so lay the
sheets on the cloth band that each one
laps on to thanext, covering half oft. Of
course, as they pass under the pens,
only the uncovered half of each sheet is
ruled"
Mrs. Harvey now thanked Mr.. Cranch
for his, kindness in explaining every
thing so fully; and she and Susie took
the train for home, well pleased with
the manner in which the day had been
spent. r-rn f#."t .'."
/ Susie's next composition was the best
she ever wrote; for she thoroughly
understood her subject-"A Piece of
Paper u Christian Register
I