The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-04-19
A PIECE OF PAPER.


A PIECE OF PAPER.
Where's piece of paper?' asked
Susie, a little impatiently, as she hur-
riedly pulled out first one drawer, and
then another of her mothers desk. "Oh,
dear! never shall get my composition
writtenr'
1t seems to me that you use a great
deal of paper for your compositions,
SUSIE" said her mother. ''Only last
week ] gave you halfa quire. I'm afraid
you waste it.
Il don't exactly waste it, mamma;
but sometimes | have to wr1te one page
over half-a-dozen times before it suits
me. Then of course there are several
sheets to be thrown away"
Why not write the composition on
your slate first, and then copy it off on
paper? That would be better plan,
l think; and waste would be avoided. -
"But why need / save so, mamma? ?
Papers so cheap, and so easily made. y
How is it made, Susie?'
Susie hesitated for a reply.
81 don't believe l know exactly" she
said at last. but / know there is "a
large paper-milI at Barrowstown, where
great quantity is made
Wouldn't you like to go to BarrOws-
town and find out all about it?'' asked
Mrs. Harvey. Il think then you would
not think the process such an easy one.
Come, Susie, you are always at a loss
for a subject for composition day. Sup
pose you 90 with me, and find out how
paper is made, and then write it up. j
am sure your young companions would
find food for n great deal of thought in
such a composition.
"Omamma, p" l should be delighted! y"
cried Susie. Can we 90 on Satur-
day?"
Mrs Harvey nodded assent, and then
gave her little daughter a couple of
sheets of fools%ap, with which Susie be-
took herself to the library, where she
could write undisturbed.
The next morning, as she was walking
to school, her composition on ''The
Waste of Time - in her satchel, she as
Overtaken by Lulu Walters, her most
particular friend.
Lulu" she said, I'm going to have
treat tomorrow. ] am going to Bar
rowstown to 90 over the paper-mill.
Tell me, do you know how paper is
madeP"
Don't they grind leaves and rags all
up together, somehow" asked Lulu,
whose knowledge on the subject was eX-
ceedingly vague.
Il don't know exactly" answered
Susie, :" but I'll let you know all about
it this day week"
4 Barrowstown was about sixty miles
distant from Glencoe, where Susie lived;
but by taking an early train on Satur-
day morning Mrs. Harvey and Susie
reached their destination a little before
ten o'clock.
4 Mrs. Harvey found the proprietor,
with whom she had "A slight acquaint-
ance, in his office; and as he happened
1 to be at leisure, he expressed himself as
very glad to have the opportunity of
showing them over his mill.
1--WE will 90 to the sorting-rOOm
first he said.
| The sorting-room was very large, and
\ in it were about thirty girls and women
at work; some picking over the rags,
sorting the white from the colored, and
others sitting each at a small table hav-
/ ing a wire network surface and fur
j nished with large vertical knife blade,
/ the back of which was toward the Op-
i orator. The rags were cut by drawing
/ them across this knife, and all hard
/ substances, as buttons, hooks and eyes,
1 and pieces Of wooden and silk, were
! separated anu ldlu dslN1t. Mutn hlEl
/ and sand fell through the netting.
What dreadfully dirty work. said
/ Susie; and she was glad TO get out of
1 the room, for she found the dust very
/ unpleasant.
Now" said the proprietor, as he
/ led the way along a passage, eff you
take piece of coarse, soft paper, and
tear off little bit, you can see, by look
] 4, 4 L., oh "a II hns
/ of which it is composed In writing
paper they do not show 50 well, because
they are very fine, and are held together
by the size, or glue, which is put in to
make the paper stronger, and to pre-
vent the ink from spreading in 1t, as il
does in blotting paper. 1t Is these
/ fibers which are spun together into
thread and made into cloth; and it is
4 these same fbers, broken up short and
matted together, that make paper. Bat
paper can be made of other tibers, be-
/ sides linen and cotton. A vast amount
! of paper used for printing is made Of
/ corn-husks, and still more of wood
I fibers. Silk makes very fine. thin
and strong paper; and wrapping-paper
\ is made of straw, which, though of
course not 50 strong as that made OF
I linen or cotton, is still strong enough
Z 10 answer bIC DO5b ADt WHICH IL II
intended. Now this, throwing open a
( door, "is the wash-rOOm."
All Susie could see at first was thick
cloud Of steam; but, yenturing a little
further in, she saw an immense tub, six
feet deep and about ten feet across, out
of which two men with pitchforks were
dipping wet rags. A similar tub, closely
covered, with a steam-pipe passing
into it, emitted noise Of boiling water.
Susie found the room very warm, and
was as glad to get out of it as she had
been TO get out of the sorting-room.
Now for the next operation, said
the proprietor, as he led the way into a
room where there two long watts, about
two feet deep and four or five feet wide,
with a partition lengthwise through
each. but not reaching TO the ends
These were full Of pulp, slowly passing
along on one side, around the end oI
the partition, and back on the Other
side. About the middle Of this side, a
part of the channel was covered over
inside of which they heard a great
threshing and churning going on. the
work, very evidently, Of a whirling
shaft that passed in at one side.
This shaft" said Mr. Cranch
turns a cylinder covered with iror
spikes, and the case in which it Is en-
closed is spiked in the same way. The