The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-08-22
ANoLDPAPER MILL.
Page Ira the History of primitive
raDer.Makins, in MarylR


A correspondent of the Baltimore Sun
writing from Marriottsville, under date O
August IL, says:
Devries' old paper mill, on Piney falls, IN
Carroll county, opposite this village, destroy
ed by fire about one year ago, while unoei
lease to Mr. George +. Jones, has been re-
built by MessIs Ralston & Walden, of Phlla'
delpbia. The new lessees will use 1t as a
saw-miIl for the preparing of soapstone Tor
the market, which is an important industry
along Piney falls, where valuable soapstone
quarries abound.
The old paper mill, which now becomes
obsolete, has an interesting history as an IN
dustry that prospered for over seventy years
| amid the wild and romantic scenery OF Piney
falls, and as being contemporaneous with the
earliest manufacture of paper in Maryland,
| if not in the Union. The property is owned
by Mr.. John B. Devries, brother Of the late
VIM. Devries, a wealthy Baltimore merchant,
and of Christian and Henry Devries, we'll
known citizens of the State.
Christian Devries, the father, came to this
country in 1902 from Ober-Eyssel, Holland,
to superintend the manufacture of paper for
Messrs. Hammond & Pringle, of Baltimore.
The contract was that he should remain two
wears. and if at the end ofthat time he became
dissatisfied he was at liberty to return to Hol-
land, the expenses of the trip to be paid by
the firm While on his way to America John
was born at sea. Christian Devries was first
located on Deep and Birch runs, near Elk
ridge Landing, where Hammond x Pringle
had mill.
In 1909 Mr.. Hammond died and Mr.. Dew
ries left the employ. He removed to Piney
falls, of which | write, where for $4,000 he
purchased the fabric of an old flour mill,
known as Valley Mill, and owned by Mr..
Mill. SC RoIt;p,Ora flor adding new ma
chinery the elder Devries turned it into flour
and paper mill. Although he purchased the
property in 1909. the rebuilding, procuring
and transporting of machinery occupied the
time till 1911, when operations were begun.
Paper then was made wholly by hand. The
ssrag engine" or paper grinder, was nearly
the same as now, but the process was widely
different After leaving the grinder it went
into the reservoir, or 'stuf chest, then
dipped out in buckets and put in sleeves the
size required for any sheet of paper, and not
cut as now. On the sleeves it passed to man
who placed it on a cloth, and 128 sheets thus
laid one on another were called post:
AS soon as the ''post' was completed the
whole passed to press where the water was
squeezed out of it. This formed the body of
the Sheets The "lay boy'' as an urchin was
called, then arranged the sheets in packs,
placing a board between each "post," and
again the press was brought to bear upon the
mass. Then the paper in this stage was taken
to the drying room, which was the loft of the
mill, where the sheets now formed were hung
on lines, like clothes, where they remained
until dry and ready for shipment To get
printing paper in marketable condition it was
necessary to press it several times, and to pick
out the ''motes," as small protuberances on
the surface were called. Writing paper re-
quired great attention, and had to be 'sized."
In the days of this primitive process with
four Misunderstanding "coucher' and lay
boy''-four reams of printing paper could be
made in working day; eight reams of fools
cap and ten reams ofcommon wrapping paper
of very inferior quality. With the same
force seventy years after the production is IN.
comparable.
In 1927 j. B. Devries commenced the cree
ton of a paper mill below that of his father,
and completing it in 1929, began operation as
hand mill In 1927 he put in ''wet ma
chine then new contrivance to run off the
paper in place of selves, beyond which stage
of manufacture, however, the hand performed
the work. AS far back as 1911 a Massachu-
sets paper maker named Ames had this ma
chine in use, and although he managed to
keep it secret, it at last became known, and
some Eastern mechanics began manufacturing
the machine, whether or not with Ames's
consent is not known and offered them for
SALE A Philadelphia named Sellers appeared
as agent in that city. j. b. Devries and
Mr. Meter, paper maker, of Cecil county,
met by agreement in Sellers's shop to inspect
the new invention and determine its value to
the business of paper making. Mr.. Devries
left an order for one to cost $3.50. Mr.. Me-
tier declined purchasing at the time, but later
on added the machine to his mill:
Two years more saw other and more I'M
portant improvements in paper making ma
chinery, and to keep pace with the advance
ment the younger Devries added each new
invention as it came out. His father, Christ
ian Devries, worked his mill till 1882 as IA
hand mill, when the progress noted also in.
duced him to have recourse to the march OF
invention.
J. B. Devries's mill was burned down in
1852, supposed by q colored man who had
been previously arrested for stealing from
him. The same year it was rebuilt, with the
addition of new machinery costing $4,000
when placed in position. The father carried
ON the original mill until the opening OF the
late civil war, when, finding the tax too great.
he shut down and never resumed operations
again. The great food of July, 1868, which
devastated the Patapsco valley, was severely
felt along Piney falls. 1t rose so high as to
destroy the mills of both the father and son.
The machinery in j. B. Devries's mill fortu-
nately was not wholly ruined, and, after being
recleaned, was restored to new mill built
on the same site at cost of several thousand
dollars Itremained in operation until 1884,
when it was again destroyed by fire. In early
life Mr.. j. B. Devries kept store at Piney
Falls and made much money from the army
of men who built the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, in 1929. Previous to the introduce
ton of the railroad the paper was hauled to
Baltimore by teams. Mr.. j. B. Devries is
living yet, and resides near his old mill. Some
time ago he was stricken with paralysis, which
incapacitated him for work.